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Our Youth. Our Future.

Society Reg. No: ROS326/2002Charity Reg. No: 1739

vironmental challenge organisation (singapore)own as ECO Singapore

87 Beach Road, Chye Sing Building #06-01 Singapore 189695http://www.eco-singapore.org I Tel: (65) 6333 5543 I Fax: (65) 6333 5537

Registered Address: 10 Anson Road, International Plaza, #15-14 Singapore 079903

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environmental challenge organisation (singapore)known as ECO Singapore

87 Beach Road, Chye Sing Building, #06-01 Singapore 189695http://www.eco-singapore.org I Tel: (65) 6333 5543 I Fax: (65) 6333 5537


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Table of Contents

Exec utive Summary 3

Chap ter 1 Introduc tion 6

Chapter 2 Top ic 1: Reduc ing our Carbon Footprint 8

Chapter 3 Top ic 2: Rethinking our Waste 12

Chapter 4 Top ic 3: Conserving our Biod iversity 16

Chapter 5 Top ic 4: Sustaina ble Food and Water 20

Chap ter 6 Conc lusion 23

Append ix 1 Profile of Environmenta l Challeng e

Organisation (Singapore) 24Append ix 2 NYEF 08 Prog ramme 26

Appendix 3 Speakers Profile 28

Ap pend ix 4 Partners List 33

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Executive Summary

The Nationa l Youth Environm ent Forum (NYEF) is orga nised by the

Environmenta l Challenge Orga nisa tion (Singa pore) and p rovided an

interactive platform for youth to engage in discussions on various

environm ent issues and polic ies, and to take ac tion. The them e is

Beyond Awa reness and foc used on b ridg ing the ga p from inac tion to

action and from superficial knowledge to holistic, enlightened

understanding.

The invited spea kers on the top ics of Technology, Business/ Ec onomics,

Soc ia l/ Att itud es, Leg isla tion, and Med ia set the sta ge fo r a lively

presentation and discussion with the youth participants on the different

aspec ts to approa ch environm enta l issues.

This was fo llowed by a fruitful c auc us d isc ussion on the fo llow ing to p ics:

1. Reducing our Carbon Footprint;

2. Rethinking our Waste ;

3. Conserving our Biodiversity, and

4. Susta inab le Foo d and Water.

The p artic ipants expressed conc erns and improvem ents in som e a reas,

and suggested several recommendations and potential projects for

imp lementa tion after the forum.

On the top ic of Red uc ing o ur Ca rbon Footp rint, the pa rtic ipa nts would

like to see more engagement with the private sector through

deve lop ing g reen guidelines a nd a w ard ing incent ives. They a lso

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encouraged green transportation and suggested the

red uc tion in the c arbon d ioxide em issions of vehic les, the

addition of more CNG sta tions in Singapore, and having c yc ling as a

mod e of transport in Singapore.

On the topic of Rethinking our Waste, the youth focused on increasing

education on waste management through events and by introducing

Ec o-Schoo ls. They a lso recom mend ed mo re recyc ling b y co llec ting

paper at the end of the school term, placing paper recycling bins next

to letter boxes, and offering incentives. In addition, some participants

wanted to see enhance ments to the BYOB prog ramm e.

On the topic of Conserving our Biodiversity, the participants expressed

conc erns ab out the develop ments in Mand ai and the need to p rotec t

the b iod iversity there. There we re p la ns by the youth to hold c amp a igns

to Save Ma nda i . The d evelopment o f standa rds and Environm enta l

Impact Assessment studies to protect our biodiversity and nature areas

were also discussed.

On the top ic of Susta inab le Food a nd Water, the youth w ould like to

prom ote vegeta rianism a nd to ea t less meat. The p ossib ility o f

com munity farming w as a lso b roug ht up and the idea w as to d esignate

plots of land for residents to grow their own food. In addition, someparticipants supported faith-based environmentalism since

env ironmenta lism is a n integ ra l pa rt of va rious religious beliefs.

The NYEF 08 was held suc c essfully and ECO Singapore and its partners

would continue to work closely with youth who are keen to implement

their projects after the forum. In this way, youth will move from

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awareness to action and play a part in shaping the

environmenta l landsc ape in Singap ore.

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Chapter 1 Introduc tion

Through its years of involvem ent in youth environmenta l ac tivism, ECO

Singa pore has realized the imm ense p otential in the youth of tod ay to

make a d ifferenc e. The Na tiona l Youth Environm ent Forum o rga nized by

the Environm enta l Cha lleng e Organisation (Singapore) a ims to p rov ide

an interactive platform for youth to engage in discussions on various

environm ent issues and polic ies. This ed uc a tiona l and interac tive

platform for exchange and education also gives participants the

opportunity to take action and cultivate collaborative relationships

through p rojec t mento rship and feedb ack to releva nt ministries. The

succ ess of c rea ting such p la tfo rms can b e witness by the several simila r

initia tives tha t spun o ff since its suc cessful ina ugural session w ith the

Minister of Environment and Water Resources, Dr Yaacob Ibrahim, in

2006.

The youth in Singapore a re alrea dy we ll at tuned to the m a ny issues tha t

plague the environment. While they may be well familiar with terms

such as climate change and resource depletion, this basic awareness

can only go so fa r. ECO Singa pore set out to organize its sec ond NYEF

with the them e for the NYEF 08 Beyond Awareness to b ridge the gap

from inaction to action and from superficial knowledge to holistic,

enlightened understand ing. The forum this yea r brings representa tives

from the NGO, academia and the corporate sector to examine how

the fundamental driving forces of technology, economics, legislation,

media and our attitude play out in the arena in shaping the

environm enta l landsc ape in Singap ore.

