Singapore, 27 July 2019 – Over 2,000 attendees, including employees, family members and friends of City Developments Limited (CDL) and its organising partners such as BCA, HPB and SportSG spent an invigorating Saturday at the SDG City Challenge. In its second iteration this year, the event was held at South Beach and City Square Mall. An extensive 3P collaboration involving 14 organising and supporting partners as well as 30 vendors and operators showcasing sustainable and healthy products, the Challenge aims to promote a green, healthy and sustainable lifestyle while raising awareness of the UN SDGs.

It brought together participants of varying ages and fitness levels, segregated into different race categories, to tackle an 800-metre run followed by a vertical ascent up 34 storeys at South Beach Tower and an obstacle course. There was also a fun-filled Eco Treasure Hunt, perfect for team and family-bonding, at City Square Mall. To build inclusiveness, a new non-competitive ‘Fun’ category was also introduced this year, which saw younger children, senior citizens and persons with disabilities crossing the finish line.

As part of the event, a carnival was held at the South Beach with fun-filled games and activities, which ran from 9am to 6pm. Participants could try out various ActiveSG health and fitness activities such as the ‘Jacob’s Ladder’ station which features a cardio machine, a ‘Tyre Flip’ station where attendees could learn how to flip a 100-kilogram tyre, and a station with a ‘Medicine Ball’ filled with water. There were also 30 booths offering a plethora of environmentally friendly food, products and services (refer to Annexes A and B for details on the activities and booths).

Mr Sherman Kwek, Group Chief Executive Officer of CDL, said, “It is important to maintain our physical, mental and emotional health, especially in a highly urbanised and fast-paced city like Singapore. As a property developer and strong advocate of sustainable development, the SDG City Challenge complements CDL’s vision to create green and healthy spaces for sustainable living.”

“Launched by the United Nations in 2016, the 17 SDGs can actually be summed up in one simple ideal, which is ‘leaving no one behind’. As part of CDL’s longstanding ethos of ‘Conserving as we Construct’, we have embraced 13 SDGs in our business strategy and operations. In particular, we are a firm believer of SDG 17, Partnerships for the Goals, which reflects our commitment to engage our value chain to amass a larger community so as to build a sustainable future for generations to come.”

Mr Hugh Lim, Chief Executive Officer of BCA said, “Green Mark buildings, with better air and indoor environment quality, can provide a more comfortable working environment for its occupants. We commend the efforts of committed landlords like CDL in engaging and spreading such awareness to their building tenants and occupants. As companies are placing greater focus on employee well-being, it is encouraging to note that more companies are striving to provide healthier workplaces for their valued employees and protecting the environment through the new BCA-HPB Green Mark for Healthier Workplaces scheme.”

Mr Zee Yoong Kang, Chief Executive Officer of HPB said: “We are happy to be part of the SDG City Challenge again this year. A liveable city is one that supports healthy living for the wellbeing of the population, and developers in the built landscape play a key role in shaping this. As HPB continues to make it easier for busy Singaporeans to lead healthier lifestyles by bringing health programmes to their workplaces and closer to their homes, we hope to have more like-minded partners such as CDL work with us to make healthy living accessible to all.”

Mr Lim Teck Yin, Chief Executive Officer of SportSG, said, “We are delighted to be partnering CDL for the second consecutive year in support of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. Sport is an excellent platform to strengthen communities and enhance social connection and teamwork. We will thus continue to strengthen partnerships such as this one to rally Singaporeans to come together for our common good.”