In a joint effort to promote environmental sustainability, Singapore’s first Sustainability Academy was launched on June 5, in celebration of World Environment Day by nonprofit organization Sustainable Energy Association of Singapore (SEAS) together with local property developer City Developments Limited (CDL).
The Singapore Sustainability Academy (SSA) is the first major "people, public and private" initiative that aim to support low-carbon economy, resource efficiency, and sustainable practices among businesses, academic institutions and the community, particularly in the youth demographic.
"We will expand our green procurement policy to cover more products and adopt green practices for public sector events. Such efforts will help the government reap cost savings, and build up capabilities in urban sustainability.” Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean said during the academy’s launch.
In-line with the mission to go green, the SSA building itself conforms to the environmental standards that Singapore adapts. The building’s walls, ceilings and floors are made from highly sustainable timber materials certified by Nature’s Barcode System, a compliance and verification system that tracks the origin and legality of timber products in its supply chain.
The building also boasts solar energy production via 3,200 square feet of photovoltaic panels installed on its rooftop, smart sensors that monitor and maintains energy consumption at optimal levels as well as adaptive glass panels that adjust lighting and air-conditioning depending on the weather condition. CDL states that the building construction, which is a first of its kind in the country, will boost human productivity by up to 30 per cent.
United Nations Environment Program executive director Erik Solheim spoke about the first sustainability academy saying “I hope the Academy will inspire more cooperation with the private sector and more engagement with citizens. Our goals for a healthy planet are demanding. But working together like this, I am absolutely confident we will achieve them.”
