Singapore, 5 June 2020 – In celebration of World Environment Day (WED) on 5 June 2020, City Developments Limited (CDL) has rolled out several climate-themed initiatives in line with this year’s WED theme “Time for Nature”, which pays homage to the Earth’s natural environment and the importance of caring for nature.

"Although COVID-19 has sent the world into a crisis mode, the pressing issues from environmental protection and the need for immediate climate action should not be overlooked. In these unprecedented times, CDL has remained steadfast in advocating sustainability best practices for stakeholders, our value chain and the larger community. As we commemorate World Environment Day, we hope that more businesses heed the urgent call to collectively reduce their carbon footprint, actively accelerate climate action and adopt a sustainability mindset.”

– Ms Esther An, CDL Chief Sustainability Officer

A Thousand Trees for World Environment Day 2020

In line with its firm commitment towards a low-carbon economy and as part of ongoing efforts to engage internal stakeholders, CDL launched “A Thousand Trees for World Environment Day 2020”, an initiative which encourages its employees to submit photos based on the theme “Time for Nature”. For every two photos submitted, CDL has pledged to plant one tree in partnership with non-profit organisation One Tree Planted, with the aim of planting 1,000 trees in Indonesia (Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park in Lampung), and the Philippines (Sarangani and Tambobo Bays, and bamboo forests in Mindanao). In a year, 1,000 trees can absorb approximately 21,000 kg of carbon dioxide emissions¹, which is equivalent to charging a smartphone 2.6 million times².

Inaugural Eco Storytelling Contest

In the lead up to WED 2020, CDL and the National Library Board (NLB) jointly organised My Tree House’s Eco Storytelling Contest for children aged 3 to 12. The inaugural contest with four different categories aimed to promote family bonding through storytelling during the circuit breaker period, as well as to encourage young eco champions and their families to develop their love for nature and to take action to protect the planet.

Winners of the Eco Storytelling Contest unveiled today received S$600, S$300 and S$200 in City Square Mall shopping vouchers for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners respectively, while 4th and 5th place winners received S$100 in City Square Mall shopping vouchers each. The winning entries and a selection of passionate submissions from the contest were used to produce a special video titled “We Love our Planet – Voices of our Children”, which has been shared on CDL Sustainability’s website and social media platforms.

Singapore Sustainability Academy

The Singapore Sustainability Academy (SSA), designed and built by CDL to be a knowledge and networking hub on sustainability and climate action, has continued promoting sustainable lifestyle practices and outreach efforts, albeit virtually, during the circuit breaker period. To celebrate WED 2020, SSA is hosting a series of lifestyle talks and activities that will provide fresh perspectives on the topic of sustainability. It most recently concluded a talk titled “Is Ugly Food Really Ugly?”, in collaboration with non-profit and non-governmental organisation Zero Waste SG and wholesale distributor of surplus and imperfect food supplies Treedots on 4 June 2020, which shared about food waste, food ‘rejection’ and moving towards a circular economy in Singapore. The next talk, “Sustainable Habits – Old and New – For Keeps”, in collaboration with social enterprise Secondsguru, will be held on 11 June 2020 and will cover sustainable lifestyle changes in a post-circuit breaker world.

The SSA in collaboration with NLB also conducted “Storytime @ My Tree House”, an interactive workshop which covered tips on becoming a better storyteller and included a live storytelling demonstration. The workshop was conducted virtually on 15 May 2020 and attended by over 300 people.

More information on the Eco Storytelling Contest and CDL’s sustainability efforts can be found at www.cdlsustainability.com

¹ According to One Tree Planted, one tree can absorb 48 pounds of CO2 per year. This translates to 1,000 trees absorbing 48,000 pounds annually, or approximately 21,000kg.

² Calculated using the Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator from the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) website.