Eco Music Challenge 2010

The National Environment Agency is holding the first national song-writing competition for the environment titled “Eco Music Challenge 2010”.

The Eco Music Challenge 2010 is a unique platform for music talents in Singapore to express their appreciation for our beautiful environment through song-writing. These music compositions will also serve to encourage everyone to play a part in protecting our environment.

Details of the competition:

Title: Eco Music Challenge: NEA Song Writing Competition 2010
Entries for the competition must be submitted before 29 August 2010.
1st Prize: S$5,000
2nd Prize: S$3,000
3rd Prize: S$2,000
There will also be 7 consolation prizes of $300 each to be given away

More details can be found at http://nea.ecomusic.sg.

ECO Ideas Challenge

ECO Ideas Challenge

Take the challenge @ http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/KV8228T

Application Guidelines

Submission specifications:

This in an open category challenge, we welcome entries from all schools (Primary, Secondary, ITE and Tertiary). You are required to describe your ECO suggestion in no more than 100 words. There is no limit of entry, you can choose from one of the following categories per entry:

• Green Environment

-          ideas on how to improve our surrounding environment. Eg. Our neighborhood, parks, shopping mall etc.

• Green Organization

-          ideas on 3R (Reduce, Reuse and Recycle).

-          ideas on saving energy and water within a work environment.

• Green Education

-          ideas on curriculum or activity to be included in a primary, secondary, ITE or tertiary schools to educate the students in environmental care.

• Other areas

-          Other green idea, product, or service which does not belong to any of the three categories above.

Judging criteria:

• Thematic relevance
• Originality
• Creativity
• Viability

Prizes:

• 1^st Prize:  $300 cash voucher
• 2^nd Prize: $200 cash voucher
  • Cash Vouchers are sponsored by Academus Software Engineering and;

• 2 Merit Prizes:

-          2 Ink Jet Printers sponsored by Cartridge World

Submit your entry via: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/KV8228T

Date of Launch: 15 July 2010

Deadline:  15 September 2010

Results of the competition will be announced and posted on EcoCityZone from 30 Oct 2010.

Winning entries will be posted on EcoCityZone.

Copyright and Intellectual Property Issues

All submitted entries may be used for the purposes of marketing and promotions by the organiser in connection with or without relation to their products and services as well as events organized or sponsored by them, including but not limited to the competition.

The organiser, in their absolute discretion and in such manner as they deem fit, may use the entries or parts of the entries for the said purposes without any reference to or acknowledgement of the participants.

Winners will also be notified via email or call.

Judges’ decision is final and no correspondence will be entertained.

Late submissions will not be entertained.

Greening @ ITE College East

Greening @ITE College East

Date: Thursday, 15 July 2010
Time: 0930 hrs – 1130 hrs
Venue: The Amphitheatre, ITE College East
10 Simei Avenue Singapore 486047

Greening @ITE College East aims to create an ECO Lifestyle in our organization and our communities. This event will announce the launch of an ECO Portal for ITE students, staff as well as the public. The Mayor of South East District will be presenting ITE College East an inaugural Green School Certificate in recognition of the efforts taken by a school in the South East district in greening the environment. Greening @ITE is organized in partnership with South East Community Development Council (SE CDC) and National Environment Agency (NEA).

About the Green School Initiative

The South East District believes that schools, as an organisation, and as a part of the community in our District have an important responsibility to take a leadership role in environmental awareness and sustainability issues.

The “Go Green @ South East” Environmental Action Plan which is initiated by the South East Community Development Council and the National Environment Agency aims to engage schools in the district to be part of the Green Schools @ South East Challenge.

Under Green School @ South East, schools can choose to self initiate (based on a stretch target concept), establish their own reachable targets and challenge themselves to think out of the box to effect change through day-to-day, action based education or get involved in environmental initiatives such as recycling programme; in-house recycling opportunities and other programmes or initiatives by other partners. Examples of programmes that schools can be involved in: Green Homes @ SE where the schools can support as voluntary home auditors in the programme as well as the 10% Energy Challenge and 10% Water Challenge and taking care to minimise the environmental impact when organising events (Green Events @ South East) and in engaging staff and students in environmental themed CIP projects be it a collaboration with other partners or a self-initiated one.

The involvement process helps students to recognise the importance of environmental issues and take them more seriously in their personal and home lives which inevitably impact the community.