The emb lem of the g rizzly bea r found on the c over of the p oster and

public ity ma teria l set the to ne for the forum. Three dec ad es ago, unde r

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the threat o f extinc tion, there were only ab out a hundred

grizzly bears roaming in the Yellowstone National Park.

Individuals who were aware about the perilous plight of the bears

soug ht to ga in a bette r unde rstand of this c rea ture a nd its hab ita t, and

took action on many fronts and across many agencies to preserve the

grizzlies. Today, the g rizzly bea r has bee n taken off the end angered

species lists and more than 500 of these magnificent creatures roam

freely in the Yellowstone na tiona l park a rea . The t riumph of the g rizzly

bear helps illustrate the theme of the forum; that we too can make

changes to create a more sustainable future and this document

represents the first step in going beyond awareness.

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Chap ter 2

Top ic 1: Red uc ing our Carbon Footprint

Current Situation

It is a universa l fac t tha t g lob a l warming is hitting ha rd on o ur ea rth, and

the main causes for global warming has been a result of the

greenhouse effect, exacerbated by mankinds indiscriminate

production of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases into the

atmosphere.

Singa po re a s a country ma y have little impac t on the g lob al ca rbo n

footprint, but it has been high in the global ranking when it comes to

carbo n footp rint ge nerated pe r person. In ad d ition, it d iscounts the fa c t

tha t Singapore, having little na tural resources on its ow n, has to import

from other countries and the carbon footp rint in Singapore is not ent irely

restricted to its own borders.

Some c urrent p olic ies or Initia tives inc lude :

Tamp ines Cyc ling on Foo tways: A year-long tria l whic h end ed on 30

May this year had received an extension in its trial run for another

half year. Education efforts for the general public are expected to

be stepped up with road safety videos, talks and exhibitions held in

Tampines. In a survey of 565 residents from Ma y to Novem ber last

year, 57 per cent of non-cyclists and 73 per cent of cyclists

supp orted the c ontinuation of the sc heme.

Aside the p ilot p rog ramm e in Tampines, Sembawa ng a nd

Woodlands will be getting 7.4km of cycling paths which are

expec ted to b e c omp leted by 2010.

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Foldable bicycles of certain dimensions are allowed in

the trains.

A 5-yea r, $50 million Susta inab le Energy Fund to bee f up energy

ma nag eme nt and supp ort energy effic iency prog ram mes has been

established, on top of a $10 million Energy Efficiency Improvement

Assista nc e sc hem e (EASe) to co-fund ene rgy a ud its.

Rec ommendations and Projec ts

1. Engagement w ith Priva te Sec to r

46% of carbon emissions come from industries in Singapore and it is a

figure where improvements can be made. For a start, more dialogue

between non-governmental organisations and industries, such as the

Singapore Com pac t a nd the NUS Co rporate Soc ia l Responsib ility tea m

can be executed in a 3-6 mo nths time frame. After which, p rop osals

from both parties will be discussed and presented as guidelines for the

various industries to fulfill, where another 6 months of time period are

needed for suitable methods to measure the guidelines. Upon

implementation of the guidelines, the government would award

incentives such as tax breaks for companies who have achieved the

particular green marks, which are more stringent and more industry-

spec ific a s compa red to the c urrent b enc hmarks.

2. Green Tra nsporta tion

The a im to p rom ote g reen transportation c om es via a three-p rong ed

approach:

Red uc tion of c a rbon d ioxide emissions of vehic les

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Enco urag eme nt and incentives to b e p rovided for

conversion of vehicles (public and private alike) to

compressed natural gas (CNG) or other cleaner sources of energy (e.g.

hydrogen, biodiesel)

Mo re CNG sta tions in Singa pore

Currently there a re only two o perating CNG sta tions on Singapore

ma inland, a nd there is one slated to op en a t Sera ngo on North.

How eve r, in order to pop ula rise t he use o f CNG o perated cars, this is not

enough. In addition, there should be standardisation and properprovision o f CNG rates being c harged a t CNG sta tions.

Encourag ing c yc ling as a m od e of transp ort in Singapore

Short-term goa ls: More p ilot p rog ramm es a re to be sta rted in Singapore

and not restric ted to just a few tow ns. Ed uca tion p rog ramm es should b e

intensively ca rried out reg ard ing roa d sa fety, taking a fter the Tampines

model.

Long-term goals: Changing of mindsets would be important, where

peop le w ould live a t a plac e c loser to w ork, in sa tellite tow ns which a re

self-sustainable in terms of working and living space. Companies can

also look at providing infrastructure for employees to park their bicycle,

a locker for clothes to be kept and also bathing facilities to have a

mo re c onduc ive environment for cyc ling to wo rk.

Other recommendations include:

To carry out mo re vigorous examinations of g reen a cc red ita tion

schemes with industries, and eventually bringing the notion of green

ac ross the industries.

Pub lic ed uc a tion on the use o f b icyc les a nd sa fety issues.

Popularising CNG vehicles use in Singa pore.

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Build ing of mo re b icyc le trac ks in Singapore.

Ma ke time trave l for taking pub lic transport shorter to as

short as 45 minutes upon leaving one location and

successfully reaching another, which includes its waiting

time for 90% of Singapore s wo rking pop ula tion.

An in depth study into possible means of adapting the

ta xing the c itizens b ased on it carbon em ission. The

more the consumer chooses to function with a higher

carbon footprint, the more that individual will be taxed.

This will function as a mea ns for the government to

garner additional funds to possibly support other

susta inab ility projec ts. This would a lso make everyone

more conscious about their choices, bring our

externa lized environm enta l co sts bac k into rea lity.

