Date Published: 11 Mar 2014 Review of Sustainable Singapore Blueprint 1. Thank you, Mdm Chair. In the interest of time, let me quickly address the questions by Dr Teo Ho Pin and Miss Penny Low on Sustainable Singapore Blueprint (SSB). First, let me state that this is not a purely environmental project. The Sustainable Singapore Blueprint requires the whole of Singapore approach. It involves MEWR, MND, MTI, MOT and whole lot of agencies. I just want to highlight the excellent speech by Mr Desmond Lee yesterday on the work that is being done by NParks on the Central Catchment Area, the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve and Pulau Ubin. Recall the work that PUB has done; Ms Grace Fu has just showed Members the ABC Waters projects in which we now have 959 hectares of water bodies and 93 kilometres of waterways open to the public for recreation. We intend to progressively open more of that. We have also seen progress in skyrise greenery, green space, and the expansion of park connectors. 2. We have worked with MTI and MOT on reducing pollution. We are also working with industries to upgrade their energy efficiency and reduce smoke stack emissions. With NEA, we have various schemes in place to promote better conservation of resources, and also to incentivise recycling. Our overall recycling rate is around 60%, but at the domestic level, it is only around 20%. Members would have noticed that we have recycling bins progressively placed in every single block in HDB estates. To promote recycling, certain new precincts even have double chutes – one chute for general waste and another chute for recycling. 3. Talking about park connectors, I was very glad that on Saturday, I cycled with another 1,000 cyclists. We covered 44 kilometres. We went to East Coast, Changi, Pasir Ris, Punggol, Bedok, Tampines, Bedok and back to East Coast. All 44 kilometres on park connectors; only a few places where we had to dismount to cross roads. The point is our park connectors and cycling networks will continue to expand, and of course there are plans for the railway corridors. 4. The Sustainable Singapore Blueprint has to be forward looking. We have to generate practical and ambitious targets, and pragmatic plans. This will flesh out over the next few months as we embark on the public consultation exercise, and I hope Members will support us on this. Conclusion 5. Let me just conclude, Mdm Speaker. Today’s Singapore is a thriving, liveable, clean, green and beautiful city, but it did not come about by chance. Singapore has been very fortunate because our founding Prime Minister Mr Lee Kuan Yew was a pragmatic environmentalist even before green became fashionable. He understood and pursued a philosophy of growing our economy whilst protecting the environment. He saw these two pillars as mutually reinforcing; not a zero sum game. It was Mr Lee who oversaw the launch of the Keep Singapore Clean campaign in 1968. I was struck by the obituary for Mr Chua Sian Chin the former Health Minister. He was asked about his most significant contribution to Singapore and replied it was to start the Keep Singapore Clean campaign. 6. What we have now is a legacy built over many decades. I thank all Members of the House and the public for their support over these decades, and I look forward to your continued support and commitment in the decades to come..