Message from Our Staff: Advocating Green Practices at LKCMedicine 

By Lim Kong Meng, Senior Assistant Director, LKCMedicine Medical Library Gary Lee Hock Teck, Deputy Director, Facilities and Operations

As part of a leading research-intensive university, LKCMedicine acknowledges the need and responsibility to respond to environmental, social, and economic challenges. We are immensely proud to play a role in working towards supporting NTU Singapore’s commitment to environmental sustainability.

Last year our School celebrated Sustainability Day on 28 February 2023 with the aim to remind everyone on the importance of caring for the environment.

Pledging Tree @ LKCMedicine Sustainability Day 2023
Tree was made from leftover wood from carpentry shops and the leaf, recycled paper

As a follow up to this event, the LKCMedicine Green Committee, set up by volunteer staff members, was formed to promote and implement sustainable practices throughout the medical school.

Green Committee members: (from left) Ramani Saravanan, Kelvin Foo, Ng Bee Wee, Tavleen Kaur Jaggi, Lim Kong Meng, Hannah Soh, Susan Chang, Gary Lee and Sowpati Jayaker.

In August 2023, the Committee organised its very first activity “Driving the Future” roving exhibition showcasing sustainable transportation, supported by the Ministry of Sustainability & Environment’s SG Eco Fund. Participants were also taken on a “Green Journey” during which they visited a laboratory on laptops recycling and attended a recycling workshop.

To have a better understanding of environmental sustainability and managing environmental sustainability-related projects, committee members also underwent a two-day course titled goEco Ambassador conducted by Republic Polytechnic.

On 17 August 2023, our School was honoured to receive the Eco Office (Champion) certification by the Singapore Environment Council for our Novena campus offices at the 24^th Singapore Environment Achievement Award Ceremony 2023. Sharing the Champion accolade with renowned companies like NEA, EDB, HPB, Shell and Starhub, the award reflects not just our School’s commitment to excellent environmental performance but also our continuous efforts in instilling a green ethos among our employees. 

Finally, in December 2023, the team successfully completed the Green Mark recertification of the CSB and received a BCA Green Mark Platinum Award. Green Mark certification is a comprehensive framework for assessing the overall environmental performance of new and existing buildings to promote sustainable design and best practices in construction and operations in buildings. This award is given to buildings that ensure continued performance of the Green Mark project in energy efficiency, indoor environmental indicators and smart operations. By obtaining this status, the School has demonstrated its continued commitment to reducing the environmental impact of our building, by improving energy and water efficiency, alongside other sustainability measures.

Campus sustainability begins with creating awareness and cultivating a culture of environmental responsibility. Quoting polar explorer, environmental leader and public speaker Robert Swan:

 “The greatest threat to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it.” 

LKCMedicine’s Green Committee hopes to motivate all to journey with us as we play our part in ensuring that our future generations can enjoy the resources that we enjoy today.