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Chap ter 3

Topic 2: Rethinking our Waste

Current Situation

Due to e conomic expansion in Singa po re, the spend ing pow er of the

averag e Singaporea n ha s grea tly risen since our ea rly yea rs a s a na tion,

leading to an increase in the consumption of various goods and

produc ts. This increase in c onsumption is a lso d ue in pa rt to the highly

consumeristic culture: People tend to buy, and hence discard, many

things they do not ne ed , resulting in the p rod uc tion of large q uantities of

waste. The e ffec ts of this high volume of w aste b eing g enera ted a re:

lack of landfills, extinction of indigenous wildlife, and pollution of the

environment.

In the ca ucus d isc ussion, it was broug ht o ut tha t the land fill in Singapore

is filling up due to the high amount of waste. Due to the small

geographica l size o f Singapore, and a n ever-inc rea sing p op ula tion, this

is of c onc ern a s we do not have the luxury of spa c e. The p articipants

felt that we should not rely too much on off-shore landfills and should

foc us on the red uc tion of waste instead of simp ly d isposing it.

Also, the improper disposal of waste can result in the extinction of

w ild life ind igenous in Singa pore, as va rious items ca n ac tua lly kill a nima ls

when thrown haphazardly. An example raised was how the ubiquitous

plastic bag, when thrown into the sea, can choke turtles who mistake

the p lastic b ag for jellyfish. The d isposa l of waste c an a lso c ause the

problem of pollution. Irresponsible disposal of waste, such as littering,

has been known to be ha rmful to the a ll environments, be it la nd, air or

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sea . In Singapore, where the p opulat ion density is very

high, even a sma ll c hange in environment w ould have a

large effect on peo ple.

The p artic ipants felt tha t there w as a lack of know led ge a mo ng

Singaporeans on how their consump tion hab its harm the environm ent .

For those who have such knowledge, they felt that these people lack

the necessary actions, and not enough of them initiate measures to

solve the situa tion.

Some c urrent p olic ies or initiat ives inc lude :

Bring Your Ow n Bag (BYOB): This is a step in the right d irec tion, but it

does not appear to be having enough of a following among

averag e Singaporea ns.

Nationa l Rec yc ling Initiative

3Rs: Red uc e, Reuse a nd Rec yc le.

Singa pore G reen Plan 2012.


1. Educ ation on Ap propriate Manag ement o f Waste

Expose students to the environment by organising events related to

the environment , field trips, excursions, c lubs and comp et itions. The

purpose is to let students know more about the environm ent, so tha t

they will care for it. Also, it is to let them know that they can do their

ow n b it to p reserve the environm ent b y mana g ing their waste.

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Changing the culture o f schoo ls, and introd uc ing Eco-

Schoo ls, that a im to m ake the environment o ne o f the

key foc uses of the sc hoo l.

Print proper waste disposal techniques on the packaging of

products.

Develop a syllabus to allow students to draw the connection that

things we consume do not just d isap p ea r when d isposed to the b in.

They have to lea rn to see how Crad le to Grave wa y of

manufacturing has impact us and on the long run, this suppose

prob lem will be b a ck to haunt us if we c ontinue o ur c urrent m indset

of Buy and throw aw ay .

2. Recycling

At the end of the school term, have a paper recall for old tutorials

and lec ture notes so tha t the pa p er ca n be rec ycled.

Incentives can be offered to schools that reduce their paper usage

by rec ycling.

Hold a Mr Green p ag eant in eac h schoo l to exc ite students ab out

recycling.

In apartment blocks, redesign rubbish chutes so that the different

wa ste c an b e segrega ted a nd hence rec ycled.

3. Enhanc em ents to BYOB

Target ma jor supermarkets to imp lement the BYOB polic y a s far as

possible.

Tra in cashiers not to g ive out p lastic bags fo r sma ll items.

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Adop t the IKEA p olicy ra ther than the NTUC policy .

In NTUC, there is a n incent ive for customers who bring

their own bags, whereas in IKEA, customers have to pay for bags if

they do not bring their own. In the IKEA way, people will feel the

p inch, a nd thus it is mo re effe c tive in enc ourag ing p eo ple to BYOB.

4. Let te r Boxes

Place paper recycling bins next to letter boxes, so that unwanted

ma il ca n be recyc led.

Encourage the use of electronic bills, rather than the traditional

paper bills. This w ill g rea tly red uc e the a mount of p aper used da ily.


Prices of p rod uc t to fac to r in d isposa l c osts a t reta il. These financ es

wo uld b e channeled to the wa ste ma nag ement comp anies as a

revenue rep lac ement to the existing hom e c harge s by Singapo re

Pow ers. This would a lso a llow consume r to ta ke notice tha t the

disposa l of m ateria ls recklessly ha s a costs tied on to it a nd hence b e

more consc ious of its d isposa l.

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Chap ter 4

Topic 3: Conserving our Biod ive rsity

Current Situation

Singa pore ha s many sites rich in b iod iversity, such a s Chek Jawa, Sungei

Buloh, Bukit Tima h Na ture Reserve, Lab rador Park, and the Cent ra l

Catchment area. However, many of our native species of flora and

fauna are becoming threatened, because of a few reasons as

identified below.

Rampant poaching on land and sea: Drift nets cast by fishermen are

sometimes left behind in the rivers and seas, and pose a threat to

marine life. These d rift nets trap fish and other marine c rea tures at low

tide, and when scavengers go to eat the fish, they themselves get

trapped, eventually trapping more and more animals. Bird nets are also

sometimes left in the forests and parks, trapping birds and monitor

lizards, who are unable to escape from the nets and die of starvation.

These ne ts, when a ba ndo ned , also a dd to the litter found o n our la nd

and shores.

Development: Condominiums are frequently built next to nature

reserves, and this throws up a few prob lem s. The land next to the ed ge

of the nature reserves act as a buffer zone, and is important for nature,

with animals such as rare migratory birds seen in these areas. However,

unlike the nature reserves, this land is not under the jurisdiction of the

National Parks Board (NParks). When home owners conduct activities

such as fogging and spraying of insecticides, insects in the nature

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reserves also get killed apart from the mosquitoes that

they are ta rge ting.

