All Posts by AsiaIsGreen

ESC Sub-Committee on Energy Resilience and Sustainable Growth

The Economic Strategies Committee (ESC) Sub-Committee on Energy Resilience and Sustainable Growth has published its detailed report on its aim to:

recommend strategies to achieve our national energy objectives: economic competitiveness, energy security and environmental sustainability.

Here are the 5 strategies and 11 recommendations to help Singapore build a Smart Energy Economy:

Strategy 1: Diversifying our Energy Sources

1. Allow entry of new energy options on a market basis

2. Develop renewable energy sources

3. Study the feasibility of the nuclear energy option and develop expertise in nuclear energy technologies

Strategy 2: Enhancing Infrastructure and Systems

4. Invest in critical energy infrastructure ahead of demand

5. Develop Jurong Island as an energy-optimised industrial cluster

Strategy 3: Increasing Energy Efficiency

6. Promote energy efficiency for buildings, industry and in homes

7. Support clean and efficient technologies in transportation

Strategy 4: Strengthening the Green Economy

8. Establish energy as a key national R&D priority

9. Build capabilities for the green economy

10. Apply a green lens to government procurement

Strategy 5: Pricing Energy Right

11. Price energy to reflect its total cost

Recommendations and Strategies by the Economic Strategies Committee

The Economic Strategies Committee (ESC) has completed its work and has submitted the report of its key recommendations to the Prime Minister. The report is released today and can be downloaded at the ESC website.

The ESC was formed in May 2009 to:

develop strategies for Singapore to build capabilities and maximise opportunities as a global city in a new world environment, so as to achieve sustained and inclusive growth.

The ESC is chaired by Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Minister for Finance, and comprises members from the government, the labour movement, the private sector as well as academia.

Key Recommendations:

We must achieve higher productivity growth of 2 to 3 percent per year, enabling our GDP to grow on average by 3 to 5 percent per year over the next decade.

Increased productivity is not achieved merely through increased efficiency, but restructuring our economy to provide more room for rapidly growing and innovative enterprises.

7 Key Strategies:

1. Growing through skills and innovation
2. Anchor Singapore as a Global-Asia Hub
3. Build a Vibrant and Diverse Corporate Ecosystem
4. Make Innovation Pervasive, and Strengthen Commercialisation of R&D
5. Become a Smart Energy Economy
6. Enhance Land Productivity to Secure Future Growth
7. Build a Distinctive Global City and an Endearing Home

Here’s the ESC’s recommendations on Smart Energy Economy in the report: Read more

The Four Elements Series

April 13, 2010
7:00 pm	to	9:00 pm

Venue: Canadian International School (Singapore)

Country: Singapore

Event dates:

Air 13th April, 2010

Earth 20th April, 2010

Water 27th April, 2010

Fire 4th May, 2010

The events are a celebration of how people are connected to and by the elements: Air, Earth, Water and Fire. Through interactive experiences, we hope to restore a sense of connection that is often lost by living in highly urbanized cities.

Register online: www.fourelements.myevent.com

Green Drinks Singapore – Jan 2010

January 28, 2010
8:15 pm	to	9:30 pm

From Green Drinks Singapore:

—–

Venue: Naive, 99 East Coast Road

This month, we are gathering all the green groups, societies, businesses and individuals with green values to talk about their plans for 2010, and explore ways we can all work together.

In particular, we are targetting to have ECO (Singapore), SEC, Nature Society (Singapore), Vegetarian Society (Singapore), Social Innovation Park, Food for All, green societies from the various tertiary institutions, various businesses, and individuals already well known in the green sphere. As always, everyone is welcome!

Let us have a meaningful greater conversation about what we can do together! Do spread the word, and we hope to see you there!

Foodwise, Naive has kindly put together a special three-course menu at the price of $18+ for those wishing to dine there.

