The Office of Environmental Sustainability (OES), National University of Singapore and the Workplace Research Centre (WRC), University of Sydney are jointly organising The National Sustainability Conference 2010, entitled “Environmental Up-Skilling & the Green Collar Industry”. This conference builds on the Climate Change @ Work series of conferences which take place in Australia and promote achieving sustainability in the workplace through sustainable leadership and management practice.

This conference will promote achieving sustainability in workplaces through sustainable leadership and green business solutions. The main themes of the 2010 conference will centre on important management issues, such as how sustainability practices will affect workplace relations, skill demands and career opportunities, to operational issues such as carbon emissions mitigation practices in the workplace. It will feature case studies from companies who will be showcasing how they have driven and developed sustainable business practices in their organisations.

For more information and to register please go to our website www.nationalsustainabilityconference.com

Grace Tan, Sustainability Executive (Singapore)

Office of Environmental Sustainability, University of Singapore

Phone: +65 6516 1983; Email: grace_tan@nus.edu.sg

Office of Environmental Sustainability

2 Estate Office Drive, Singapore 117587

National University of Singapore

T: +65 6516 1983; F: +65 6778 6031

W: www.nus.edu.sg/oes

Karen Treacy, Events Coordinator (Sydney)

Workplace Research Centre, University of Sydney

Phone: + 61 2 93515624; Email: karen.treacy@sydney.edu.au

Workplace Research Centre

Storie Dixson Wing, H10

Faculty of Economics and Business, The University of Sydney

NSW 2006 Australia

T: +61 2 9351 5626; F: +61 2 9351 5615

W: www.wrc.org.au

Location: Prince Hotel, KL, Malaysia

In today’ challenging economic conditions and competing environment, the focus on corporate responsibility is crucial because it will ensure companies are making the right decisions in leading to positive investments for their long term viability. Good corporate citizenship in good businesses also argues the importance of corporate responsibility as a good will and will ensure success in the long term.

The CR trend is being driven by many factors which include the erosion of trusts in large organisation, the evolution of corporate governance movement, the globalisation of businesses, competitive pressure to be more socially responsible and the rise of socially responsible funds. Barriers to implementation cite cost implications, awareness and unproven benefits. The main objectives of organisations moving towards a responsible business do not only limit within long term objectives but also has become critical for corporate reputation, business success and sustainable investments as a survivor strategy.

marcus evans ‘Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability 2010’ conference will address challenges in today’s challenging economic conditions as there has been an increase in attention to social obligations, economic and environment aspect of business activity and performance from key decision makers such as the investors, suppliers, customers, employees, pressure groups and the community. The “tone from the top” has adopted Corporate Responsibility as a significant theme by recognising it as a major corporate driver. This two-day quality-driven conference will revolutionize debate on real-life experiences and cultivate innovative solutions to reshape the quality of your corporate responsibility process. Delegates will value information in regard to financial risk, environmental impacts, sustainability assessment, CR measurement, and employee engagement to upscale standards in their organization. For full brochure and registration, kindly contact Ms Catherine at CatherineF@marcusevanskl.com

Why should you attend?

• Enhancing skills in handling CSR issues within your organisation to increase performance and productivity
• Projecting company profitability / ROI by venturing into outstanding sociallyresponsible investments through measurement and reports
• Boosting moral enhancement by identifying the gap in your organisation’s behavioral analysis through corporate responsibility
• Mastering communication in CR efforts to influence stakeholders and policy makers in their decision making
• Building brand enhancement through impressive social media initiatives
• Aligning CSR initiatives with business goals to create awareness, both internally and externally
• Networking with CR experts to explore cutting edge CSR initiatives that is crucial to your business advancement

Key Topics

• Identifying CR indicators that justify ROI/ budgets in business operations
• Recognising climate change to reduce its impact on an organisation
• Incorporating CR as part of the corporate culture to leverage future business survivability
• Positioning virtual communication and creating awareness through Digital CSR

AsiaIsGreen is a media partner of Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability 2010.