The Green Schools @ South East Challenge is also a synergistic platform for schools to consolidate and share positive experiences / initiatives with other schools in South East.

Event Exhibits (The Atrium, ITE College East from 9.30am to 3pm)

Greening activities themed: Green Education, Green Organisation and Green Earth.
1. ECO Portal
The key features of the ECO Portal and Green Collar Worker Training portal will be demonstrated. Visitors can also get to know more about the ECO idea contest for all students (Primary, Secondary and ITE).

2. PowerClean
Powerclean is a bio-degradable, environmental friendly detergent made of enzyme produced from fruit waste. It is created by the College East Environmental Club students and marketed jointly by the College East Environmental Club and Entrepreneur club students. So far more than 200 bottles have been sold. Powerclean is for sale at the booth for $2 per bottle.

3. Green Fashion
This booth show case Green Fashions made from recycled materials. They are the creative and unique fashion designed by nursing students from the School of Applied Health Science in ITE College East, made in celebration of Nurses Day 2010.

4. College East Environmental Club
An exhibit of the activities and event held by the student club in ITE College East that is actively promoting environmental care in ITE College East. College East students can also sign up as member in this recruitment drive.

5. Anti-Littering
An exhibit and game booth set up by NEA on its new anti-littering campaign “Do The Right Thing. Let’s Bin It!”. The new campaign seeks to instill a sense of responsibility in individuals to keep Singapore clean and beautiful and to encourage them to take action to bin their litter.

6. Recycling
An exhibit and game booth set up by NEA to create awareness on the process of recycling and to learn the right way to recycle through fun games.

7. Go Green with SMRT
As part of SMRT’s commitment to the environment and sustainable development, Go Green with SMRT is a four-month (5 June – 30 September 2010) public education campaign aimed at raising awareness on green issues and promoting public transport as a greener travel alternative.

8. Toner/Ink Cartridge Recycling
An exhibit setup by Cartridge World to share on the process involved in recycling of cartridges. There will be video on carbon footprint on cartridges, flyers and brochures on refilled cartridges and components on re-manufacturing.

Seven Companies Feted At Inaugural Sustainability Awards

By KAREN NG (Business Times)

IS your company going green? Now, not only is doing your part for the environment good in itself, it could win you an award, too.

And yesterday, seven organisations did just that during the inaugural Singapore Sustainability Awards 2010.

In the first division of awards – for Outstanding Sustainability – City Developments Limited and Senoko Power won in the Enterprise Green Adopter category, while Samwoh Corporation and TetraPak Jurong won the same award in the Enterprise Green Technology/Service Enabler category.

In the second division of awards – the Green IT Awards – The Land Transport Authority (LTA) and the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore won the Enterprise Green IT award and Trusted Hub won the Small and Medium Business Green IT award for SMEs.

These awards were organised by the Singapore Business Federation (SBF), IBM and the Institute of Technical Education (ITE).

Teresa Lim, managing director of IBM, said: ‘We congratulate the winners of the awards, who have not only successfully implemented sustainable green IT practices to minimise environmental impact, but have also undertaken long- term IT planning with a view to environmental responsibility.’

Another interesting development is the creation of the Green IT Index which means that companies’ efforts to go green are now measurable in tangible terms.

The idea was formed early this year and was derived from early discussions between SBF, IBM and ITE. Frost and Sullivan was invited to participate in the design of the Green IT Index metrics.

Taxman Among First Green Award Winners

By Dickson Li (Straits Times)

CITY Developments Limited (CDL), the taxman and the Land Transport Authority (LTA) were among those crowned winners at the inaugural Singapore Sustainability Awards 2010 yesterday.

The awards are aimed at promoting sustainable green practices such as recycling and energy efficiency.

‘With these awards, we hope to promote sustainability excellence among Singapore organisations so that more will be inspired to adopt similar practices,’ said Singapore Business Federation (SBF) chief executive Teng Theng Dar.

There are two categories of awards, for which 36 businesses were considered – the Outstanding Sustainability Awards (OSA) and Green IT (GIT) Awards.

The OSA is co-presented by the SBF and trade fair organiser Local Global Exhibition & Trade, with KPMG as the knowledge partner. It recognises Singapore firms for sustainable business practices and green solutions.