Develop ment of Ma nda i: Manda i has been slate d fo r development for

eco-tourism, with the area housing a nature theme park, nature resort,

spa, and other facilities. In order to develop this area for eco-tourism,

pristine forests need to be cleared, forests that are home to many

threa tene d a nd enda nge red spe c ies in Singa pore, inc luding the

leopard cat, banded leaf monkey, scaly anteater, mousedeer, and

c ivet c at. Alternative sites have b een p rop osed to the go vernment b y

non-go vernmental orga nisations, but they were not a cc ep ted .

Other issues such as pollution, littering, and roadkill were also raised

during the forum discussion, but not discussed in detail.

Some c urrent polic ies or initia tives inc lude :

According to the law, Reserves have protection status under the

Parks and Trees Ac t, while Parks a re not p rotec ted und er any Ac ts.

Under the law, the Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority can prosecute

poac hers and fine them $1,000 or more. The Na tiona l Parks Board

can a lso now de tain poac hers.


1. About Manda i

Unlike Chek Jaw a, the Manda i area is restric ted for milita ry use, and it is

not possible to bring people to visit the area and appreciate the

b iod iversity fo und the re. As a result, it is more d ifficult to genera te pub lic

support, for exam p le to get signatures for a p etition to save Manda i. To

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make things more difficult, the developers of the area

probably not nature lovers, and are keen on just making

money from developing the area. However, in the long run, the

ec onomic ga in w ill never be e nough to rep lac e the loss, as extinc tion is

forever.

2. About Singa pore

There is no Environmenta l Impa c t Assesment (EIA) req uired to be c arried

out before developing a nature area, but NParks does have a NationalBiod iversity Scheme to monitor the flora a nd fa una of the c ountry. In

order to carry out an EIA, standards need to be developed for the

trop ic a l environment to be a b le to app ly loc a lly, and not simp ly the use

tem pe ra te mo dels tha t a re a lrea dy ava ilab le from othe r c ountries. This

will need time to d evelop.

3. Save Ma nda i Ca mp aign

Various ideas were brainstormed to generate publicity for the

cam pa ign to save the Ma nda i area from nega tive d evelop ment. This

included the making of videos and short stories about the area, similar

to tho se o f Teo Pin Pin, which ca p tures the essence o f Ma nd a i. These

videos could be put up on websites such as Youtube, and additional

public ity generate d by wo rd of m outh through b log s. Simila r to C hekJawa, peop le c ould a lso b e a sked to com e forwa rd to sign pet itions, as

a show of the strong supp ort b y the p eop le for the cam pa ign.


To red uc e the freq uenc y of roa dkill, there could b e p lac em ent of

signages for peop le to loo k out for anima l c rossings a long roa ds nea r

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to or bordering nature areas, such as Jalan Bahar,

Rifle Range Road, and Sime Road.

To ed ucate d evelop ers ab out the imp ac t that their develop ment

dec ision can have on the environment, and d evelop guidelines as a

referenc e fo r them to reduce their imp ac t o n the e nvironment.

The government should ge t more feed ba ck from non-governmenta l

organisations and the people regarding the development of

biodiversity sites.

Environmental topics can be included in the academic curriculum,

sta rting from p rimary sc hools up to tertiary institutions. Tea c hers could

a lso be trained as na ture guides, to p ass on the va luab le know led g e

and inculc a te a love for nature in the stud ents. The imp ortant thing is

to m ake the learning fun.

Green awards could be put in place to recognise companies who

go green, through in-house environment programs such as the

ed uc ation of em ployees, environm enta lly friend ly po lic ies, etc . This

award should not only apply for future developments but also

current ones. Companies could also be further encouraged to go

green throug h ta x reliefs.

Crea te and ad op t a Singa po re blue plan to supp ort ma rine

conservat ion b y identifying marine b iod iversity sink around Singapore

and label them a s na ture reserve a rea for possib le resea rc h purpose

and eve n eco tourism, sites.

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Chap ter 5

Top ic 4: Sustainable Food and Water

Current Situation

Ensuring sustainable food and water is being able to meet the needs of

the current population without compromising the ability of future

genera tions to m eet their ow n needs. At p resent, the world is in need of

both sustainable food and water. Factors such as population pressures

and uncertain consequences of climate change make it essential that

mo re foo d and w ater is produc ed in a susta inab le ma nner.

Singa pore in pa rticula r doe s not have na tura l food a nd w ater

resources. Water supplies are mainly imported from Malaysia and are

based on two agreements, which will expire in 2011 and 2061.

Singa pore a lso imports 95% of its vegetab les a nd imp orts the rest from

neighb ouring countries.

Recommendations and Projects

1. Towards Veg eta rianism

Animals feed on grain and producing 1 tonne of grain requires 1000

tonnes of w ate r. Large area s of land a lso have to be c lea red for grazing

which releases carbon dioxide into the air. Furthermore, livestock

produces significant greenhouse gas emissions, especially the gas

methane which is twenty times more effective than carbon dioxide in

trapp ing hea t and ra ising g lob al temp eratures. These fa c tors ma ke it

c ruc ia l for the po pula tion to switc h to a veg eta rian d iet. This switc h ca n

be done in gradual steps, such as being a vegetarian on certain days

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of the week or eating only one or two kinds of meat.

Vegetarian food should also be promoted to children in

schoo l ca nteens, and to ha ve one vege ta rian fo od sta ll in every schoo l.

