The Government will commit S$1.5 billion to support the roll out of the programmes under the blueprint. This was announced by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at the launch of the Sustainable Singapore Blueprint 2015 on Saturday (Nov 8).
The blueprint, first released in 2009, maps out strategies for Singapore's sustainable development. As part of the review, close to 6,000 people were involved in consultations and discussions.
A long-term vision for Singapore is a model city for green living, even as the country grapples with environmental challenges such as a dry spell earlier this year. Other challenges include housing a growing nation within limited land; mitigating carbon footprint while planning early for climate change; and securing access to water, energy, food and raw materials.
Prime Minister Lee said: "We can do more, we need to do more, as our environmental challenges grow. For example, climate change ... in February, we had our longest dry spell ever. The reservoir water levels dropped below normal - everywhere our grass, the grass in our parks, turned brown. We had 'lalang' fires all over Singapore, even one or two forest fires in the nature reserves. But fortunately our lives were not disrupted because we ran our desalination plants at 100 per cent and we increased our NEWater output to meet our needs.
"And we didn't have to ration water, as we planned for a margin of safety. So we endured the drought, and eventually the rains came, and Singapore became green again. But we cannot become complacent because climate is changing. I think we must expect more such extreme episodes, more droughts, more heavy rains at different times and we must be able to cope with that."
Plans announced on Saturday which would enable Singapore to be cleaner and greener would focus on three areas: 1) A Liveable & Endearing Home; 2) A Vibrant & Sustainable City; and 3) An Active & Gracious Community.
For a high-quality living environment, there are plans to more than double skyrise greenery from 61 hectares in 2013 to 200 hectares in 2030. Last year, there were 4,040 hectares of parks. Come 2030, there will be 0.8 hectares of park for every 1,000 people. And more will find it convenient to get to parks, with 90 per cent of households within a 10-minute walk from a park in 2030. In 2013, the figure was 80 per cent.
Land set aside for water bodies will also increase - from 959 hectares in 2013 to 1,039 hectares in 2030. Innovative features in new and existing towns will also help residents to be more environmentally friendly. These include eco-pedestals that allow water used for hand washing to be used for flushing; LED lighting with motion sensors at staircases; and more bicycle parking lots.
And on the roads, a cleaner mode of transport to reduce carbon emissions and enjoy fresher air. The length of cycling paths will be extended from 230km in 2013 to 700km in 2030. Innovative features and designs will be introduced in some estates for a better cycling environment, starting with Ang Mo Kio.
The aim is to increase the share of journeys during peak hours made via public transport to 75 per cent. In 2013, the figure was 64 per cent. To do so, the length of rail network will be extended to 360km in 2030 from 178km in 2013. The proportion of households within a 10-minute walk from train stations will be increased to 80 per cent in 2030, from 58.5 per cent in 2013. Electric car-sharing and driverless car trials will also be conducted.
To conserve precious resources, the government encourages the reuse and recycling of materials. It aims to raise the national recycling rate from 61 per cent in 2013 to 70 per cent in 2030. There will be centralised chutes for recyclables in all new HDB flats, and better recycling infrastructure for private housing.
An integrated waste management facility will be built, which will have the capacity to segregate recyclables from waste. There will also be more initiatives to reduce food waste in business and improve recycling of electronic waste.
For a green economy, solar power will feature prominently in Singapore's energy system, with plans to boost adoption to 350 megawatt-peak by 2020, a significant increase from the existing 15 megawatt-peak of solar power capacity. It will form about 5 per cent of peak electricity demand in 2020.
The Government is also aiming for 80 per cent of buildings to achieve the Building and Construction Authority's Green Mark Certified rating, up from the 21.9 per cent last year. To reduce carbon footprint as well as improve energy and water efficiency, the Government has initiatives to encourage green buildings. These include a S$52 million fund for research on promising solutions. Innovation districts incorporating educational institutions and industrial estates will be test-beds for new technologies.
However, for the vision to come to life, a collective effort is required. "The responsibility - some of it lies with the government, a large part of it has to do with what each of us individually choose and decide to do with our own lives. HDB can build more convenient chutes for recycling, but households have to use them and have to practise the 3Rs - reduce, reuse and recycle," said PM Lee.
"Together, we have to develop new norms if we are really going to succeed in being clean and green. And that's why people are at the heart of this Sustainable Singapore Blueprint and we hope Singapore will be an active and gracious community."
Thus, there will be more activities for residents to shape their landscape. For example, in the "Bright Spots Challenge", organisations and individuals clean up community spaces and turn them into "Bright Spots". The challenge aims to have a total of 500 such spots by the end of next year. There are now more than 300 "Bright Spots" since the movement was launched in 2012.
Under another initiative, the public can pledge to reduce food waste and the use of disposables on certain days. They can then post photographs on social media to show how they did so. The challenge aims to collect pledges of 50,000 "No Waste Days".
In a Facebook post, Environment and Water Resources Minister Vivian Balakrishnan said: "We have made much progress since the first version of the SSB (Sustainable Singapore Blueprint) was rolled out in 2009. We need to evolve in order to face the major challenges that the future will bring due to climate change, urbanisation, resource depletion and pollution. But these same challenges also present us with opportunities to build the model city of the future. Singapore will only be our best home if each and every one of us does our part. We need a sense of personal ownership and collective responsibility."