Go Green SG 2024 Launched in Support of the Year of Public Hygiene

Go Green SG returns from 12 June to 14 July 2024 in support of the Year of Public Hygiene, following positive response to last year’s inaugural edition. This year’s Go Green SG continues to nurture cross-collaborations between partners from the People, Private and Public (3P) sectors who have curated new activities to encourage the public to go green and do their part for public hygiene. Some 180 partners from across the 3P sectors are organising more than 360 activities in support of Go Green SG 2024, including specially curated and behind-the-scenes activities not usually open to members of the public.

Singapore, 12 June 2024 – Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat launched Go Green SG 2024 at the Republic Polytechnic today. Organised by the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment (MSE), Go Green SG1 is a whole-of-nation movement to rally citizens, organisations and the community to take collective action towards a more environmentally sustainable and climate-resilient Singapore. The launch event was attended by Senior Minister of State Dr Amy Khor; Senior Parliamentary Secretary Mr Baey Yam Keng; alongside 3P sector partners from Government agencies, corporates, schools and institutes of higher learning, non-governmental organisations, and community groups.

Go Green SG Returns with a Focus on Public Hygiene

2 With 2024 designated as the Year of Public Hygiene, this year’s Go Green SG will feature new activities from MSE and its 3P sector partners to encourage participants to collectively upkeep good public hygiene standards to ensure a cleaner and greener Singapore.

3 These include a tour to the National Centre for Food Science where participants will observe how the Singapore Food Agency (SFA)’s team of scientists maintain vigilance against food safety challenges to ensure safe food, the National Environment Agency (NEA)’s behind-the-scenes activities which show why proper refuse management practices are critical for effective control of disease vectors such as rats, and visits to an air quality monitoring station at Yishun Neighbourhood Park, to learn how NEA monitors air quality in various parts of Singapore. The public can also participate in removing forest debris at Pulau Ubin, and join in a mangrove clean-up at Sungei Pang Sua with Nature Society Singapore.

4 In conjunction with Go Green SG 2024, NEA will also roll out its “Clean & Green Singapore (CGS) Experiences” programme from June this year. Now into its fourth year, CGS Experiences is a key component of NEA’s annual Clean & Green Singapore campaign, and offers learning journeys to sites of environmental interest where the public can learn more about ongoing sustainability efforts by various stakeholders. In the Year of Public Hygiene, CGS Experiences will offer new activities centered around public cleanliness. These activities will showcase important behind-the-scenes work that goes into keeping Singapore clean, including littering enforcement and cleaning of our shared public spaces, as well as reinforce the need for collective action. In addition, this year’s CGS Experiences offers hands-on activities to keep Singapore clean, including kayak litter-picking sessions co-organised with watersports partners.

5 Several schools are galvanising our youths to take collective action towards good public hygiene through hands-on activities and collaboration with their communities. For example, St. Andrew’s Secondary School is partnering the Potong Pasir Community Club in litter-picking activities in the Potong Pasir area. Other schools including Fengshan Primary School, Valour Primary School, APSN Chaoyang School, and some preschools are organising similar activities in support of Go Green SG and the Year of Public Hygiene.

Cross-Collaborations between 3P Sector Partners

6 Several of MSE’s 3P sector partners have also joined hands and collaborated to curate new activities for Go Green SG this year. To support the Year of Public Hygiene, Stridy, a non-profit organisation, and Vintagewknd, a vintage and reworked clothing brand, are collaborating to co-organise Trashion Week where participants will clean up various locations across Singapore while dressed in upcycled clothing.

7 Other 3P collaborations include an immersive escape room trail focused on sustainability created by CHIJ St. Joseph’s Convent, Hidden.SG (developer of self-guided tours and immersive games) and Changi Airport Group, and a ‘Getting to Zero’ Card Game workshop co-organised by Climate Action SG Alliance (an Alliance to rally businesses and the public on climate action) and the National Institute of Education’s Sustainability Learning Lab where participants learn about Singapore’s energy options in a fun and self-directed manner.

8 The National University of Singapore and Global Compact Network Singapore are collaborating to offer a thought leadership discussion to its stakeholders on what corporates are doing on climate change, and developing a programme aimed at helping business leaders understand the dynamics of climate change and sustainable finance-related topics in Asia. National Parks Board (NParks) and Friends of Bukit Timah Forest (a community-led initiative) are co-organising activities for the public to support NParks in the removal of invasive species. Participants can learn about trail etiquette, various invasive plant species, and how to effectively remove weeds.

Go Green SG 2024 Launch Event at Republic Polytechnic

9 Republic Polytechnic played host to the launch of Go Green SG 2024. It is currently the largest organisation in Singapore, by Gross Floor Area (GFA), to receive the Green Mark Platinum Super Low Energy (SLE) Award for its campus. This award recognises Republic Polytechnic’s commitment to adopt efficient energy management strategies and use of eco-friendly building materials.

10 MSE’s 3P sector partners put up booths at the Go Green SG launch event showcasing their projects and initiatives, including those leveraging technology and innovation, to address sustainability and public hygiene-related issues. One example was the booth by the Inter-University Environmental Coalition (IUEC) where participants learnt about IUEC’s efforts to rally fellow youths by bringing together various green groups across our local universities for better coordination and alignment of sustainability initiatives. At the Public Hygiene Council (PHC)’s booth, participants learnt about the importance of collective action for a cleaner Singapore through PHC’s table-top and online games.

11 Republic Polytechnic showcased its student projects with the community and collaborations with industry partners on environmental sustainability. For example, Republic Polytechnic worked with local company EnGro Corporation Limited, to develop a scalable and sustainable process to transform incineration bottom ash into green aggregates for construction use. This will help to close the waste loop and extend the lifespan of Semakau Landfill. SG Eco Fund recipients, Witteveen+Bos and Jalan Journey, also showcased their initiatives. Witteveen+Bos, an engineering and consultancy firm, engaged participants on its Living Seawalls project that recycles oyster shells to create a living seawall for coastal defence and biodiversity enhancement, while social enterprise Jalan Journey shared its virtual Environment and Sustainability World that adopts gamification to teach students about environmental issues.

12 The launch event also saw the debut of a Go Green SG short film commissioned by MSE in support of the Year of Public Hygiene. Through a thought-provoking storyline and relatable characters, the five-minute short film aims to drive home the impact each individual action has on our shared environment and public spaces, and the need for everyone to upkeep good public hygiene practices to maintain a clean and green Singapore. The short film is available for streaming on MSE’s social media platforms. Viewing link: https://youtu.be/vTWxqhsuQaQ.

About Go Green SG 2024

13 Go Green SG 2024 features more than 360 activities organised by some 180 partners from across the 3P sectors. The public was invited to view early this year’s Go Green SG activities from 31 May 2024, with online registration commencing on 5 June 2024 (World Environment Day). The list of Go Green SG 2024 activities can be found at www.gogreen.gov.sg. Activities are being progressively updated on the website.