Speech by Minister Chan Chun Sing at the Green Wave Environmental Care Project for Schools' 20th Anniversary Award Presentation Ceremony at Parkroyal Collection Marina Bay

A very good afternoon to all of you.

1. I would like to thank Sembcorp Marine for once again inviting me to this event 12 years later.

2. The issue of sustainability has been close to our hearts since our nation's independence. We have always been conscious of our environmental issues due to two reasons:

1. First, we only have this island to call home; if we do not take care of our home and our living environment deteriorates, we will have nowhere to go.
2. Second, we only have limited natural resources. Since our founding days, we have been conscious to plan and safeguard our finite resources, especially water, to build the best home for ourselves.

3. Our Water Story spanned the last 50 years. When we gained independence, we had three reservoirs. We had to import most of our water for consumption. Today, we have 17 reservoirs. Despite us being a city state, two-thirds of our island are water catchment areas. Every drop of water that falls on Singapore will be used at least twice.

1. We have turned our water issue from a constraint into an opportunity - an opportunity for us to showcase and share to the world our water management technologies.

4. If water was the challenge for the last 50 years, energy will be the challenge for the next 50 years. Hence, for this generation of students, I would like you to focus your mind on how we can overcome our energy and carbon challenge for the next five decades.

1. If Singapore can overcome our energy and carbon challenge for the next 50 years, we can ensure greater water and food security, and generate good industries and job opportunities for generations to come.
2. Our biggest challenge for the next 50 years will be to acquire sufficient and sustainable energy sources to power our industry and create the lifestyle that we want, to not only take care of the environment, but also leave behind a better environment for the next generation.

5. Singapore is not just a little red dot; we can be a bright green spark. A bright green spark where we have ideas on how to steward our environment for the next generation, not just to leave behind something as good as we have now, but something that is even better than what we have inherited. If every generation of Singaporeans can do that, we will look towards SG100 and beyond with pride.

6. All of you here today are not the leaders of tomorrow. You are the leaders starting from today. What you do amongst your circle of friends will shape the lives of all of us. You can start being a leader today through your actions, ideas, and projects.

7. This is why MOE has always been a very supportive partner of the Green Wave Environmental Care Competition led by Sembcorp Marine. It will require a whole-of-nation effort to build a sustainable future for future generations.

1. Detractors might say that Singapore is a small country – whatever we do to tackle climate change will not move the needle for the world.
2. However, we believe that we can make a difference. From the way we design our cities, the way we design our energy management systems, the way we generate energy, the way we use natural resources - all our methods can set a positive example for other cities.
3. If a small densely populated city like Singapore can become much more sustainable, it can provide hope for the rest of the world where urbanisation continues to increase. While urbanisation may be the most efficient way for mankind to achieve a certain standard of living with finite resources, urbanisation can be the blight of humankind as well, if not well-planned and well-managed.
4. Both opportunities and challenges lie before us. We have every reason to seize these opportunities, to be the bright green spark with new and innovative ideas to inspire future generations.

8. MOE will continue to push on and strengthen our efforts in developing our Curriculum, Campus, Culture, and Community.

1. But MOE cannot do this alone. We will continue to partner frontier industries to incorporate frontier ideas into our schools more quickly.
2. I would like to invite all leading industry players to participate in the Applied Learning Programme in our schools. Do share your knowledge with our students, inspire them, and close the loop between frontier industry practice and what we teach in schools. This will allow our schools and students to evolve their ideas quicker and better.

9. For Singapore, we have never competed based on our size or resource base. We compete based on how we can work closely together, and how we can evolve faster and better than others.

1. This is why I am glad to see this partnership between Sembcorp Marine and the schools, as an example of how leading industries can pioneer new ideas, inspire our students and guide them to chart the exciting future ahead of us.

10. I am also very happy that the Green Wave is open to tertiary institutions, as well as regional institutions, with participation from Malaysia and Indonesia.

1. One team from Indonesia is here today to share with us their winning project - a natural fly repellent to control fly population around chicken farms in Trenggalek Regency, Indonesia.
2. It is heartening to see such cross-sharing of ideas, and I would like to encourage all our students in Singapore to look beyond Singapore to learn from others, so as to understand the challenges beyond Singapore. This allows us to work collaboratively in time to come to overcome challenges together.
3. The issues of climate change and sustainability will not be confined to any country. It is our shared responsibility and our shared future.

11. I hope that this generation of students, just like the previous generation, will be actively involved in many of these big challenges that we are confronting.

1. The bigger the challenge, the more we must rise to it.

12. Over the last 20 years, the Green Wave has seen more than 18,000 students participating.

1. In the past year alone, more than 850 students participated and submitted a total of 216 projects. We have done well, and we can perform better.

13. Our sustainability efforts should not end with just the participation in this event.

1. Sustainability habits need to be ingrained into our lifestyles. They must be reflected in the choices we make as consumers and producers, in how we live and how we produce things.
2. This will allow us to continue to have good ideas and good habits to make our country more sustainable.

14. Let me highlight two interesting projects that have won in the 2022 competition.

1. The first prize winner for the Primary level category, Huamin Primary School, understood the challenge in encouraging people to opt for reusables and to reduce the use of disposables. The student came up with the innovative alternative of edible spoons to help reduce waste.
2. Temasek Polytechnic, which claimed the first prize for the Tertiary level category, developed an automated carbon capture device that reduces carbon emissions in the atmosphere. The device uses sustainable materials, is fully solar-powered, and produces by-products that can be repurposed.
3. There are many more interesting projects like this here today with us, and I encourage everyone to visit the booths.

15. Let me also express my appreciation to the Organising Committee, the judges, the many teachers and School Leaders who have worked hard and encouraged our students in this competition. Without your contributions, we will not be here.

16. But we aim to go further. Like I mentioned – if water was the challenge of the last 50 years, energy and carbon will be the challenge for the next 50 years.

17. Let us define our future together and strive to be leaders from today. Let us build a greener and more sustainable Singapore together. Thank you very much.