MSE Launches National Movement to Strengthen Partnership and Galvanise Collective Action for Environmental Sustainability

More than 150 partners are organising over 300 activities throughout July in support of Go Green SG; Around 20,000 individuals, over 270,000 students and employees from 500 educational institutions and organisations, and 100% of Government agencies have taken the Green Nation pledge.

Singapore, 30 June 2023 – The Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment (MSE) officially launched Go Green SG today to rally citizens, organisations, and the community to take collective action towards a more environmentally sustainable and climate-resilient Singapore. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance, Mr Lawrence Wong, launched the event at Mee Toh School today. The event was attended by Ms Grace Fu, Minister for Sustainability and the Environment, Ms Gan Siow Huang, Minister of State for Education, Mr Baey Yam Keng, Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Sustainability and the Environment, together with partners from across the People, Public and Private (3P) sectors.

Forward Singapore (Steward Pillar) – Strengthening partnership with Singaporeans to build a green, liveable and climate-resilient Singapore

2 Public engagements for the Steward Pillar, one of six pillars under our Forward Singapore exercise, were launched in September last year at MSE’s Partners for the Environment Forum (PFE). To-date, over 2,200 Singaporeans have participated in some 30 engagement sessions under the Steward Pillar. These engagements reached out to businesses, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), schools, and the community.

3 The conversations focused on the challenges and trade-offs that Singapore has to balance when it comes to environmental sustainability and the transition into the green economy. Participants discussed a wide range of topics including circularity, food resilience, coastal and flood resilience, and Singapore’s net zero ambition. The conversations also anchored on the importance of collective partnership as we jointly advance our shared vision of a green, liveable and climate-resilient Singapore.

Go Green SG – More than 150 partners across the 3P sectors organise over 300 activities to rally climate action

4 In the spirit of the Forward Singapore exercise, the annual Climate Action Week which started in 2019 has been rebranded as Go Green SG to reflect the growing interest and partnership among 3P sectors, Singaporeans, and international visitors in Singapore’s sustainability journey. Go Green SG will be expanded from a week to a whole month throughout July given the significantly larger number of activities and for more participants to be part of this nationwide sustainability movement.

5 For the first time, the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) collaborated with MSE in this national movement to showcase immersive and sustainable experiences curated by tourism businesses in Singapore for both local and international visitors. This will further strengthen Singapore’s position as a sustainable urban destination1 – a City in Nature where large experiences come with small footprints. Travellers visiting Singapore during Go Green SG will get to immerse in many different sustainability experiences related to their areas of interest. These experiences include interactive sustainability tours and attractions, educational workshops, thoughtful dining experiences and green retail experiences.

6 Go Green SG features over 300 activities organised by more than 150 partners from across the 3P sectors. This is more than double the number of partners and activities compared to last year. They include activities by organisations to encourage sustainability amongst their stakeholders, as well as activities open to the public. The Go Green SG website was launched on 5 June 2023 in conjunction with World Environment Day for the public to register for exclusive behind-the-scenes tours, learning journeys, workshops and talks, as well as participate in green deals and challenges. Public response has been overwhelming, with some of the programmes and activities fully subscribed within a day of the website launch. More programmes and activities will be available on the website. The full list of Go Green SG activities and programmes can be found at www.gogreen.gov.sg.

7 In support of Go Green SG, the National Environment Agency (NEA) will also launch its “Clean & Green Singapore (CGS) Experiences” programme in July, ahead of the traditional October to November period. Now in its third year, CGS Experiences offers complimentary learning journeys to sites of environmental interest, where the public can learn more about Singapore’s sustainability journey. To further support Go Green SG, NEA has increased the number of sites open for visits, giving the public a rare opportunity to visit sites not previously open to the public such as the Project Wolbachia mosquito production facility.

Go Green SG launch at Mee Toh School

8 As one of the winners of the President’s Award for the Environment in 2019 and a pilot school for the Ministry of Education’s Eco Stewardship Programme, Mee Toh School was the venue for the launch of Go Green SG. The launch event was attended by 3P partners including DBS, City Developments Limited, Earth Observatory of Singapore, Mandai Wildlife Group, Marina Bay Sands, STB, Punggol Shore Urban Farm, and Singapore Polytechnic.

9 At the Go Green SG launch event, DBS introduced its Sustainability Sparks initiative, a pilot programme that aims to raise awareness of sustainability issues among eight to 11-year-olds, and to help them develop more sustainable habits in their daily lives through experiential learning and game play. DBS is exploring to roll out the game to more schools over the coming months. Mandai Wildlife Group engaged participants at its interactive booth, sharing about native biodiversity through live and taxidermised specimens. As a steward of Singapore’s wildlife parks, Mandai Wildlife Group plays a key role in Singapore’s sustainability efforts – from managing its operations with the environment in mind, to encouraging its stakeholders and the public to adopt sustainable practices in their daily lives. Punggol Shore Urban Farm, a community farm on the rooftop of a neighbouring HDB block from Mee Toh School, showcased its produce at the launch event. The farm is managed by a group of resident volunteers supported by the Punggol Shore Constituency Office. Since May 2023, Mee Toh students have been collaborating with the farm, and picking up knowledge on farming, recycling of food waste, composting, and harvesting.

Green Nation Pledge – Around 20,000 individuals, over 270,000 students and employees from 500 educational institutions and organisations, and 100% of Government agencies have taken their pledges

10 In support of the Forward Singapore (Steward Pillar), the Green Nation Pledge was also launched in September 2022 for all segments of society to pledge their commitment to address Singapore’s environmental sustainability issues. To-date, around 20,000 individuals, over 270,000 students and employees from 500 educational institutions and organisations, have taken the Green Nation Pledge.

11 All Government agencies have taken their Green Nation Pledge. This is part of the Public Sector’s commitment to lead the green transition and achieve net zero emissions around 2045, five years ahead of Singapore’s target of 2050. Individuals and organisations can continue to make a pledge at go.gov.sg/greennationpledge.