MEDIA RELEASE 

STARTING THEIR GREEN JOURNEY WELL FROM YOUNG

- BCA engaged students from nine secondary schools to green their schools, with help from Republic Polytechnic students and professionals from Johnson Controls
- 10 more secondary schools will be involved this year

Singapore, 23 June 2017 – The Building and Construction Authority (BCA) Greenovate programme has successfully engaged youths to be involved in making their schools greener. 

2. For the past year, 90 students from nine secondary schools used data collected from an energy audit of the schools to recommend ways to improve the buildings’ energy efficiency. Two of these schools, Commonwealth Secondary School and Woodgrove Secondary School, attained BCA Green Mark Gold and GoldPLUS certifications respectively while several others will be undergoing assessment for BCA Green Mark certification.

3. The BCA Greenovate programme invites students and youths to be part of a national effort to green Singapore’s built environment. Secondary school students will be encouraged to lead in greening their schools while tertiary students will conduct energy audits of these schools with the mentorship of industry experts.

4.      Commenting on the value of this programme, BCA Chief Executive Officer Mr Hugh Lim said: “Good habits are formed during the formative years. We are heartened by how our youths are not only embracing the green message but have gone a step further to actively create a more sustainable environment for their schools. A greener built environment is more than just changing the way we build. It is also about how we can make our habits and choices in our schools, offices and homes contribute towards a green built environment for Singapore.” 

5.      Greenovate also marks the first partnership between a tertiary institution and an industry firm where 50 Republic Polytechnic students worked with Johnson Controls, a global leader in building products and technology, to conduct energy audits of the nine participating schools (see Annex A of the list of schools) throughout 2016.

6. The Republic Polytechnic students, who were from the Green Building Energy Management diploma programme, gained valuable and practical experience under the guidance of the industry professionals from Johnson Controls while conducting the audits. A survey of the 50 Polytechnic students revealed that, inspired by Greenovate, 76% of them were keen on pursuing further education or a career in the green built environment. 

7. The results of the energy audits were shared with the 90 students of the nine schools. These students then recommended ways to improve the energy efficiency and conservation of their schools; they include encouraging the school management to consider green procurement policies. 

8. Following Greenovate’s success, ten other secondary schools, involving 100 students, will be participating in the programme for 2017. Extending their partnership for another year, Republic Polytechnic and Johnson Controls will conduct energy audits for these schools. 

9. To further spread the green message to school children, BCA has produced a special musical featuring the green building mascots, Greco and Beco. The musical is adapted from BCA’s second story book about green buildings “The Adventures of Greco and Beco: The School in the Glass City”. It will be performed in all primary schools in Singapore by 2019 with students from Jiemin, St Nicholas’s Girls’ and Elias Park Primary Schools being the first to watch it in July 2017.

10. BCA’s second storybook and the roving musical were unveiled today by Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office and Second Minister for Home Affairs and National Development Mr Desmond Lee, who officiated at the BiG (Build It Green) Day Out event as the guest-of-honour. 

11. Held at the Bedok Town Square from 23 – 25 June, the BiG Day Out 2017, jointly organised by BCA and the Singapore Green Building Council, includes an exhibition about green buildings where visitors can explore the different interactive districts to learn more about the benefits of a green built environment, as well as stage performances, workshops and games. Admission is free (see Annex B for details of the BiG Day Out and Annex C for 7 things to do and explore at BiG Day Out 2017). 

12. In its third year, BiG Day Out’s vision of reaching out to the young audience has received strong support from the public and private sectors, including industry sponsors such as China Construction, who recently received the BCA Green and Gracious Award (Star) and Award (Excellent) under their subsidiaries Rich Construction and China Construction Realty respectively. 

13. “By getting our students involved, we aim to inspire our next generation of Singaporeans to do more for our environment, including taking on a bigger role as a green built environment professional. We also express our appreciation to Republic Polytechnic and Johnson Controls for supporting the Greenovate programme with their valuable contributions and thank China Construction and our other industry sponsors for BiG Day Out 2017,” Mr Lim added.



