NEA Adopt-a-school Scheme
For the third year running, CDL participated in NEA’s Corporate and School Partnership Programme (formerly known as Adopt-A-School Scheme). Besides Catholic High School (Primary), which CDL had “adopted” in 2005, it also took under its wing Catholic High School (Secondary) and CHIJ St. Nicholas Girls’ School (Primary and Secondary). The schools’ environmental projects were showcased to over 13,000 visitors at the Clean and Green Singapore Schools Carnival 2007.
Clean and Green Singapore (CGS)
As part of its environmental outreach commitment, CDL supported the National Environment Agency (NEA)’s CGS campaign in November 2007 with three key events. Together with SEC, CDL presented the “Green Living Exhibition”, a mobile home-living exhibition display which promotes green practices at home at the CGS Opening Ceremony held at Bishan Park. The event attracted more than 20,000 visitors. To drive the green message home, a Green Living Guide Pamphlet and an attractive fridge magnet with water-saving tips were given out to visitors.
Together with other corporate sponsors, CDL joined in the CGS Corporate Environmental Outreach Run 2007 at Semakau Landfill as a platinum sponsor. CDL employees planted the Sea Hibiscus Triple Color to commemorate the event. Funds raised at the event were channeled to six local environment-related Non-Governmental Organisations.
1°C Up
CDL initiated the pilot programme “1°C Up” in five commercial buildings in October 2007 including Republic Plaza, City House, Fuji Xerox Towers, Plaza by the Park and Central Mall (offices). Through this innovative programme, CDL hopes to encourage its tenants to make an active contribution towards the green cause by agreeing to raise the air-conditioning temperature in their office by 1°C and yet not compromising on their comfort levels.
With the enthusiastic support of its tenants, a participation rate of over 90% was achieved. Given the positive response, the programme was extended to another six buildings in December. While the monetary savings may not be substantial, an independent consultant estimates that with good participation, the carbon emissions from these 11 buildings can be reduced by about 1.5 million kg per year, which is equivalent to 6,000 trees required to absorb the same amount of carbon emitted into the environment each year.
"Converting your Office into a Green Office" 2007 Project Eco Office Seminar
Project Eco-Office, an outreach initiative founded by CDL and Singapore Environment Council (SEC) in 2002 received heightened interest amongst the business community. The 2007 Seminar saw an enthusiastic turnout of over 150 top management executives. The list of Green Office Label Recipients has also grown steadily and 17 new offices were certified green in 2007, in addition to another three re-certified offices including CDL.
CDL Nature Series Calendar 2007
CDL’s Nature Series Calendar hits its 10th year. The Eco-Journal for 2007 features the photographs of CDL’s Managing Director, Mr Kwek Leng Joo, and reflects how we can all contribute to preserving and protecting our beautiful world, from the perspective of tiny insects.
(Please click for past year activities)
:: 2006
NEA Adopt-a-School Scheme
CDL renewed its adoption of Catholic High School (Primary) under the Adopt-a-School Scheme initiated by the National Environment Agency (NEA) for the second year running. This scheme provides schools and companies with a platform to work together on projects that promote sustainability.
This year, a team of 11 Primary Five students submitted the project Magic Cleaners, demonstrating how effectively water hyacinths were able to filter dirty pond water into clear water. For its project, the School was awarded the third prize at NEA’s School Carnival Competition (Primary School category).
The Secret Garden photo exhibition
In support of the inaugural Singapore Garden Festival, CDL’s Managing Director, Mr Kwek Leng Joo, showcased a collection of his nature photo works. In addition, 12 of his works were auctioned, raising $80,000 for the Garden City Fund, which will finance programmes that are essential for the conservation and enhancement of the natural greenery in Singapore.
CDL Nature Series Calendar 2006
Capturing the splendour of the sky, the 2006 Calendar reminds us of nature’s inspirational beauty through captivating images of the glorious sky, taken by CDL’s Managing Director, Mr Kwek Leng Joo.
:: 2005
NEA Adopt-a-School Scheme CDL adopted Catholic High School (Primary) under the Adopt-a-School Scheme initiated by the National Environment Agency (NEA). This scheme provides schools and companies with a platform to work together on projects that promote sustainability.
By sponsoring the installation of solar-powered underwater lights in the school’s eco-garden pond, Catholic High School’s primary five and six students were able to track the amount of solar energy used and compare it with conventional energy sources. This made their lessons more experiential as they discovered the environmental benefits and costs savings. The students showcased their findings at NEA’s two-day Schools Carnival as part of Clean & Green Week in November 2005.