• Sustainable Development – Overall Approach to Resource Efficiency and Mitigating Climate Change
• Improving Energy Efficiency
• Singapore’s Vulnerability to Climate Change
• Managing Our Water Resources
• Recycling and Waste Minimisation
• Building Up R&D and Manpower Capabilities in Clean Environment and Water Sectors
• Dengue
• Sustaining Public Cleanliness
• Licensing Elderly Tissue Paper Peddlers
• Noise
• Enhancements to Food Hygiene Regime
• ABC Waters Programme

Here are some key points that they raised:

At Copenhagen, Singapore supported the Accord, and has since written to the UNFCCC Secretariat to associate ourselves formally with the Accord as a good basis for advancing negotiations towards reaching a legally binding global agreement on climate change. Though the Accord as it stands does not create legal obligations, it contains important elements that can facilitate the on-going negotiations. To date, about 100 out of the 194 Parties to the UNFCCC have associated themselves with the Accord. About 30 non-Annex I countries, including Singapore, have also tabled their emission reduction targets.

To play our part in international efforts to mitigate climate change, Singapore has pledged to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions by 16% from the 2020 business-as-usual scenario. This target is contingent on a legally binding global agreement in which all countries implement their commitments in good faith. Our target is credible and rigorous given our past efforts to reduce emissions and the constraints we face as a city-state, including our limited potential to adopt renewable energy.It is a substantial commitment by Singapore. Achieving it will involve considerable costs, and changes in lifestyle and business practices.

BCA will increase the mandatory minimum energy efficiency standards for Green Mark certified new buildings by 10% from today’s standards by the end of this year, and will also mandate the submission of building energy usage data from 2011.

Our consultations with large energy users indicate that a wide range of energy management practices exists today. We therefore see the need for minimum standards to ensure greater management attention is paid to energy. While this will ultimately benefit companies in terms of cost-savings, we also recognise the need to give companies sufficient lead-time to prepare.

By 2013, we will require companies in the industry sector consuming more than the equivalent of 15 GWh of energy each year to appoint an energy manager, monitor and report energy use to NEA, and develop and submit energy efficiency improvement plans. NEA will be consulting the companies involved on the detailed requirements.

To ensure a smooth transition, NEA will introduce the Energy Efficiency National Partnership, or EENP, in April to help companies build up the necessary capabilities before the mandatory energy management practices come into effect. We will also be reviewing our incentive schemes and exploring long-term energy efficiency financing options to cater to the needs of companies.

These energy management requirements for industry and energy efficiency-related legislation in other sectors will be consolidated in an Energy Conservation Act that will come into force in 2013. The Act allows for a co-ordinated approach to standards-setting for energy efficiency across all sectors, and will represent a major milestone in the government’s efforts to develop energy efficiency as a competitive advantage for Singapore.

As I announced last year, minimum energy performance standards or MEPS will be implemented for household air-conditioners and refrigerators in 2011.MEPS will remove the most energy inefficient air-conditioners and refrigerators from the market. Depending on the appliance category, all 0-tick models and some 1- and 2-tick models will be removed, representing about 20% of current sales volumes. A sufficient range of brands and models will remain available for consumer choice.

MEPS will help consumers save on electricity bills and is not expected to significantly increase the upfront cost of air-conditioners and refrigerators. A more efficient fridge that costs the same as one phased out by MEPS can save a household about $130 a year. When all the existing air-conditioners and refrigerators in Singapore comply with the MEPS standards, consumers will enjoy a total energy savings of about $20milannually.

We will tighten the MEPS standards over time. We will also consider extending MEPS to more appliances, such as lighting and televisions.

The public sector will continue to take the lead on environmental sustainability measures. From FY11, all Ministries will set energy savings targets. We will continue to study new measures that can be implemented.

In 2007, NEA commissioned a study involving local and foreign experts to understand our vulnerabilities to climate change.

The first phase of the study covering the physical impacts of climate change has concluded. The results have been peer reviewed by international experts who noted that the study adopted well-established methodologies and that the findings are plausible.

The study projects that the average daily temperature in Singapore could increase by between 2.7 to 4.2°C from the current average of 26.8°C by 2100 and the mean sea level around Singapore could rise by 24 to 65 cm by 2100. These findings are within the range of our expectations and consistent with global projections by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

By 2011, Singapore’s water catchment area will increase to two thirds of our land area with the completion of the Punggol and Serangoon reservoirs.

In addition, when Changi NEWater Factory is fully completed in 2010, NEWater will be able to meet 30% of our current water needs. As a source which is independent of rainfall, NEWater enhances the resilience of our water supply by supplementing local water stocks in the event of extended dry spells, like what we are experiencing today.

