Singapore: One of the Most Sustainable Cities

Singapore, also known as the garden city, is leading the way towards a sustainable tourism and green living! Home to over 5.6 million people, this tiny island city is considered to be one of the most densely populated countries in the world! But the irony in this statement is that it never feels that way when you are in this place. Thanks to the expansive gardens, boardwalks, open green spaces, beaches, and, most importantly, the exceptionally designed urban architecture of the country! 

Singapore is the country that sets itself as an ideal example of how every country should be. Singapore proudly qualifies to be one of the topmost countries with an excellent quality of living! Singapore is also considered to be the greenest city of Asia owing to its exceptional environmental targets and the country’s innovative and efficient ways to achieve the same!

Also read: Is a budget trip to Singapore possible?

Renewable Energy Sources

Owing to the country’s tropical climate round the year, solar power is considered to be its most reliable renewable energy source. The country is striving to improve its energy intensity by 35% by 2030. Singapore has set up the world’s largest floating solar photovoltaic test-bed towards the north of the island for conducting advanced research in this field. 

The overall cost of this experiment is about $11 million and proves to be the most efficient way to utilize the sun’s energy. The advanced technology includes the application of ‘active-cooling panels which helps the water to be pumped into the solar cells to help cool the system and thereby enhance the performance. The solar panels used are bi-facial, which enables to absorb the sunlight from both the sides, thereby maximizing its efficiency!

Hydro Hub

According to the reports of Singapore’s water agency, PUB, the water demand across the country is 430 million gallons a day, which is expected to grow more than double by the year 2060. The country continuously strives to ensure water sustainability with the help of three key strategies – to collect every droplet of water, to reuse the water efficiently, and to desalinate more water. 

Singapore’s National Water Agency, along with the leading French global water treatment company SUEZ to promote cutting-edge technologies and create a vibrant water-research community. The newly opened Innovation Center by the SUEZ strategically progresses the long-term sustainable water initiatives across the country. 

The application of advanced ICT and analytical software has been initiated to establish a smart water grid that includes a decision support tool for stormwater management and preservation, automatic meter reading to track the water consumption, and an energy-efficient used water treatment plant.

Green Living

Singapore has employed a collaboration of expert technologies, creative designing team, and urban planning to achieve Green Mark Certification that will enable environmental sustainability and quality living of its residents. The green initiatives for green living include:

• Automatic dimming and brightening of lights in the room according to the time of the day and the weather conditions outside, with the help of the advanced computerized system
• Automatic sensors to save energy by turning off the air-conditioning if the doors are open for more time
• Usage of water-cooled chillers for air-conditioning, so that the heat emitted from them are utilized to provide hot water in the hotels
• Rainwater harvesting which is reused in the washroom system of the buildings
• Setting up of giant digesters in the basement area that is designed to convert 2500 kilograms daily food waste into recycled water

Sustainable Tourism

Singapore is one of the most favored tourist destinations in the world, and the tourism industry is a major contributor to the GDP of the country! Sustainable tourism in Singapore is due to its capability to utilize the natural resources that are readily available for the development of the organization. The optimum utilization of the resources, namely natural, social, cultural, and economical, contribute towards the sustainability of tourism in the long run! The key strategies include:

Environmental Sustainability: A better environment will surely improve tourism. The hospitality sector, especially hotels, and food and beverage companies, are taking special care of the natural environment around them. 

Social and Economic Factors: Sustainable tourism development can be achieved only if the tourism industry strives to develop the community in which they operate. The community development can be promoted by enhancing the living conditions of the local people by improving the local and national infrastructure, etc. Along with the social factors, the companies and organizations must be able to survive economically as well. The organizations work continuously towards fulfilling the demand towards their customers. 

Long term goals: Apart from the above factors, the country has now developed long term goals decided by the government for the development of the tourism industry. It includes focusing on the infrastructural development of the country, enhancing the capabilities of the tourism industry to be able to serve more tourists, green initiatives towards green living, improving transportation facilities, and improving the level of hospitality services. 

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