"A Great Idea Is A Green Idea" Eco Office Seminar 2005
CDL and the Singapore Environment Council (SEC) organised the "A Great Idea Is A Green Idea" Eco Office Seminar on 24 November 2005 at Orchard Hotel to share the benefits of a green office to tenants, business associates and CDL staff. CDL is also one of the first four organisations in Singapore to receive the Green Office Certification (2005 - 2007) awarded by SEC in recognition of its commitment to environmental protection at the workplace. As a pioneer award recipient, CDL hopes to lead by example and encourage its tenants as well as other companies to go green at their workplace.
Project Eco Office 2005 The on-going Recycling Programme for CDL Commercial Buildings has been expanded to include Grand Copthone Waterfront Hotel, and residential developments like Changi Rise Condo and Nuovo EC this year.
Let's Live Green! 2005
An Open House event was held at Savannah CondoPark in July and a Green Living Exhibition was set-up to educate and inform homebuyers on how to practise green habits within their homes. Homebuyers were also given an Eco-Kit containing a Green Living Guide with eco-friendly tips and healthy recipes as well as a special Magic Bean Can to reinforce the message of going green at home.
CDL Nature Series Calendar 2005
Promoting the China Exploration & Research Society’s mission of preserving hidden cultures, the 2005 calendar features the rich heritage and natural splendours of China.
:: 2004
China Exploration & Research Society (CERS) Fundraising Dinner and Exhibition
CDL and CERS are co-organised a fundraising dinner and exhibition on 19 November 2004 at the Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel in support of CERS. The Guest of Honour for the event was Mr Mah Bow Tan, Minister for National Development. More than 400 guests from the business community gathered at this sold-out fundraising dinner to raise funds for CERS’ nature and cultural conservation projects.
Guests at the event were treated to a video of CERS founder and former National Geographic photo journalist, Wong How Man’s expeditions, as well as an exhibition of exceptional photographs taken during his travels, portraying a rich and diverse natural and cultural landscape within China.
CERS, founded in 1974, is a pre-eminent non-profit organisation involved in exploration, research, conservation and education in remote regions of China. Selected as one of 25 Asian Heroes by Time Magazine in 2002, Wong How Man was also named “China’s most accomplished living explorer”. His works are regularly featured on Discovery Channel, CNN, CNBC and other international media.
Project Eco Office 2004
About 90% of waste is incinerated while the remaining ends up in landfills. With over four million tons of waste generated in 2003 and just 682.7 sq km of land, waste minimisation and recycling have become increasingly important in land-scarce Singapore. The Recycling Programme for CDL Commercial Buildings was launched in February 2004 to reinforce the habit of recycling and do our part for the environment. This initiative is part of the Project Eco Office outreach programme.
To date, 15 CDL commercial buildings including Central Mall, Chinatown Point, City House, Commerce Point, Fuji Xerox Towers, King's Centre, New Tech Park, No. 1 Shenton Way, Palais Renaissance, Pantech 21, Plaza By The Park, Republic Plaza, Sunshine Plaza, The Corporate Building and The Corporate Office are participating in a regular recycling programme with SembEnviro Tay Paper, CDL's appointed recycling company.
:: 2003
Project Eco Office 2003
Project Eco Office 2003 is a continuation of 2002's inaugural Project Eco Office outreach programme. Held during Clean & Green Week, the roadshow on 6 and 7 November 2003 at Raffles Place Park saw visitors taking part in fun quizzes and stage games to win attractive prizes. They were also able to check out the newly launched Eco Office website and the Eco Office Rating System, which enables companies to perform a self-audit to qualify for a Green Office Label.
For more information on the Eco Office Rating System and the Green Office Label, visit www.ecooffice.com.sg.
In conjunction with the Project Eco Office 2003 roadshow, a 2-week long Recycling Drive was held between 6 and 21 November in 37 commercial buildings including those of CDL, Hong Leong, CapitaLand Commercial, Shaw Organisation and Suntec City Management.
To further drive home the importance of reducing non-recyclable waste, a 5m tall sculpture made of disposable plastic and styrofoam food containers, nicknamed Mr Foamy, was erected at Raffles Place Park. It represented the huge amount of non-recyclable waste generated by takeaway packaging, and aims to encourage the public to switch to reusable containers.
To encourage participation in the recycling drive, roadshow visitors were given exclusive gifts, including a Project Eco Office 3-year calendar cum playing cards, for every 1kg bag of recyclable materials they contributed. If you are interested in starting your ECO-Office - contact the SEC at 63376062 or email: secnet@singnet.com.sg.
In support of this activity, CDL held a 2-day recycling drive on 25 and 26 September at Republic Plaza, City House, Plaza by the Park, Palais Renaissance, IBM Towers, Chinatown Point, Central Mall and New Tech Park to encourage tenants to contribute their recyclable wastes.
