2023 President's Award for the Environment Recipients
| Mr Jacob Tan | Er. Lee Chuan Seng | Keppel Corporation | National University of Singapore |
Mr Jacob Tan
Mr Jacob Tan Guan Rui is an exemplary role model for championing environmental sustainability at Commonwealth Secondary School (CWSS) and in the wider community. At CWSS, he oversees its Environmental Education programme and championed various initiatives on biodiversity and conservation, plastic disposables reduction, food security and resource conservation.
In 2021 when CWSS was appointed as one of the pilot schools for the MOE Eco-Stewardship Programme under the SG Green Plan, Mr Tan led a team of teachers and students in mapping out the school’s existing environmental-related initiatives and programmes. They formed the CWSS Green Plan, making sustainability a key theme on the Campus, and connecting with the Community beyond the school.
Mr Tan’s passion for environmental advocacy extends beyond CWSS to the wider community. He is involved in the W7 Environmental Education Cluster Learning Team where he mentors students from different schools to lend their efforts towards influencing other youths in schools to take positive strides towards environmental sustainability. He is also involved in the Education Workgroup of The Ubin Project and has been a council member of the Singapore Association for the Advancement of Science (SAAS).
Mr Tan was recognised with the NEA EcoFriend Award in 2019, and the NParks Teacher of the Year, Community in Nature Schools Award in 2020.
Er. Lee Chuan Seng
Er. Lee Chuan Seng has made outstanding contributions in advancing green building standards in Singapore, and is widely acclaimed as a thought leader in the built environment industry and beyond.
He was the Founding President of the Singapore Green Building Council (SGBC) in 2009 and has been serving as Honorary Advisor on its Board since 2011. Er. Lee was instrumental in the setup of SGBC’s Singapore Green Building Products certification scheme and SGBC’s successful application as a full member of the World Green Building Council.
He was also on the Board of the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) from 2003 to 2013, where he chaired the BCA Green Mark Advisory Committee and oversaw the development of various editions of the Green Building Masterplans. Er. Lee was awarded the Public Service Medal in 2010 for his contributions as a Professional Engineer, and the Public Service Star in 2018 for his contributions in environmental sustainability.
He is currently Chairman of the National Environment Agency (NEA).
Keppel Corporation
Keppel Corporation has put sustainability at the core of its strategy and contributed towards environmental sustainability through its business operations, investment and solutioning, as well as strong and sustained partnerships with the wider community. It established a Board Sustainability and Strategy Committee, as well as a Group Sustainability Department to coordinate and drive its sustainability efforts and has committed to halve its Scope 1 and 2 emissions from 2020 levels by 2030.
Some of its key business contributions include leading the Singapore consortium of the Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City, developing Singapore’s first hydrogen-ready power plant, importing renewable hydropower under the Lao PDR-Thailand-Malaysia-Singapore Power Integration Project, collaborating with NEA in a joint study on the feasibility of carbon capture at Singapore’s waste-to-energy plants, and developing and operating the Keppel Marina East Desalination Plant.
Keppel has also extended strong support to like-minded partners to enhance environmental sustainability for the wider community, such as NParks’ Garden City Fund, Singapore Environment Council (SEC)’s School Green Awards, and collaborated with the Sustainable Singapore Gallery on “R.I.S.E to the Challenge” to raise awareness on rising sea levels.
Keppel has received the BCA Green Mark Platinum Awards, SEC’s Singapore Environmental Outstanding Achievement Award, PUB’s ABC Waters certification and the Singapore Apex Corporate Sustainability Awards. Keppel has retained the highest MSCI AAA ESG rating since 2020.
National University of Singapore
Since embarking on its environmental sustainability journey more than two decades ago, the National University of Singapore has remained committed to advancing sustainable development and contributing to the global fight against climate change.
In 2022, NUS charted out its long-term strategic goals through a Campus Sustainability Roadmap 2030 which focuses on the University progressing towards a Carbon Neutral, Climate Resilient and Zero Waste campus. Sustainability is at the core of NUS’ campus design. Notably, the University Town was Singapore’s first Green Mark Gold Plus district, while the School of Design and Environment 4 was the first purpose built Net Zero Energy building in Southeast Asia.
In 2023, NUS also launched its first building cluster targeting Net Zero Energy. Other sustainability efforts by NUS include its commitment to plant 100,000 trees by 2030, and the Towards a Zero Waste NUS Action Plan 2030, complemented by various sustainability projects undertaken by its network of student advocates.
Additionally, the University has been recognised with several sustainability accolades in the built environment, such as the BCA Green Mark Platinum Champion Award, the International Living Future Institute Zero Energy Certification, several NParks’ Landscape Excellence Assessment Framework Certifications as well as the ASEAN Energy Awards.