City Developments’ (CDL) deputy chairman, Kwek Leng Joo, has said the property developer reaped a total savings in energy consumption of US$16 million (S$21 million) from its 37 Green Mark Gold-rated buildings from 2008 to 2011. He was speaking on sustainability at the 2014 Annual Asia Competitiveness Institute conference on Wednesday (Nov 26).
CDL’s sustainability efforts include the adoption of more efficient building methods and publishing an annual sustainability report. Mr Kwek said CDL invests about 2 to 5 per cent of construction costs on developing green building design and features.
The Government has taken various measures to promote more sustainable built-environment in Singapore, but Mr Kwek said residents should also play a larger role. This is especially as the population is projected to grow to as much as 6.9 million by 2030.
Mr Kwek added: “Apart from the Government, the people sector will have to come in. If we can develop very strong citizenry that will also play their part, I think the chances will be greater for us to achieve a certain level of sustainability.
“Presently it looks quite green, clean, but with a higher density in terms of population, it will be a bit more challenging, more difficult to maintain. Of course the Government has got great plans, but the people should also play a role. All the way down to the extent that even at home, there are many things you can do to save energy and resources.”
Source : Channel NewsAsia – 26 Nov 2014