Factsheets:
Annex A – List of participating schools under Greenovate 2016 / 2017
Annex B – BiG Day Out 2017 at Bedok Town Square
Annex C – 7 Things to do and explore at BiG Day Out 2017

Issued by the Building and Construction Authority on 23 June 2017
For media queries, please contact the BCA Corporate Communications Department:
Joe Woo
Senior Communications Manager 
DID: 6804 4157
M: 8268 7089
Email: joe_woo@bca.gov.sg

About Building and Construction Authority
The Building and Construction Authority (BCA) of Singapore champions the development of an excellent built environment for Singapore. BCA’s mission is to shape a safe, high quality, sustainable and friendly built environment, as these are four key elements where BCA has a significant influence. In doing so, it aims to differentiate Singapore’s built environment from those of other cities and contribute to a better quality of life for everyone in Singapore. Hence, its vision is to have "a future-ready built environment for Singapore". Together with its education arm, the BCA Academy, BCA works closely with its industry partners to develop skills and expertise that help shape a future-ready built environment for Singapore. For more information, visit www.bca.gov.sg.
 
GREENOVATE 2016
1. Anderson Secondary School
2. Anglican High School
3. Bukit View Secondary School
4. CHIJ St Nicholas Girls' School
5. Commonwealth Secondary School
6. Marsiling Secondary School
7. Nanyang Girls' High School
8. Tanjong Katong Secondary School
9. Woodgrove Secondary School

GREENOVATE 2017
1. CHIJ St. Theresa’s Convent 
2. East Spring Secondary 
3. Fuchun Secondary School 
4. Jurong Secondary School 
5. Jurong West Secondary School 
6. Paya Lebar Methodist Girls’ School 
7. Queenstown Secondary School 
8. Swiss Cottage Secondary School 
9. Unity Secondary School 
10. Whitley Secondary School 
 

Build-it-Green (BiG) Day Out is a public outreach event jointly organised by the Building and Construction Authority of Singapore (BCA) and Singapore Green Building Council (SGBC). Targeted at families with children, the event uses a fun and interactive approach to raise awareness about the importance of having an environmentally sustainable built environment and encourage green living practices among the local community. 

Build-it-Green (BiG) Day Out 2017: Land of Super-Sized Wonders
For this year’s BiG Day Out, we follow Greco and Beco’s journey into the Land of Super-Sized Wonders, a mysterious land where objects tower over them.  
There are various game stations in this Land, all with a specific message relating to energy conservation and green buildings. Through these interactive stations and gameplay, participants will learn more about the various aspects of green buildings, and how they can play their parts at home and at school. Apart from game stations, there will also be various green-themed stage games that visitors can participate in.  
These games encourage learning in a fun and light-hearted environment while highlighting the importance of a green built environment, which is necessary for the future generation.  

Target Audience Families with young children

Venue: 
Bedok Town Square 
(Between Bedok Interchange Hawker Centre [Singapore 460209] and Bedok Mall [Singapore 467360], Admission is free)

Opening hours
23 June 2017, Friday 1pm – 8pm
24 June 2017, Saturday 11am – 8pm 
25 June 2017, Sunday 11am – 8 pm
Website: www.bca.gov.sg/bigdayout
 

1. District Solaria: Match the solar panel puzzle pieces to the correct buildings! Find out what other features make up a green building, apart from solar panels.

2. Green Garden Tower: Learn how roof gardens help to cool buildings. Challenge yourself to conserve the most amount of energy - the more balls you manage to throw into the buildings, the more energy you are conserving! 

3. Lala Land: As an explorer, it is important to be well-equipped for a journey. Gear up at Lala Land! You can: 
a. Get your own Glitter Tattoo, only for serious explorers! 
b. Suit up at the “I am a Super Explorer!” Mask Workshop (limited slots available, registration required at Lala Land booth) 
c. “Explorer #007” is here, reporting for duty! All bona fide explorers require a special identity. Acquire your own unique identification card drawn by your Team Captain!

4. Millennium Techpark: Fastest fingers first! Push the buttons as fast as you can and experience for yourself how much more energy it takes to power a two-tick appliance as compared to one with two ticks.

5. Open Sesame: Natural ventilation helps to reduce energy consumption and electricity bills. Shoot at the targets to switch off unnecessary appliances and allow fresh air in!

6. Green Academy: It’s back to school! Put your aiming skills and knowledge to the test as you learn how to be green in school.

7. Giant Greco and Beco: Learn how you can be a green ambassador at home!