2. Co mm unity Farming

Engaging the community in joint projects will generate awareness

am ong the p ublic of the value o f food and wa ter. They will be

encouraged not only to reduce wastage, but to spearhead initiatives

tha t w ill increa se susta inab ility in food resource s. In Singapore fo rexam ple, the go vernment can d esigna te a p lot of land to each

constituenc y. The residents ca n then g row their own foo d . This forms of

urban agriculture is mo st suited in the con text o f Singapore g iven its lac k

of traditional agricultural land e.g. rooftops, school plots. Plots of land

can also be leased out by the government to business organisations

and/or families who are interested in producing agricultural goods for

the po pulation.

3. Amplifying the Mora l Dimension o f Environmenta lism

Faith-based environm enta lism is a g row ing trend as many ha ve rea lised

that environmentalism is an integral part of various beliefs. It has been

illustrated in several religious teachings such as the Bible, the Quran,

Buddhist sutras and Hindu texts. Religion, as we know it, is a powerfulavenue through which environmental awareness can we raised and

subsequent action can be taken. By highlighting the link between the

environment and beliefs, moral obligations towards the betterment of

the environment c a n be c ultiva ted . This can be do ne throug h joint

collaborations between environmental groups and religious

orga nisa tions to g ive out g uide b oo ks and / or de liver sermons.

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The d iscussion g roup a t the NYEF 2008 was in fa vour of

engaging the community as whole to ensure sustainable food and

water.

While it is important for the government to continue raising

awareness on such matters, hands-on action by the public will spur

them to initiative their ow n projec ts. Throug h the three suggested

action plans, food production will be boosted, large quantities of

water will be saved and awareness on these d elica te issues w ill rise.

Since land is scarce in Singapore a nd we imp ort most of our

agriculture, one ways worth exploring on a more sustainable food

source wo uld be to explore vertica l fa rming in the c om munity. There

are initial studies at Columbia University, which can be further

explored w ith.

Harvesting rainwater for non-portable usage such as for toilet

flushing.

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Chapter 6 Conc lusion

The Nat iona l Youth Environm ent Forum 08 Beyond Awareness was

held successfully to engage the youth on various environmental issues

and to inspire them to take action to build a sustainable future for

Singapore.

The invited spea kers on the top ics of Technology, Business/ Ec onomics,

Soc ia l/ Att itud es, Leg isla tion, and Med ia set the sta ge fo r a lively

presentation and discussion with the youth participants on the different

aspec ts to approa ch environm enta l issues.

This was fo llowed by a fruitful cauc us d isc ussion on the to p ics of:

Red uc ing our Ca rbo n Footp rint; Rethinking our Waste; Susta inab le Food

and Water; and Co nserving our Biod iversity. The participa nts had

several good ideas, recommendations and projects to improve the

current situa tion o f the va rious environm enta l areas.

Since the theme o f this yea r s forum is Beyo nd Aw areness , ECO

Singapore a nd its partners w ill work closely with youth who a re keen to

imp lem ent their projec ts a fter the forum. ECO Singapore wo uld g uide

and mentor them in imp leme nting their p rojec ts succ essfully. In this way,

youth will move from awareness to action and play a part in shaping

the e nvironm enta l land scap e in Singa pore.

ECO Singa pore will be forming a policy departme nt to a llow mo re

youth to be engag ed in p olic ies of simila r pla tforms. The d ep artme nt

intends to work more closely with the relevant ministries on sustainable

development.

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Ap pend ix 1 Profile of Environmental

Challeng e Organisation (Singa pore)

ECO Singapore is the lea d ing youth-led Non-Go vernmenta l Soc ia l

Enterp rise on susta inab le lifestyle.

Op erat ional in 2005, ECO Singapore a ims to challenge youth of ag e 17-

35 to adopt a sustainable lifestyle and embrace environmental issues

holistica lly. ECO Singapore a c tively d rives and supports loca l and g lob a l

environmental initiatives involving other environmental stakeholders -

the Nat iona l Youth Counc il supports ECO Singapore s ac tivities a nd

programmes, and we also work closely with the Ministry of Environmentand Water Resources, National Environment Agency, Public Utilities

Board, local environmental groups and international environmental

groups.

Our Vision

To be the lead ing environm enta l body advoc a ting susta inab le lifestyle

for youth

Our Mission

1. To c halleng e youth o f age 17-35 to a do pt a susta ina ble lifestyle andembrace environmental issues holistically*.

2. To d rive loc a l and g lob a l environm enta l initiatives.

3. To support env ironmenta l a c tivities/ initiatives as a resource p latform

involving o ther environm enta l sta keholders.

*Holistic In ECO Singa pore, we c a tegories g loba l environment issues

into seven a reas. They a re Agriculture, Biod iversity, Energy, Climate

Cha nge, Hea lth & Water Sanita tion, Pollution, Pop ula tion and Pove rty.

The orga nisa tion is ma inly run and managed by vo lunteers. Thevoluntee r pool sta nds a t 120 and g row ing. The o rganisa tion d oes its

emp ow ering and enga ging outreac h through its 5 dep artments. Eac h

department consists of five to six core committed volunteers that steers

their respective departmental projects/initiatives.

Departments:

Publica tion & Resea rc h;

Policy (Forum Planning);

Ma rketing & C om munica tions;

International Affairs; andVolunteers Ma nag eme nt & Develop ment

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Apart from relying on the kind donations and sponsorships from thepublic and corporate, the organisation offers a range of services

through its enterprise arm to generate income to support its current

overheads.

