Go Green SG: How our built environment can play its part
Go Green SG: How our built environment can play its part
In 1967, our founding PM Mr Lee Kuan Yew introduced the “garden city” vision to transform Singapore into a city with abundant lush greenery and a clean environment.1 Initiatives such as tree-planting and park development programmes were rolled out, and over time, Singapore became one of the cleanest and greenest cities in the world.
However, human activities such as burning of fossil fuels for energy and industrial production have increased the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, resulting in global warming and climate change.2
For Singapore, a small island nation 1º north of the equator, the effect is palpable and the threat existential. Last May, Singapore recorded the highest temperature in 40 years, a high 37ºC.3 As the global ice caps and glaciers melt, our mean sea levels may rise by up to 1.15m by 2100, threatening our coastal environment and submerging our low-lying areas.4
It is vital to keep up the green momentum. That is why last year, the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment (MSE) launched Go Green SG – our nationwide sustainability movement to rally everyone to work towards a greener and more sustainable future.
The inaugural Go Green SG saw more than 70,000 individuals take part in over 300 activities, from floating solar farm tours, to intertidal walks and upcycling workshops. Many were inspired to go a little cleaner and greener.
This year’s edition aims to build on that success, offering a diverse slate of sustainability-related activities, programmes and experiences – all ground-up initiatives by partners from the 3P (People, Private and Public) sectors.
How can business owners and building stakeholders play their part? The opportunities are tremendous, for the built environment has an important role in Singapore’s overall net-zero strategy.
Buildings account for over 20% of our carbon emissions, and consume more than a third of our nation’s electricity5. According to the Building and Construction Authority (BCA), a typical office expends 60% of its energy on cooling.6
To mitigate this, Singapore launched the Green Building Masterplan in 2021, aiming to deliver three key targets by 2030: to green 80% of our buildings, have 80% of new developments to be Super Low Energy (SLE) Buildings, and achieve 80% improvement in energy efficiency for best-in-class green buildings.
At SP Digital, we share the nation’s vision and ambition. Our suite of solutions, called Green Energy Tech (GETTM), is designed to help your organisation make the green leap. These solutions integrate different building systems and diverse data sources to create a seamless, sustainable utilities management experience for our customers. Tapping on Internet of Things (IoT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI), GET enables building owners and facility managers to leverage smart insights to achieve energy savings, enhance occupant comfort and advance sustainability efforts.
GETTM Insights provides an integrated view of utilities consumption within a building, premises or across your portfolio. Easily manage, monitor, report, analyse and optimise utilities consumption, and identify wastage and cost efficiencies to achieve sustainability targets.
GETTM TenantCare is our smart and automated tenant submetering system which helps landlords and property owners efficiently manage tenant utilities consumption.
GETTM Control is our innovative microclimate control system, which helps to optimise air-conditioning and energy efficiency, based on occupancy and ambient weather conditions. Use GET Control to potentially save up to 30% on cooling energy and 18% on carbon emissions.
The beauty of our GET solutions is that they connect to any BMS (Building Management System) without major retrofitting of buildings, aiding the move towards green buildings.
SP Digital also supports Singapore’s vision for EV adoption with GETTM Mobility, an EV charging network management system that enables Charge Point Operators to onboard and configure EV charging station networks.
Initiatives like Go Green SG will heighten everyone’s awareness of the challenges Singapore faces, and the need to build a more sustainable future.
We can enjoy the fruits of our greening efforts, but we cannot afford to rest on our laurels. That is why individuals, communities and businesses need to follow through with long-term solutions.
Contact SP Digital and discover how GET solutions can help advance your green goals for the built environment alongside those of Singapore’s.
Footnotes
160 years of greening Singapore, nparks.gov.sg
2Singapore's Efforts in Addressing Climate Change, nea.gov.sg
3Temperature soars to 37°C in Singapore, equals record for daily high set in 1983, CNA, May 2023
4Protecting our Coastlines, Safeguarding our Future, pub.gov.sg
5Singapore Green Building Council and Building and Construction Authority Leadership in Sustainability Awards 2022, mse.gov.sg
6Super Low Energy Building Technology Roadmap, www1.bca.gov.sg