Singapore’s overall recycling rate increased from 40% in 2000 to 57% in 2009 and we are on track to meet the target of 60% by 2012. We are studying how we can enhance the effectiveness of existing recycling efforts. For instance, there is scope to reduce the amount of domestic waste disposed and we are working with the public waste collectors to review the National Recycling Programme. This includes studying the provision of more recycling bins in HDB estates and the collection and recycling of other waste streams such as garden waste from landed homes and food waste from markets.

To reduce waste at source, NEA has collaborated with the food and beverage industry on the voluntary Singapore Packaging Agreement since July 2007. The Agreement demonstrates that environmentally friendly practices make sound business sense – the participating companies saved $4.4mil from a reduction of 2,500 tons of packaging waste over the last two years. … Following the extension of the Agreement to cover all types of product packaging since October 2009, we can expect to see avoided waste and reduced packaging in other sectors as well.

Source: MEWR

commonly used to help an organization define and evaluate how successful it is, typically in terms of making progress towards its long-term organizational goals. – Wikipedia

We think it’s important for NGOs to have KPIs to keep track of their work and outreach. Here are some suggested KPIs:

1) Number of or % reduction/improvement of environmental problem/opportunity (depends on mission) due to organisation’s efforts (services, projects, campaigns, events, outreach, etc)

2) Number of volunteers and turnover rate (over 1, 3, 5, 10 years), and “followers” (Facebook, Twitter, RSS feed and newsletter subscribers, etc)

3) Number and frequency of media coverage (newspapers, radio, magazines, blogs, Facebook links, Twitter tweets and retweets, etc), and website traffic

4) Number of participants/visitors/partners for campaigns and events (for recurring and one-off events)

5) Amount and % of financial income from sponsors, regular and one-off donations, sales from products and services, etc

Are you aware of environmental NGOs that have KPIs? Share the information with us, thanks.

Singapore Green Landscape 2010 gives an overview of the various non-governmental organisations (NGOs), green groups, business associations and groups, green websites, government agencies, and institutes and centres in Singapore, which are related to the environment.

We hope that the publication is useful for everyone who wishes to find and connect with the environmental organisations in Singapore, and explore personal and business opportunities.

The publication is free for download here. Feel free to share this.

The Singapore Green Landscape shows an overview of the various NGOs, groups, websites, government agencies, business associations, institutes and centers related to the environment in Singapore.

This is not a complete list and is subjected to further updates and corrections. To help us show a better picture of the green landscape in Singapore, do let us know if we missed anything or if there are any errors. Thanks!

Bookchanging is an online community for book readers to find, enjoy, share, discuss and buy green books. You can read environmental books to gain more knowledge, work towards a sustainable future and change the world.

Under the New Books category, you can find the latest books on the environment, including Al Gore’s Our Choice: A Plan to Solve the Climate Crisis, and Colin Beavan’s No Impact Man: Saving the Planet One Family at a Time.

Under the Recommended Books category, you can check out our book recommendations, which includes Alex Steffen’s Worldchanging: A User’s Guide for the 21st Century, and Janine M. Benyus’s Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature.

You can also choose to buy the book in Singapore from Bookchanging or buy the book overseas from Amazon. Visit http://www.bookchanging.com to check out our books.

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Contacts

Eugene Tay

Founder of Bookchanging

Email: eugene@greenfuture.sg

Social Media: LinkedIn | Facebook

About Green Future Solutions

Green Future Solutions is a Singapore-based business that promotes environmental awareness and action for a green future, through its network of green websites, events, presentations, publications and consultancy. For more information, visit http://www.greenfuture.sg.

The Brightest Building at Night Competition (BBN) is the first competition in Singapore to select the best buildings with the brightest outdoor and facade lighting at night from 1am to 6am.

Phase 1 of the competition will focus on the commercial buildings in the Central Business District. The organiser of the competition welcomes interested photographers to take photographs of the brightest buildings at night from 1am to 6am, and submit the entries for the competition.

Judges will vote for the brightest building based on the entries and the top 10 buildings will receive recognition. The winning building management will receive a commendation prize for their persistent efforts in lighting up the Singapore night sky even when there is no one around to look at the lights.

The photographers of the winning entries will each receive a special prize. Details on the competition start date and registration will be announced soon.

Image credit: olimohd

What is CSR? Some companies associate CSR with charity and philanthropy, but CSR actually goes beyond that. According to Singapore Compact:

Corporate Social Responsibility is essentially about businesses doing well and doing good at the same time. CSR is about the long term strategy of aligning business strategy and operations with universal values to achieve positive and sustainable outcomes for customers, suppliers, employees, shareholders, communities, other stakeholders and as well as the environment.

