The enhanced Green Homes @ North West initiative as part of Clean & Green Singapore 2015 was launched by Minister for Foreign Affairs, Dr Vivian Balakrishnan; Acting Minister for Education (Higher Education and Skills) and Senior Minister of State (Defence), Mr Ong Ye Kung; Mayor of North West District, Dr Teo Ho Pin; Parliamentary Secretary (Home Affairs), Mr Amrin Amin; Chief Executive Officer of National Environment Agency, Mr Ronnie Tay; Chairperson of the Singapore Environment Council (SEC), Ms Isabella Loh; Member of Parliament for Nee Soon GRC, Er Dr Lee Bee Wah; Member of Parliament for Sembawang GRC, Mr Vikram Nair and Member of Parliament for Nee Soon GRC, Mr Henry Kwek at the North West Clean and Green SG50 Carnival held at Bukit Panjang Plaza, Garden Plaza today.
2 Jointly organised by the National Environment Agency (NEA), North West Community Development Council (CDC) and Singapore Environment Council (SEC), the enhanced Green Homes @ North West initiative introduces a three-tier rating, and adds two new criteria to make up a total of seven, up from the five criteria under the existing Green Homes @ North West programme. The enhanced programme hopes to encourage home owners to start with small, progressive steps towards becoming a certified Green Home. For some home owners, their green living habits will be put to further challenge with the addition of the two new criteria, namely, having natural ventilation in the common living space, and choosing a television with a five-tick energy efficiency rating. Households that fulfil the criteria in any of the three tiers will receive shopping vouchers, and six specially designed reusable placemats. Lester Leo was the emcee for this event.
3 The enhanced Green Homes @ North West programme aims to reach out to home owners of 40,000 existing and build-to-order units in the North West District. The objectives of the enhanced programme are:
(i) to encourage residents of the North West District to adopt Green Living practices at home,
(ii) to create Green Home models so as to increase environmental awareness, and
(iii) to encourage and bond home owners in the North West District through a common Green Living programme.
The initiative is also part of Green Living @ North West, a 10-year Eco Plan by North West CDC to cultivate a green culture within the North West District.
4 To create more awareness about the enhanced Green Homes @ North West programme, secondary and tertiary students from schools in the North West District will go on house visits to share the programme details with residents. Home owners who fulfil the criteria will be able to apply for the enhanced Green Homes @ North West audit via the online platform www.greenhomes-northwest.sg. The online platform also provides home owners with access to the Green Home Guide, which contains tips on how to select and use electrical appliances, and green habits they can adopt as part of their lifestyle.
5 Dr Teo Ho Pin, Mayor of North West District said, “The North West CDC and NEA have organised over 110 programmes since the launch of Green Living @ North West in 2009, a 10-year Eco plan to cultivate a green culture in the North West District. The enhanced Green Homes @ North West programme hopes to encourage home owners to take little and progressive steps towards becoming a green home, and to further challenge their green living habits. We hope to reach out to 40,000 home owners in the North West District, and have them join us in the fight against climate change.”
6 Mr Ronnie Tay, Chief Executive Officer of NEA said, “The journey to achieving a clean and green environment starts at home and requires the collective and individual efforts of the community. We strongly encourage residents of the North West District to do their part to use energy efficiently and work towards becoming an enhanced Green Home. Together, our efforts will enable us to sustain a Clean and Green Singapore.”
Clean and Green Singapore 2015 Awards Ceremony – North West District
7 The North West District has received the Best Community Achievement Award this year, as well as the Best Constituency Ownership Award for Woodlands. Both awards will be presented during the Main Clean & Green SG50 event on 31 October 2015. The Best Community Achievement Award is a national award that is given to the district that displays the strongest community efforts, commitment and ownership for the environment. Woodlands is also recognised as one of the constituencies with effective empowerment of the community in 3P partnership in achieving environmental and public health outcomes.
8 The North West District has also received 13 district-level awards. The awards recognised four Grassroots Organisations and nine cleaners for their commendable contributions towards environmental sustainability and public health.