The GIT Awards are organised by the SBF, IBM and the Institute of Technical Education, with Frost & Sullivan as the knowledge partner. The awards recognise businesses with sustainable IT practices and solutions.

Senoko Power and CDL won the OSA in the enterprise green adopter category, while Samwoh and Tetra Pak Jurong were the winners of the OSA in the enterprise green technology/service enabler category.

Civil engineering and building material company Samwoh is at the forefront of building- recycling technology, recycling waste from building demolitions.

‘Making concrete using recycled aggregate may cost more but we’re talking about long- term sustainability,’ said Samwoh managing director Elvin Koh.

Another recipient, CDL, uses similar recycled ‘green concrete’ in its developments – Tampines Concourse, for instance. The building also has a natural day-lighting system and an air cooling system which uses water instead of ozone-depleting chemical refrigerants.

The LTA and the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore received GIT Awards, as did home-grown Trusted Hub, which won in the small and medium-sized enterprise category.

The SBF will aid winners in exploring sustainable business openings overseas.

‘We are targeting the Asean markets,’ said Mr Teng, adding that it was also working with IE Singapore with an eye on business opportunities in eco-cities such as Hangzhou and Tianjin.

‘The award itself is competency branding,’ he said. ‘ Some winners may be known in a certain sector but may not be well known in the overseas market and this will become their credentials.’

Singapore Sustainability Awards 2010

Singapore Sustainability Awards 2010
Gala Dinner & Awards Presentation

Energy Efficiency National Partnership (EENP)

News Release :

National Environment Agency Launches A New Voluntary Partnership Programme To Promote Energy Efficiency In Industry

Singapore, 30 October 2009 – In its drive towards an Energy Efficient Singapore, the National Environment Agency (NEA) will be introducing a new industry-focused Energy Efficiency National Partnership (EENP) programme. EENP is a voluntary programme that seeks to help companies improve their energy efficiency by encouraging them to put in place energy efficiency programmes at the organisational level to reduce energy wastage and improve energy efficiency. This in turn will enhance their long-term business competitiveness and reduce their carbon footprint.

In Singapore, the industry sector accounts for almost 60% of total energy consumption with the more energy intensive sub-sector like the petroleum refining, petrochemical, electronics and pharmaceutical industries. This sector has substantial scope for adopting cost-effective energy efficiency solutions, which can contribute to maintaining the overall economic competitiveness.

Launched by Prime Minister, Mr. Lee Hsien Loong at the Clean and Green Singapore 2010 on 30 October 2009, the EENP seeks to foster a culture of sustained energy efficiency improvement in industries and encourage continuous investments in energy efficiency over the long term.

It will augment NEA’s current basket of energy efficiency-related schemes for industries amounting to $40.5 million such as the Energy Efficiency Improvement Assistance Scheme (EASe), Grant for Energy Efficient Technologies (GREET), Design-for-Efficiency (DfE) Scheme and the Singapore Certified Energy Manager (SCEM) training grant.

Details of Energy Efficiency National Partnership Programme

Under the EENP, companies will be encouraged to closely work with NEA to form project teams on energy management within their organisations to undertake and implement energy efficiency improvement projects. A framework will also be provided by NEA to train the energy management teams to raise their knowledge, capability and competency in energy efficiency.

NEA will also provide a platform for sharing energy efficiency best practices and according recognition to companies and corporate energy management teams for their efforts in improving energy efficiency.

The three main components of EENP programme are:

a) EENP learning network
The learning network allows companies to learn and share energy efficiency ideas, strategies, technologies, best practices, standards and case studies. This will be achieved through activities such as senior management forums, conferences, technical workshops, energy efficiency benchmarking studies and learning journeys.

b) EENP recognition scheme
An awards ceremony will be held annually by NEA to accord recognition to (1) companies that have introduced excellent energy management practices and demonstrated tangible results, and (2) employees and corporate teams that have implemented good energy efficiency projects.

c) High-Level Committee on EE Partnerships
NEA will form a high-level 3P Steering Committee chaired by SPS Amy Khor, comprising industry reps, experts and policy makers to spearhead the EE partnership and EE awards. The committee will be assisted by a resource panel comprising experts in various fields of EE. (More details will be provided at a later date.)

‘Companies know their own operations best. NEA wants to work with companies to promote greater awareness of energy efficiency and adoption of energy efficiency practices through better sharing of best practices within and across industry sectors. With this programme, we hope to help industry reduce their energy consumption, achieve better savings and improve their competitiveness, thus demonstrating the value of sustainable development,” said Mr Andrew Tan, Chief Executive Officer, National Environment Agency.

