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MEWR press release 18 Jul 05
Public Forum on The Singapore Green Plan 2012

27 July 2005 7pm
Environment Building, 4th floor theatrette
40 Scotts Road


Channel NewsAsia
, 18 Jul 05

Public forum to be held for views on Singapore Green Plan
By Hasnita A Majid

SINGAPORE : The Ministry of Environment and Water Resources will be holding a public forum to gather views on the Singapore Green Plan 2012.

To be held on July 27 at the Environment Building in Scotts Road, it will discuss preliminary ideas from the three focus groups on air and climate change, water and clean land, and nature and public health.

They include ways to better address the issue of climate change, such as by encouraging the use of cleaner fuels and introducing mandatory energy-efficiency labelling for household appliances.

The forum will also discuss measures to reduce the amount of waste produced, as well as measures to encourage Singaporeans to conserve water. Other areas include improving cleanliness in hawker centres and public areas, such as through a grading system for public toilets and ensuring hawkers follow good hygiene practices.

The forum is part of a review started in April to ensure that environmental strategies, targets and action programmes in the Green Plan remain robust amidst environmental challenges.

Feedback gathered will be considered by the focus groups, which will be submitting their proposals to the Singapore Green Plan Coordinating Committee in August.

The review is expected to be completed by end of the year.

Those interested in taking part can register online at the ministry website.

They can also e-mail MEWR_SGP@mewr.gov.sg or call the toll-free hotline at 1800-738 4622 for further enquiries. – CAN /ct

MEWR NEWS RELEASE: 36/2005
DATE OF RELEASE: 18 July 2005
Public Forum on The Singapore Green Plan 2012

Members of the public who wish to give their views on the Singapore Green Plan (SGP) 2012 can attend a public forum on 27 July 2005, at 7.00pm, at the Environment Building , 4 th floor theatrette, 40 Scotts Road

SGP2012 three-yearly review

2 The public forum is held as part of the ongoing SGP2012 three-yearly review. The review was started by the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources since 22 April 2005 to ensure that environmental strategies, targets and action programmes mapped out in the SGP2012 remain robust in the face of emerging environmental challenges. The review is expected to be completed by the end of this year.

3 The review includes in-depth discussions by three Focus Groups on Air and Climate Change, Water, and Clean Land , Nature and Public Health. Each of the three Focus Groups has met at least four times since April and has separately held discussions with industry and interest groups. In addition, an extensive online environment survey was launched on 24 May 2005 and has received 2,300 responses to date.

4 The key issues being discussed by the three Focus Groups and the ideas explored include:
a. Ways in which Singapore can better address the issue of climate change , like encouraging the use of cleaner fuels, and introducing mandatory energy-efficiency labeling for household appliances.
b. Measures we can adopt to reduce the amount of waste we produce, like providing more recycling bins at convenient locations, and promoting manufacturers' responsibility to help cut down on packaging waste.
c. Initiatives we can implement to encourage Singaporeans to conserve, value and enjoy our water resources , like reducing water consumption in major industries, and promoting use of water-efficient household appliances.
d. Steps we can take to further improve the level of cleanliness in hawker centres and public areas , like introducing a grading system for public toilets, and ensuring hawkers follow good hygiene practices.
e. Actions we can take to encourage greater appreciation and care for our natural heritage , like providing more information on nature areas, and establishing more parks and green linkages.

Public forum

5 The preliminary ideas including those listed above from the three Focus Groups will be shared at the upcoming public forum on 27 July . The forum will be chaired by Dr Amy Khor, GPC Chairman for National Development and Environment, with the six co-chairpersons of the SGP2012 review Focus Groups as panel members.

6 Feedback shared at the forum will be considered by the Focus Groups before they finalise their recommendations. The Focus Groups will then submit their recommendations in August to the SGP2012 Coordinating Committee, chaired by Permanent Secretary (Environment and Water Resources). The committee comprises representatives from the 3P (People, Private and Public) sectors.

Registration for the forum

7 Online registration for the forum is open to all members of the public from now. Seats are limited. Interested participants can log onto http://www.mewr.gov.sg/sgp2012 to register their particulars and view details of the forum programme. They can also email MEWR_SGP@mewr.gov.sg or call the Toll-free hotline: 1800-738 4622 for further enquiries.

Co-Chairpersons of Focus Groups

8 The co-chairpersons of the Focus Groups are:

Air and Climate Change
Dr Geh Min, Nominated Member of Parliament and President, Nature Society Singapore
Mr Warren Fernandez, Foreign Editor, The Straits Times

Water
Mr Lee Tzu Yang, Chairman of Shell Companies in Singapore and Vice President, Asia Pacific, Shell Global Solutions and Chairman, Water Network
Mr Eugene Heng President, Waterways Watch Society

Clean Land, Nature & Public Health
Mr Heng Chiang Meng, President, Singapore Environment Council
Ms Loh Wai Kiew, Chairman, Waste Management and Recycling Association of Singapore (WMRAS) and CEO, SembCorp Environmental Management

The Singapore Green Plan 2012

9 Launched in August 2002, the Singapore Green Plan 2012 (SGP2012) is Singapore 's 10-year blueprint towards environmental sustainability. With a highly focused and action-oriented approach jointly formulated by partners in the 3P (People, Private, Public) sectors , the plan sets out Singapore 's response to the challenges of sustaining a quality environment while pursuing economic progress.

links
Ministry of Environment and Water Resources website and survey on views of the Singapore Green Plan 2012
Related articles on
Singapore: general environmental issues

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