NYP launches $10m fund for sustainability projects
Nanyang Polytechnic (NYP) launched its sustainability masterplan on Nov 3, setting aside $10 million to fund innovative projects on sustainability.
The money will fund projects under its NYP Living Lab, which aims to test-bed sustainability-related solutions on campus, before they are rolled out in commercial and real-world settings.
On these projects, NYP staff and students will get to work with the institution’s industry partners, such as firms keen on using technology to improve processes, neighbourhoods looking to reduce environmental footprints, and start-ups that want to test their solutions.
The $10 million fund was part of a slew of sustainability-related initiatives that NYP rolled out at its Eco Fest launch event on Nov 3, held at Teck Ghee Community Club.
Another initiative was Project Rejuven-Aid, which involved about 300 NYP students joining hands with NYP staff and grassroots volunteers to spruce up the homes of 56 seniors or low-income families in the estate.
“We worked with different Active Ageing Centres around Teck Ghee to find seniors who were in need of such help,” said Ms Gloria Chua, 18, a second-year diploma in mass media management student. “Some were hoarding cases, while some just had dirty walls, ceiling fans and windows that they were not able to reach.”
The project was flagged off by Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong at the Eco Fest event, which was attended by around 1,000 residents and students.
The event by NYP and Teck Ghee grassroots organisations was also organised to encourage sustainable lifestyle habits in the community.
On Nov 3, four or five volunteers visited each of the pre-assessed homes, where they cleaned or painted from 1pm to 6pm, said Ms Chua, who is also the president of NYP’s Leo club, which focuses on community service for seniors, children and people with disabilities.
NYP plans to hold the home refurbishment project periodically and in other neighbourhoods, although no dates have been set for subsequent editions.
Teck Ghee, which is in the polytechnic’s immediate neighbourhood, is the first community the school is working with under its NYP X initiative, which seeks to kick-start sustainability-driven activities that can be replicated in different communities and neighbourhoods across Singapore.
These include NYP students and alumni running free-cycle markets, where second-hand items can find a new lease of life; e-waste collection drives, where old or faulty devices can be brought in for proper disposal or assessment by experts; and a Repair Kopitiam, where residents can learn to fix their broken appliances instead of discarding them.
“Teck Ghee, which is an ageing constituency, had the need and the community, and NYP brings the innovation, youth, manpower and support,” said Mr Gerald Singham, chairman of the Teck Ghee Citizens’ Consultative Committee.
“Besides making things more convenient for residents, it also gives opportunities for youth volunteerism... our youth are very keen to be engaged but they want it to be purposeful activities,” said Mr Singham, who added he was encouraged by the strong turnout of student volunteers.
In a speech at the event, SM Lee, who oversees the Teck Ghee ward in Ang Mo Kio GRC, thanked NYP for working with Teck Ghee to spruce up the homes of the residents.
“With NYP and with our own grassroots activists together, I think we can make a difference, and at the same time, make not just a more sustainable, but also a more cohesive and warm community,” he said.
Earlier on Nov 3, SM Lee took part in Ang Mo Kio Town Council’s annual tree planting day, where he planted the 10,000th tree within the town in 2024.
The tree was planted near Block 535 Serangoon North Ave 4, it marked the first time 10,000 trees and shrubs were planted by the town council in a single year.
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