Through the implementation of CSR, companies can reap benefits and improve profits. Mr Koh Juan Kiat, Vice-President of Singapore Compact and Executive Director of Singapore National Employers’ Federation explains:

Adopting CSR brings intangible benefits such as a good reputation for the company, high morale among employees and improved performance and attracts investors. Employees will also take greater pride in their company and this will affect productivity.

In 2008, survey findings by the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) show that out of the 507 Singapore-based enterprises surveyed, 40% of the respondents were aware of the term CSR. Of the CSR-aware respondents, two-thirds have implemented CSR activities.

To date, 240 organisations have joined Singapore Compact and are implementing CSR practices. These organisations include large corporations, SMEs, co-operatives, unions, federations and NGOs. In addition, 70 companies have signed up as signatories to the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) network in Singapore.

Despite the growing awareness and implementation, CSR in Singapore is still in its infant stage and more needs to be done. As such, Singapore Compact will hold an inaugural International Singapore Compact CSR Summit from 6 to 7 October at Orchard Hotel. The conference will cover topics such as:

• CSR and the Community: The Role of Corporate Foundations
• CSR Global Trends
• CSR: Strategy for Sustainability and Success
• Investor’s Perspectives on CSR
• CSR and Sustainable Development – The Environment and Beyond
• CSR – what can be done?

This is a good and timely opportunity for your company to understand more about CSR and how to implement CSR in your organisation. Visit http://csrsummit.csrsingapore.org/ for details and registration.

This interview with Thomas Thomas, Executive Director, Singapore Compact for CSR, is submitted by the organisers of the International Singapore Compact CSR Summit.

1. What are your hopes for International Singapore Compact CSR Summit that will be taking place from 6-7 October 2009 at Orchard Hotel?

I hope that there will be a surge in CSR awareness and implementation in Singapore and this will in turn act as an impetus for the region. The ideas and discussions leading from the Summit will motivate and ingrain the values and principles of CSR. It will result in better managed companies that take into account the interest of stakeholders and a better world for all.

2. What are your thoughts on the growth of CSR and SRI in Singapore and in Asia Pacific?

CSR and responsible investments are a growing global trend. SRI is relatively new in Asia and Singapore. While I do not have exact figures for the region, I know that there is a greater interest among investors. They are asking companies about their ESG record. Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) factors are being seen as important factors that determine the sustainability and success of enterprises. Companies with ESG practices perform better as they are usually better managed. They will attract more investor funds which will be reflected in a higher share price compared to those not practicing CSR or reporting on their ESG.

3. In terms of SRI, how much foreign funds are coming into Singapore? What are your comments on the amount invested?

From the comments gleaned from our conversations with local CEOs, we know that there are European and US funds looking for opportunities in Asia. This is seen as a growth region and at the same time they want to minimize risks. The factors used in responsible investing are becoming more mainstream. So many who do not call themselves SRI funds still use the principles and ask the same questions to ensure that they are making the right investments, that is those which are sustainable in the long term.

4. What does the Singapore Compact do in terms of assisting SMEs to incorporate ethical and sustainable business practices?

SMEs are an important part of our membership. 99% of all firms in Singapore are SMEs. We have worked with some SMEs, and these enlightened SMEs do not remain as SMEs for long. They grow and prosper. That is the objective of all firms and we help them by raising awareness, support them in building capacity and in sharing their CSR journey.

5. What are your thoughts on the Singapore government’s initiatives in assisting businesses in terms of their CSR?

The Singapore government has always believed in the concept of CSR, right from the early days of the country’s industrialization, and has put the CSR framework in place from then. Investors had to be attracted for economic growth. The tripartite framework of government, business and labour work together to ensure that Singapore is attractive for investors, for labour to get fair returns, and high environmental standards had ensured economic growth and prosperity with rising quality of life for workers and their families in an environment that is relatively safe and clean.

6. What can be done (specifically or in general) for things to improve in Singapore and in the region?

Singapore has many advantages that make it natural for us to adopt CSR intrinsically. We need to build on these advantages. We practice implicit CSR, with the framework of laws, principles, practices and social norms. Singapore companies are not irresponsible. We have to be more explicit in reporting what is being done and embedding CSR in an organisation’s core values and principles. These values and principles will have to be translated into practices that will be in line with international norms.

AsiaIsGreen is a media partner of the International Singapore Compact CSR Summit.