Enterprises:

ECO Training

ECO Ad vertisements

ECO Publica tions

ECO Shop

ECO Ta lks

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Ap pend ix 2 NYEF 08 Program me

Time Programme

0900 Registration

0930 Arrival of Guest-o f-Honour

Dr Amy Khor Lea n Sua n

Senior Parliamentary Sec reta ry,

Ministry of the Environment a nd Water Resources

0935 Welcome Ad dress by ECO Singa pore

Mr Aa ron Yeo

Forum Hea d, ECO Singa pore

0940 Op ening Ad dress by Gue st-of-Hono ur0950 Presenta tion of Tokens of Ap prec iat ion to Partners by GOH

1000 Opening Plenary Session

Mr. Wilson Ang

Preside nt, ECO Singapore

1020 Question and Answer

1030 Tea Brea k

Tour of Booths by GOH, ECO Singa pore a nd C orpora te Partners

1045 Top ic Presenta tions:

Tec hnolog y

Dr Wang Jing Yuan, Director of Environmental EngineeringResearch Centre

Business/ Ec onomics

Mr Henry Kang, Singa pore Co mp ac t

Soc ia l/ Attitudes

Mrs Kirtida Mekani, Board Member, Garden City Fund

Legislation

Dr Gunawansa Asanga, Associate Member, Asia-Pacific

Centre on Environm enta l Law

Media

Mr. Augustine Anthuva n, Med ia corp Singapore1145 Question and Answer

Cha ired by Dr. Geh Min, President of the Nature Soc iety o f

Singa pore

1200 Lunc h

1300 Cauc us Discussion Session:

Caucus Discussions are facilitated by faculty from Republic

Polytechnic

Red uc ing our carbon footp rint

Rethinking our wa ste

Susta inab le food a nd w ater resources Conserving b iod iversity

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1400 Session Break1415 Cauc us Discussion Session (Continued )

1545 Tea Brea k

1600 Cauc us Presenta tions and Question and Answer Session

1730 Closing Plena ry Session

1750 Closing Ad dress by ECO Singapore

1800 End of Forum

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Append ix 3 Spea ker Profiles

Business/ Economics

Henry Kang

Corporate Responsibility Champion FEM Region

Asia

ST Microe lec tronics, Singapore

Biography

Henry Kang is the Corporate Responsibility Champion at

STMicroelec tronics' Ma nufa c turing Site in Ang Mo Kio. He is responsible

for d isseminating STMic roe lec tronics' Cu lture a nd helping to dep loy

programmes like Corporate Responsibility Awareness and Compliance

to Susta inab le Exce llence. He assists to integ rate Susta inab le Excellenc e

into key functions and operational activities. Henry also ensures thatSTMicroe lec tronics' Ang Mo Kio Ma nufac turing Site is in c om plianc e w ith

the Elec tronic Industry Code o f Co nduc t.

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Legislation

Dr. Asanga Guna wansa

Department of Building, National University of

Singa pore

Associate Member of the Executive Committee

of Asia Pac ific Centre for Environm enta l Law.

Biography

Dr. Asanga Gunawansa is an Attorneyat-Law with over 14 years of

experience. He holds a Ph.D. in law from the National University of

Singapore (NUS) a nd a LL.M in Interna tiona l Econo mic Law from the

University of Warwick, United Kingd om.

Dr. Gunawansa is currently attached to the Department of Building,

NUS, as a n Assista nt Professor. He is a lso an a ssoc iate Me mb er of the

Exec utive Co mmittee o f the Asia Pac ific Centre for Environm enta l Law.

Prior to joining NUS, Dr. Gunawansa worked fo r the United Nations Relief

and Works Agency (UNRWA) and the United Nations Compensation

Commission as a Legal Officer.

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Media

Augustine Anthuvan

Deputy Ed ito r, News

MediaCo rp - Channel NewsAsia

Biography

Augustine produces daily news programmes including 360 - a live

interview/talk show. He was co-commentator for the programme

Farewell to the Peoples President state funeral of President Former

President Wee Kim Wee - which was awarded the MediaCorp News

Annua l Exc ellenc e Award (2005) for Best Live Event Coverage.

Prior to his move to television, Augustine was the Assistant Programme

Direc to r for Rad io Singa pore Internat iona l (RSI) Eng lish service a tMed iaCo rp Rad io from 1997 to 2005.

Augustine holds a degree in Mass Communications from Oklahoma City

University and a Master of Environmental Management from the

University of Ad ela ide .

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Attitude

Ms Kirtida Mekani

Sits on the Board of Advisors in various

institutions including

1) Singapore Environm ent Co unc il

Board of Direc to rs.

2) National Parks Ga rde n City Fund Ma nagement Com mittee

Co mm ittee memb er on the Na tiona l Parks Ga rden C ity Fund

Management Committee.

3) South West Com munity Development Co unc il of Singapore (SWCDC)

Comm ittee m emb er on the Environment a nd Hea lth Committee o f the

SWCDC.

Biography

Kirtida's involvement in youth and the environment arises from a long-

standing commitment to child education and a passion for finding

effective strategic solutions to the problems inherent in a rapidly

developing world. Raised and educated in Karnataka, India, Kirtida's

multi-faceted career has taken her to a diverse set of countries where

she has been able to witness at first hand the ways in which different

nations tackle environmental issues. Her experience in educationalinstitutions around t he world has provided Kirtida w ith a b roa d, crea tive

and unique perspective on how to heighten environmental awareness

am ongst young p eop le b oth here in Singa po re a nd a broad .

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Tec hnology

Wang Jing-Yuan

Assoc iate Professor

Nanya ng Technolog ica l UniversityBiography

Dr. Wang Jing-Yuan is an Assoc iate Professor in the School of Civil &

Environmenta l Engineering o f Nanyang Tec hnolog ic al University (NTU) and

is currently Direc to r of NTU s Environm enta l Eng ineering Resea rch Centre

(EERC). He is a licensed professional eng ineer in the US and ha s over 17

years of environmental consulting, research, and teaching experience in

the US, Ta iwan, and Singa pore. Dr. Wangs expertise inc ludes solid waste

resource management, contaminated site remediation, and

environmenta l manag ement. He has been p roviding tec hnical supportto US EPA, DOE, ORNL, Taiwan EPA, Singapore NEA, PUB, JTC, AVA, a nd

UN Environmenta l Prog ram in various env ironmental projec ts.