Additional Info

Singapore has committed to achieve a 35% reduction in energy intensity (consumption per dollar GDP) in 2030 from 2005 levels under the Sustainable Development Blueprint.

In order to achieve these targets, the government is implementing long-term measures to improve energy efficiency and cut energy waste. For the household sector, NEA has implemented mandatory energy labelling for major energy consuming home appliances and is studying the introduction of minimum energy efficiency requirements for air-conditioners and refrigerators in order to minimise the life-cycle costs of ownership. In the building sector, the BCA has introduced minimum energy performance requirements for new and retrofitted buildings under the Green Mark Scheme and is considering measures to make the existing building stock more energy efficient. LTA is focusing on energy efficient public transport as the preferred mode of travel and is investing in rail and bus infrastructure to shift the passenger transport mode from private cars to public transport.

In order to foster continuous investments in energy efficiency over the long term, NEA maintains a close working relationship with industry. As the industry sector is diverse, NEA must reach out and understand each company’s unique attributes as these have a strong influence on how it considers and makes its investment decisions.

The EENP would help in NEA’s efforts to engage companies at all levels from senior management to the rank and file. The idea of setting up such a partnership was mooted by the Industry Subcommittee of the National Climate Change Committee chaired by SPS/MEWR with the intent of encouraging more energy efficiency projects in industry.

For more information, please contact

Call Centre: 1800-CALL NEA (1800-2255 632)
Email: Contact_NEA@nea.gov.sg

Pros and Cons Of Residential Solar Energy System

Harnessing the power of the sun’s ray to create energy to power our house is very appealing. But the question is, “Is everything about solar energy good?”

Looking at the current price of fossil fuel-based electricity, it is quite impractical to convert into solar energy system. However, with the growing concern on the state of the earth, there is really a need to find other means of energy aside from what power plants are using right now. Where do you place yourself?

Whether you are an advocate of clean energy or simply care about where your finances go, looking at the pros and cons of residential solar energy system will help you decide on whether to convert or not.

Pros

Solar energy is free. Did you know that the earth absorbs 174 pettawatts of solar radiation? This means that we have more than enough source of free energy to power every house in the world. Unfortunately, most of our energy is still drawn from oil, gas and coal. But in recent years, there is a steady increase of demand for alternative and renewable energy like solar power. It is estimated that the demand for alternative sources of energy will increase by 53% between 1999 and 2020.

Solar energy is clean, renewable and sustainable. Because the energy created from the sun’s rays does not produce byproducts like those from fossil fuel power plants (sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, mercury or carbon dioxide), it does not contribute to pollution. Accordingly, the increase in the use of solar energy and other alternative forms of energy will decrease the demand for greenhouse gases-producing power plants.

The price of photovoltaic cells is steadily decreasing. The demand for solar panels has risen by 57% in the United States in 2007 and is steadily increasing on a monthly basis. The increase in demand results to the improvement of solar technology as a whole. The prices of photovoltaic cells have declined on the average of 4% every year over the past 15 years.

Solar panels can be installed on most rooftops, eliminating the problem of finding a suitable place for installation. Solar panels require little or no maintenance. The original photovoltaic cells technology is used for most satellites orbiting our earth today which are not maintained at all. Many solar panel manufacturers give 25 to 40 years warranty on their products.

Because most areas of the country receive a substantial amount of sunlight throughout the year, solar panels can be installed anywhere.

Many states in the country give tax credits and rebates to households who want to install solar energy system. Check with your state government the cost of these incentives.

Cons

While the prices of PV cells are in constant decline, the cost of installation is substantially high compared to the current electric cost. But the good thing is, after your initial cash out, you don’t have to pay every month on electric bills for the rest of your life.

On areas cities and areas with heavy pollution problem, solar energy may not work as fine. Weather can also affect the efficiency of solar energy. If it is raining, overcast weather or if there is a hurricane, the solar panels’ efficiency is decreased.

You are only producing energy during day time.

These are general pros and cons you might encounter when considering the conversion to solar energy system. It would be best if your decision is based on location, cost, budget, rebates, tax credits and practicality.

Is Biomass A Green Energy Source?

