A STUDY OF THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT EFFORTS IN PROMOTING GREEN

Abstract

The Building Construction Authority launched the Green Mark Scheme in 2005 and since then, the Ministry of National Development has implemented a series of measures to increase the amount of green buildings in Singapore. The measures range from giving incentives through the $20 million Green Mark Incentive Scheme to legislation in 2007 where all new buildings are to undergo certification. However, even with the incentives and legislation, there are approximately only 100 certified buildings in Singapore.

As such, a perception study was done to find the cause leading to the low response rate to the Green Mark Scheme. The perception study revealed that both the private and public building professionals are concerned about water and consumption levels, exhaustion of fossil fuels and natural resources in Singapore. But, the study also showed that the public building professionals are now shifting their concern to other issues such as cultural preservation and conservation and restoration of historical structures. The private building professionals also mentioned that incentives, recognition and demand from the consumers would propel them into building more green buildings. Finally, suggestions were also made to improve the current Green Mark Scheme based on the result of a comparative analysis of (1) incentives, (2) certification and awards, (3) education and training and (4) regulations, codes and standards from Singapore, Hong Kong and ronto.