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Append ix 4 Partners List

Asia-Pac ific Centre fo r Environmenta l Law (APCEL)

The Asia-Pac ific Centre fo r Environmenta l Law

(APCEL) was established

in Feb rua ry 1996 by the Faculty of Law, Nat iona l University of Singa pore,

at the initiative of the Faculty and the World Conservation Union-

Commission on Environmenta l Law (IUCN-CEL), and in collabora tion w ith

the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). It was launched on

1 July of the same year. The initia tive was in response to the ca ll in

Agenda 21 to build capacity in environmental law and to promote

awareness of e nvironmenta l issues.

Singa po re Com pa c t

The Singapore C om pac t fo r CSR is a national soc iety in b ring ing forward

the CSR movement in Singa pore. It is a lso c ountry netw ork of the United

Nations (UN) Global Compact, the world's largest voluntary corporate

c itizenship initiative with about 4,000 com panies.

The Singapore Com pac t p rom otes goo d business ethics a nd CSR

practices,

in helping c om pa nies to enha nc e their CSR prog ramm es through

ongoing

forum dialogues, training, partnership and practical projectimplementation. About 190 companies, unions, cooperatives, NGOs

and

institutions have joined the soc iety, in supporting the CSR movement

in Singa pore. - www.csrsinga pore.org

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Rep ublic Polytec hnic

Rep ublic Polytec hnic s Co nservat ion Interest G roup sta rted in 2007 and

currently has 50 student members and 11 staff advisors from Republic

Polytec hnic s Sc hoo l of App lied Sc ienc e.

The g roup has spea r hea d ed va rious com munity

out rea c h events within and outside RP. Som e of

the events we have organised include: Eco-Picnic 2007, Launc h o f Projec t Minus 3 Million

Plastic Bags on Bring Your Own Bag Day

(BYOBD) 2007, RP Toy Lib rary: RP Spreads

Christmas Cheer at Woodlands Community

Centre, RP's Conservation Month 2007,

Woodlands Healthy Lifestyle cum GreenEnvironment Day

The stud ent c om mittee membe rs inc lude:

SOH ZHI HAO; SABRINA CHOO; NUR AZIEANI BTE ARIFIN; TAY JIT LINGJACKELINE; MUHAMMAD TARMIDZI B ROSLAN; MUHAMMAD FAREEZAL B

MOHAMED I; QUEK XIU HUI

Conservation IG staff advisors ::: Dr Amy Choong; Dr Chua Hwee

Chua n; Dawn Ong ; Dr Ma tthew Wong ; Serena Sea h; Song Sin Nee , Won

Cho ong Yun; Dr Wong Luh Cherng; Natasha Ra ina ; Grac e Tan; Joyc e

Leo

For more info rmation visit WWW.CONSERVATIONIG.BLOGSPOT.COM

Co ntac t us a t c onserva tionig@gma il.com

Supp orted Republic Polytec hnics School of App lied Sc ience

The School of App lied Sc ienc e (SAS) o ffers courses in Biomed ica l

Sc ienc es, Biotec hnolog y, Pharma ceut ica l Sc ienc es, Environm enta l

Sc ienc e, a nd Ma teria ls Sc ienc e. The Sc hool ac tively seeks to rem ain at

the fo refront of industry, pa rtnering key c om panies in the d evelopme nt

of its curricula and facilities, and collaborating in research and

development projects with industry partners to provide a wealth of

experienc e a nd c onta c ts to b oth sta ff and students. At the Sc hoo l of

Ap p lied Sc ienc e, stud ents will be p rov ided rigorous training in sc ient ificthoug ht and me thod so that skills ga ined c an be ap p lied in the industry

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or, for further education. Problem-based Learning, the

pedagogy in practice at the polytechnic will provide

students with a firm foundation in scientific technologies and expose

students to soc ia l a nd ethica l issues app licab le to the workp lac e.

The d iplom a s offered by SAS includ e:

Dip loma in Environmenta l Sc ienc e (DENV)

Dip loma in Biomed ica l Sc ienc es (DBMS)

Dip lom a in Biotec hnolog y (DBIO)

Dip lom a in Pharma ceutica l Sc iences (DPHM)

Diploma in Ma teria ls Sc ienc e (DMTS)

Supp orting Non-Governmental Organisations

ANIMAL CONCERNS, RESEARCH and EDUCATION SOCIETY

ACRES is a non-profit

organisation that aims to foster

respect and compassion for all

animals, improve the living conditions and welfare of animals in

cap tivity, and ed uca te p eop le on lifestyle c hoices which do not involve

the abuse of animals and which are environment-friendly. We are

driven by the belief that animals can feel pain and stress but theycannot sp ea k up for themselves, thus the onus fa lls on us.

ACRES works to raise awareness on animal welfare issues and have

resc ued mo re tha n 170 animals from the illeg a l wild life trad e. Our

approa ch is Sc ientific , Creat ive, Prac tica l and Positive.

http://www.acres.org.sg

BLUE WATER VOLUNTEERS

Blue Water Volunteers (BWV) is a volunteer-

based, marine conservation NGO that seeks to

complement research activities and increase

awareness of loc a l ma rine ha b ita ts, suc h as coral

reefs. We strive to achieve our aims for

conservation, awareness and education through

four main programmes: ReefFriends, ReefWalk,

ReefTalk and ReefExhibits.

http://www.bluewatervolunteers.org

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THE CAT WELFARE SOCIETY

The Ca t Welfa re Soc iety is a c harity, run a lmost

entirely by volunteers, whose aim is to improve

the welfa re of stray ca ts in Singa pore. All stray

cats deserve our compassion and protection,

and we believe that there are humane,

effective ways to control their population -- that is, through sterilisation

instead of destruction.

