Celebration of 100,000 Native Plants @ South West and Launch of 1,000,000 Native Plants @ South West

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Introduction

100,000 Native Plants @ South West - Rooted in Your Community is a three-year long community gardening initiative by South West Community Development Council (CDC), in partnership with community and corporate partners, to reinstate the natural heritage of Singapore by planting 100,000 native plants in the South West District and reduce the effects of global warming and climate change.

Officially launched in July 2007, the 100,000 Native Plants @ South West programme has evolved to a total of 32 community gardens. We have exceeded our target to plant 100,000 Native Plants in the South West District.

As part of the ECo Plan South West initiative, it is proposed that the programme be expanded to 1,000,000 Native Plants @ South West, to make the South West District a cooler, cleaner and greener place to live in. Besides providing shade, by having 1,000,000 plants in the district will enrich the areas around our homes. The programme hopes to instil passion in the heartlands and develop care for our common natural public spaces.

Objectives

The objectives of the 1,000,000 Native Plants @ South West are to:
   a) Engage and connect the community for bonding;
   b) Re-instate natural heritage and create a conducive environment and Eco-system; and
   c) Enhance efforts to mitigate climate change.

Target Group for the 1,000,000 Native Plants @ South West

For the 1,000,000 Native Plants @ South West Programme, every effort by the community will go towards the count for the 1,000,000 plants. This will include efforts by the Grassroots Organisations (GROs) and schools in the South West District under the Seed Funding Programme, Corporate partners in the district under the Corporate Planting Programme, and the residents and Corporate partners in the district for their pledging under the 1,000,000 Native Plants Pledging Website.

Proposed Programme under the 1,000,000 Native Plants @ South West

Existing initiatives currently in place under the 100,000 Native Plants @ South West will be enhanced, and new initiatives will be rolled out in order to meet the 1,000,000 target. The initiatives are as follows:

I) Pledging Website of 1,000,000 Native Plants @ South West

A pledging website, comprising three key components, will rope in the involvement of residents and corporates in the district. The key components of the website include the Plant-for-Tree Programme, Corporate Planting Programme and Plant for a Good Cause Programme.

a) Plant-for-Tree Programme

For individuals who wish to support the cause can pledge their domestic potted plants or own gardens towards the programme. This will be in line with CDC’s plans of encouraging greener homes. This will also allow for greater participation amongst residents. For a multiplier effect, for every 50 plants pledged by individuals, a corporate partner will be planting one tree in the community. This may motivate individuals to contribute actively, within their means, given the tangible results. It is proposed that a tree-planting event be held upon achieving 40-50 trees. The planting could be carried out by corporations or volunteers. For check and balance purposes, residents may be contacted, as well as profiled for their contributions.

b) Corporate Planting Programme

This is an existing programme made easy. Corporate partners can simply register their interest to plant 200 plants/trees and shrubs and commit their staff and $22,000. The online registration will be routed to NParks and CDC will follow-up with a planting event.

c) Plant for a Good Cause

Individuals and organisations alike can choose to pledge funds to support the greening of a beneficiary home, either an orphanage or an old folks home. The minimum pledging sum is about $200 per plant/tree, which will go to the CDC to fund gardening or planting at the beneficiary. As part of 3P, the beneficiary could be adopted by a school or commercial nursery. An online e-Nets payment will be made available for easy participation.

II) Seed Funding For Community Garden

CDC will continue to fund the set up of community gardens by schools and Grassroots Organisations (GROs). An annual target of 25 gardens is projected in the district, i.e. 15 gardens by the GROs and 10 gardens by the schools.

III) ShowGarden @ South West Competition

A district-wide ShowGarden competition involving all registered community will be carried out bi-annually, as a prelude to the Community In Bloom (CIB) Awards by the National Parks Board (NParks). The ShowGarden @ South West Competition will award the community gardens based on the following categories, a) Model ShowGarden @ South West, b) Greenest Garden @ South West, and c) Most Active Garden @ South West.

Categories	Judging Criteria
1) Model ShowGarden @ South West	i)  Quality of Garden ii) Community Involvement iii) Education iv) Recreation v) Community Voting
2) Greenest Garden @ South West	i) Magnitude of environmentally-friendly planting methods ii) Creativity in utilising eco-friendly methods
3) Most Active Garden @ South West	i) Most number of members

Official Launch of 1,000,000 Native Plants @ South West

An official launch event will be held to acknowledge the community-corporate partnerships towards the creation of a greener and better South West District, and the details are as follows:

GOH:	Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam Minister for Finance and Adviser for Jurong GROs
Host:	Dr Amy Khor Mayor of South West District and Senior Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources
Date:	Sunday, 23 November 2008
Time:	8.00 am to 12.00 pm
Venue:	Taman Jurong Greens (Opp Blk 368 Corporation Drive / Opp Lakeside Pri Sch)

Pre-Event Highlights

A district-wide ShowGarden competition, ShowGarden @ South West, will be held for one month leading up to the launch, for 32 registered community gardens of the 100,000 Native Plants @ South West Programme.

Main event Highlights

The main event highlights for the celebrations are as follow:

a) Mass Planting Activity

1,000 residents and GOH will be engaged in a mass planting activity for about 1,000 plants/trees, in commemoration of the launch of the 1,000,000 plants programme.

b) Inaugural Award Ceremony for ShowGarden @ South West

Presentation of award to the winning gardens under the various categories i.e. Model ShowGarden @ South West, Greenest Garden @ South West, and Most Active Garden @ South West.

c) Fringe Activities

The launch will feature a variety of stalls and/or exhibition booths with various themes. Potted plants will also be given out as collaterals.

Conclusion

The vision of the 1,000,000 Native Plants @ South West, is to enrich our environment so as to make our backyard meaningful for future generations, providing an enhanced quality of life for all in the South West District. It is a genuine effort by all – the public bodies, the people and the private sector. In so doing, South West CDC hopes to build community bonding and cohesion and cultivate passion within the District so all can benefit from the collective effort, conserving the landscape in a sustainable manner whilst working, playing and living together.

Contact Details

For more information, please contact the officer-in-charge, Mr Mohd Ridzuan
(DID: 6551 9277; Email: mohd_Ridzuan@pa.gov.sg).

Together, let's plant 1,000,000 native plants in South West District today.
Every pledge counts!