How to get there: By bus- 10, 12, 14, 32, 40; By car- parking is available at Katong Mall and Katong Village

—–

(We are selling Al Gore’s new book, Our Choice, at Green Drinks to raise fund for the Haiti Earthquake relief operations. Have 40 copies of the book to sell at $50 each. 100% of profits will go to the Singapore Red Cross who will channel it to the International Federation of Red Cross Red Crescent Societies.)

Standard Chartered Gives You the Perfect Excuse to Want a New Car

We saw this ad by Standard Chartered Bank on Sunday in the newspaper – “You want a new car we give you the perfect excuse”. Standard Chartered is giving away 5 Audi cars to customers who deposit or invest with them.

What’s wrong with giving away cars as a promotion? What’s wrong with showing a picture of a car being dumped?

This is probably no big deal to the public, except that we have always read that Standard Chartered is concerned about the environment and climate change.

Standard Chartered claims on their website that:

We are conscious of our responsibility to cut the carbon dioxide emissions caused by our operations and have exceeded our reduction targets for 2008. But we can do much more to deal with the business and other risks that we all face. We work with employees, customers and other stakeholders to raise awareness, stimulate action and reduce their impact on the environment. We set ambitious targets to minimise our own carbon footprint and paper use. And we finance businesses and projects that will reduce emissions and help people adapt to climate change.

So, is this the perfect excuse for you to want a car?

Green Buildings China 2010

March 22, 2010

to

March 25, 2010

Event Venue: Grand Hyatt Shanghai

Event Website: www.ibc-asia.com/greenbuildingschina

Enquiry: info@ibcasia.com.sg

Booking Hotline: +65 6514 3180

• Be updated on latest updates on green building initiatives and policies in China
• Keep abreast of key accreditation schemes for green buildings in China
• Identify abundant opportunities from up-coming sustainable cities such as the Tianjin Eco-city
• Learn how you can leverage on Eco-tourism
• Gain indepth understanding of the ROI of green buildings and learn about the latest financing options and models in project financing for the built environment
• Understand how you can achieve utmost energy efficiency in buildings
• Get an insight on maximizing renewable energy utilization in green buildings
• Discover the latest trends and issues associated with sustainable and alternative building material

Alternative Energy Thailand Forum 2010

March 24, 2010

to

March 25, 2010

Thailand faces serious energy security issues in the wake of volatile oil prices and the limit to the traditional sources of energy such as oil, gas, coal, etc. Placing importance on this energy policy, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said that the Government would provide support for the promotion of alternative energy sources. The Government has placed the use of alternative energy in the national agenda. In response to this aims, it will encourage the production and use of alternative energy such as biomass, biogas, ethanol-based oil, biodiesel, natural gas for vehicles, wind, solar and waste energy to enhance energy security.

In response to the nation’s energy security challenges, this first-time Alternative Energy Thailand Forum 2010 aims to provide participants with a platform to keep abreast with government policies & regulatory updates, latest market developments, practical insights, and regional/international trends and perspectives on alternative energy development.

Download the event info here.

2010 China Sustainable Building Forum

March 23, 2010

to

March 25, 2010

Society of Entrepreneur Ecology (SEE) – Top Non-profit Environmental Protection Organization

Initiated China Green Build Movement Meeting in Shanghai

Organized by Society of Entrepreneur Ecology (SEE), China Urban Realty Association (CURA) and China Philanthropist Network, China Green Build Movement was initiated at Chateau 599 on January 5, 2010 in Shanghai. This meeting has obtained positive response from all participants including Zendai Group, Greentown, Landsea，Forte Land Co., Sunny World，Shanghai ZK-Group, Dasso Industrial Group, Somfy China, Shanghai QingYing Sun-shading Technical Development Co., NVC Lighting Technology Corporation, Tongji University and China Green Building Council Jiangsu Branch etc, covering the real estate development, green material, energy saving technology, research organization and other related industries. All participants accepted this campaign unanimously and agreed on supporting the movement. Read more

Next Page »