http://www.catwelfare.org/

CLIMATE CHANGE ORGANISATION

CCO helps to organise seminars and

support public awareness projects like the

Climate Change Awareness Program

initiated by NEA a nd SEC. Due to the

members' passion and diligence, CCO

now is recognized by many government

agencies as well as private companies.CCO believes that more meaningful

p rojec ts w ill be und ertaken to serve for the

we ll-being of the environment in whic h not

just Singaporea ns but a ll the c itizens of the world will eventua lly benefit.

http://www.cco-asia.org

SINGAPORE ZOO DOCENTS

Our mission is to complement the educational

effo rts of the Singapore Zoo logica l Gardens and

Night Sa fa ri by providing spec ia l p rog rammes whic heducate visitors on conservation awareness and

enc ourage respec t for anima ls. The d oc ents run

sta tions and p rov ide guided tours of the Zoo . The

doc ents a lso support the Zoo in a variety o f ac tivities

held to promote awareness and interest in

conservation.

http://www.szdocent.org

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NAKED HERMIT CRABS

The Na ked Hermit Crab s (NHC) are a sma ll

group of volunteers committed to working on

Singapore's most imperiled shores, especially

shores not current ly covered by other groups or

efforts. NHC comprise of experienced shore

volunteers who have come together to raise

awareness of Singa pore's shores, sp ec ific a lly to

fill gaps not dealt by existing programmes. Our

focus is on shores at risk and which are not covered by other groups.

http://nakedhermitcrabs.blogspot.com/

NATURE SOCIETY (SING APORE)

The Nature Soc iety (Singapore) o r NSS is a non-

government, non-profit organisation dedicated to

the appreciation, conservation, study and

enjoyment of the na tural heritag e in Singa pore,

Ma laysia a nd the surrounding reg ion. The Soc ietyorganises a variety o f na ture a pprec ia tion ac tivities

for its mem bers. There a re reg ular wa lks for

mem bers, guide d by o ther memb ers, at wee kend s

- some are general nature walks, others are more

specifically for bird-watching, butterfly-watching, or plant study.

http://www.nss.org.sg

NATURE TREKKER SINGAPORE

Nature Trekker Singa pore was formed w ith a

mission to share & educate people on nature. It

also fosters and unifies all outdoor enthusiasts to

better appreciate nature, thus giving the beautiful

yet frag ile environm ent the d ue respec t it deserves.

Hence, that simply guiding principle has been the

ma in focus of our esta b lishme nt

http://www.naturetrekker.org

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RAFFLES MUSEUM AND BIODIVERSITY RESEARCH (RMBR)

TODDYCATS!

Tod dyca ts! is me ant to expo se, deve lop ,

enthuse and apply students to programmes

in conservation, ed uca tion and resea rch.

Tod dyca ts! orig inally wa s an a ttemp t to

provide c ap ac ity building a mo ngst

undergrad uates in NUS, to p rovide a means

to

contribute imm ed ia tely tow ards the g rea ter goo d o f Singa pore. It has

been open to others in the reco gnition tha t a ll you rea lly need is

enthusiasm and commitment!

http://rmbr.nus.edu.sg/toddycats

SCHOLASTIC ENVIRONMENT FUND

Sc ho lastic Environm ent Fund Ltd (SEF) is set

up to foster global and local environment

awa reness amo ngst youths and e duca tors

from different backgrounds. It believesthat the future of the earth belongs to the young, and that they will

show us how to cherish and preserve the environment. Led by

vo lunteers, SEF organizes ac tivities for young peo p le with the a im of

encouraging, nurturing and empowering them in the areas of

advocacy and action.

scholastic_environm ent_fund@yahoo .co m.sg

SINGAPORE ENVIRONMENT COUNCILThe SEC evolved from Singa porea n's growing

aw areness and convergence to a

more sophisticated understanding of being

part of the global community's "Green-

Consc iousness".

http://www.sec.org.sg

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SOCIETY fo r the PREVENTION o f CRUELTY to ANIMALS

(SPCA)

The SPCA has b ee n lobbying the a uthorities on various

anima l welfare issues suc h a s reinsta ting the Stray Cat

Reha b ilita tion Sc hem e (a p rojec t to sterilise stray c a ts

and return them to their neighbourhood), and the

lifting of the ban on cats in HDB flats. Add your voice

to o urs and help ma ke a differenc e.

http://www.spca.org.sg

VEGETARIAN SOCIETY

Veg etarian Soc iety (Singa pore) is a

nonp rofit o rganisa tion run entirely by

vo lunteers, formed in 1999 with the

prima ry objec tives of promot ing

veg eta rianism throug h resea rc h a nd ed uc a tion, and linking individ uals

and orga nisa tions tha t b elieve in the p rinc ip les of veg eta rianism. The

soc iety ha s no relig ious a ffiliat ions a nd see ks to enc ompass a wide

range of vegeta rianism. We are the o nly reg istered veg eta ria n soc iety

in Singa pore, rec og nised a s a memb er of the Interna tiona l Veg eta rianUnion, and to have links with o ther veg eta rian soc iet ies a ll a round the

world. Vegeta rian Soc iety encourages peo p le to ea t less or no meat to

contribue to a be tter environment, better health, and better welfare for

fa rm anima ls.

http://www.vegetarian-society.org

WATERWAYS WATCH SOCIETY

The 'Wate rways Watc h' is a spec ial

volunteer group tasked to bring people

togetherto monitor, restore and protect the

aesthetics of our waterways. It is an

independent

group of volunteers working towards

the same o b jec tive as other g reen groups how ever conc entra ting m ore

on our wa terways w ith an identity of its ow n and led by a c om mittee o f

volunteers.

http://wwws.org.sg

NYEF2008 Report 040908

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