SGBC will channel COVID-19 relief funds received from the Government back to the building and construction sector through a line-up of impactful initiatives in 2022 to build up collective industry and community support for green building and climate action.

 Formally announced at the SGBC Leadership Conversations: Forging Ahead Beyond COP26 forum held in-person at the Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel, the SGBC Gives Back initiative will channel close to $80,000 in Government relief back to the industry through two main thrusts: industry engagement and education support for the next-generation of green building professionals.

SGBC President Ar. Tang Kok Thye is thankful for all the support the Council has received from the industry. “With the strong, unyielding support from our Members, SGBC was not only able to overcome the challenges of the past two years, but also managed to put forth several high-impact initiatives in 2021 such as launching the Singapore Green Building Masterplan 2021 jointly with the Building and Construction Authority (BCA), the Singapore Built Environment Embodied Carbon Pledge and the Green Means Go green-homes public outreach campaign. The SGBC Gives Back initiative is our small way of showing our appreciation to our Members and the Singapore Government, and we are confident that the programmes made possible by the relief funds will advance the built environment to one that is greener, healthier and more sustainable for this generation and beyond.”

The first thrust of SGBC Gives Back involves the organisation of impactful events, activities and programmes that build up the building and construction sector’s green building capabilities in the face of climate challenges. These events will help industry stakeholders stay abreast of key sustainability trends, build up new skills and provide avenues for collaboration.

The Forging Ahead Beyond COP26 thought leadership forum is the first event under the SGBC Gives Back initiative, aimed at translating what the results of COP26 mean for business. Facilitated by SGBC Board Member Ms Farizan d’Avezac, the forum saw the likes of Ms Esther An from City Developments Limited and Ms Pamela Phua from AkzoNobel sharing their unique takes on COP26 deliberations from the perspective of a property developer and a solutions manufacturer respectively. Insights through the lenses of the younger generation were also offered from Ms Cheryl Lee, a youth delegate from the Singapore Youth for Climate Action (SYCA) who also attended COP26.

A slew of events has been planned for the first half of 2022, focused on helping the industry to revisit relationships, renew networks and reconnect with one another after two years of primarily-virtual engagement. These events will take the form of thought leadership, outreach as well as industry capability and capacity building programmes, such as the SGBC Green Mark Webinar Series, the SGBConnects: Understanding Budget 2022 seminar, the SGBC Leadership Conversations: Towards Net Zero forum, as well as the SGBC Green Real Estate Trends Conference 2022, most of which will be made complimentary for SGBC Members to attend.

The second thrust of SGBC Gives Back focuses on developing the next generation of green building professionals through the sponsorship of awards, book prizes and project funds for students from Singapore’s tertiary education institutions and institutes of higher learning (IHLs). These awards will help to encourage and enable the next generation of green building professionals, while simultaneously raising the profile of green building to the younger generation and the wider community. Once these students have entered the workforce, they will be able to contribute tremendously to the built environment’s sustainability efforts and move the needle towards greater adoption of green building solutions.