Is biomass a green energy source? According to experts, yes it is. In fact, it is one of the three main areas of bioenergy.

But what is bioenergy? Well, it is a process by which organic material such as animal waste, plants and wood are used to generate electricity, produce heat and also aid in the production of biofuels.

In the case of biomass, hot air or water is generated to produce electricity. This is done through direct combustion and is considered the simplest and most common method of generating energy from biomass.

Aside from generating electricity, biomass can be used for hot air production so you can keep a place warm. For this to work, biomass has to be combusted in a furnace where it heats either water or air. Speaking of water, this enables you to have warm water so you can take a shower. In short, biomass in itself can also be used in a small scale as a heating system.

Since you can generate electricity and heat, some people have been able to combine the two which is known as combined heat and power or CHP. Something that many consider to be good as you use one energy source for two purposes.

If you are able to compare the amount of electricity generated between biomass and let’s say solar energy, you will notice that biomass produces more because the energy in plants is already captured and stored.

You don’t have to collect it first which is what happens with solar or even wind energy since this is manufactured technology. It is readily available unlike the other two which is totally dependent on the weather.

Another is the fact that you can even use organic waste to product electricity. No other green energy source can do that and by using this extensively, any government can save money because you don’t have to spend money to dispose of the waste and you will no longer depend on foreign oil that much to power your plants.

The downside to biomass is that because you have to burn waste and other organic materials to product power, you add to the pollution which is already in the atmosphere. But this can be offset of course by planting more crops which we know helps reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

You will also have to shell out a lot of money initially for the costs of labor, the transport of these fuels and how these should be stored.

Biomass uses renewable natural resources which is why it is considered a green energy source. This means that we have an endless supply of it around just like the power of the sun or the wind which flows from the ocean. The challenge is to find suitable land that has a sufficient water supply so these will be able to grow.

This means that in areas where water is not that abundant, you cannot rely on biomass technology to generate power. When that happens, you use other means and one good example given the right geographical location is wave energy which is the process of generating power from the water.

There is a way to generate power without causing harm to the environment. We have the technology and the green energy sources. We just need to muster the willingness to make it happen.

Solar Energy Is A Form Of Green Energy Source

Solar energy is a green energy source because it is a renewable and it does not cause any harm to the environment. This is achieved by converting the sun’s rays into electricity with the help of solar cells.

There are three basic approaches how we can use this form of green energy source namely passive, active and by using photovoltaic cells.

When we refer to passive solar energy, nothing is converted. What happens is the building’s design helps avoid heat loss and gets the most out of day lighting.

Such a technique can also be used in homes because studies have shown that this can reduce the heating requirements by as much as 80% with minimal cost. This means you don’t have to turn on the air condition or heater that often and if everyone does that, we don’t consume that much electricity which we get from non-renewable resources.

The second approach which is active solar energy is the first way of converting sunlight into heat. You should know that there are certain limits to this one and all it can do is make sure you have hot water.

The third approach is the big scale version and it can power an office or an entire home. This is done with the help of solar cells that convert sunlight into electricity. The smallest ones around can be seen in calculators and watches with large ones planted over huge acres of land.

The only limitation to this green energy source is the fact that it can only generate power when the weather is good and the sun is out. Should it rain, then nothing is collected and converted. When this happens, the auxiliary system is turned on until the weather improves.

Despite that, scientists and students themselves have made solar powered cars. NASA or the National Aeronautical Space Administration has sent satellites into space that are powered by solar panels. A fully functional airport can function on its own thanks to solar power even if it is situated in the middle of the frozen desert.

So people can see the awesome power of solar energy, did you know a kilowatt of solar energy can produce 5.5 hours of electricity per day. If you have more solar cells in place, naturally you will be able to produce enough power to last several days.

Solar energy is just one form of green energy source around. Through the years, we have learned to tap other resources and these examples include wind power, geothermal energy, hydroelectricity and biogas. These are all safe and by using these more often, we don’t need to depend on oil which is a nonrenewable resource.

To make this happen, we have to persuade our law makers to promote the use of such resources. Although you hear speeches left and right about their concern for the environment, it is all talk and not that much action. It is something that has to change.

Two countries that have increased solar usage happen to be Germany and Japan. Spain, France, Italy and South Korea are next in the list and where is the United States? Well, one thing is for certain and that it is not in the top 10 despite the fact that it is an industrialized nation.

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