Clean Up the World 2003
Clean Up the World 2003 is a global activity initiated 10 years ago in Australia, and is recognised by the United Nations Environment Programme. Its aim is to remind everyone about the importance of proper waste management, as well as the need for waste minimisation. As a major developer, CDL is pleased to encourage pro-environment programmes.
CDL Nature Series Calendar 2003 Capturing the brilliance of Nature, the 2003 calendar highlights the need to conserve our environment for future generations.
:: 2002
Project Eco-Office 2002 Close to 500 CDL tenants were involved in this meaningful project initiated by CDL & the Singapore Environment Council to change the way we work, think & manage precious natural resources within our offices.
Launched on 5 June 2002 (World Environment Day) at Republic Plaza, this pilot project involved 9 CDL buildings and 500 companies: Republic Plaza, City House, Hong Leong Building, Plaza by the Park, Palais Renaissance, IBM Towers, Chinatown Point, Central Mall & New Tech Park.
Each tenant received an ECO-Office Kit, equipped with posters, stickers, and resource booklets offering information & tips on how to adopt eco-friendly habits in the workplace.
Clean Up the World 2002 To mark Clean Up the World 2002, recycling cages were placed at various CDL commercial buildings from 21 - 28 August 2002 to encourage tenants to spring clean their offices and get into the spirit of recycling, reducing and reusing resources.
CDL Nature Series Calendar 2002 The 2002 calendar portrays Nature’s incredible beauty and Man’s relationship with the Earth through the water lily.
:: 2001
Environmental Photography Competition For two years in 2001 and 2002, CDL was the main event sponsor for an international environmental photography competition that endeavoured to create greater awareness of environmental issues. Organised by the World Environment (WE) Magazine and the Singapore Environment Council, the 2002 competition titled "Ecotourism in Asia" attracted a record number of entries.
The award presentation ceremony and exhibition of winning entries was held during the Singapore Clean and Green Week in Nov 2002. A total of $13,000 worth of prizes was awarded.
Save the Earth & Help the Elderly CDL tenants and staff were encouraged to participate in a one-day recycling exercise, scheduled on Friday, 9 Nov 2001.
CDL Nature Series Calendar 2001 The 2001 calendar shares the beauty of graceful dragonflies - fascinating ambassadors of Nature.
:: 2000
Singapore Green Map CDL is the main sponsor of the Singapore Green Map, the first green map to be launched in South Asia. The Green Map was officially launched on 4 June 2000 at Bukit Timah Nature Reserve. Initiated by Singapore Environment Council (SEC), this project aims to promote Singapore as a country rich in ecological attributes as well as an environmentally sensitive city. Mr Kwek Leng Joo, CDL's Managing Director, expressed, "We believe that the Singapore Green Map is a meaningful project as it offers nature lovers, environmentally-conscious people and tourists a useful guide on Singapore's green sites, so that they can visit these nature parks and reserves to appreciate the beauty of nature." CDL will distribute the maps to guests and customers of its hotels and shopping centres to promote greater awareness and usage of the Singapore Green Map.
Shop & Conserve
The CDL Shop & Conserve campaign, launched as part of the Ministry of the Environment's Clean & Green Week, aimed to encourage shoppers to minimise the use of plastic bags. The campaign was launched in November last year, and lasted through the festive season to February 2000. 10,000 bags made of natural cotton were produced and distributed to shoppers to help them inculcate the good habit of using recyclable shopping bags. CDL also organised many activities at its office buildings and shopping complexes to enhance the awareness of the potential damage to the environment caused by the increased use of plastic. These activities have attracted thousands of shoppers to collect the eco-friendly shopping bags and have received much media support and coverage.
CDL Nature Series Calendar 2000
The 2000 calendar aims to increase the awareness of protecting endangered creatures in the region.
:: 1998 & 1999
China Exploration & Research Society (CERS) Over the years, CDL has been increasingly supporting projects in aid of conservation both locally and abroad. Apart from giving financial support to fund programmes by CERS, whose mission is to explore remote regions of China, conduct multi-disciplinary research as well as implement nature and culture conservation projects, we have also helped to generate awareness for CERS's meaningful work.
Based in Hong Kong, CERS is a non-profit organisation that relies on financial support from corporations and the public. In Singapore, the level of awareness was low and CDL was the first Singapore organisation to initiate measures to help generate awareness for CERS in Singapore as early as 1998. In our 1998 and 1999 corporate calendars, we featured the Society's efforts in exploring and conserving the natural and cultural heritage in China. We hope to attract the attention of local corporations and help facilitate the fund-raising activities planned by the society. CERS's exciting works have been covered by international broadcast services such as BBC and CNN.
CDL Nature Series Calendar 1999 & 1998 Supporting the mission of the China Exploration & Research Society (CERS) to explore and conserve the natural heritage of China, the 1998 and 1999 calendars feature the diverse people, culture and places of the second largest country on earth.
