JTC collaborates with industry and community to enhance one-north’s environment and vibrancy
JTC Corporation (JTC) held the inaugural ‘Green Day Out @ one-north’ today. Organised in conjunction with Clean and Green Week Singapore, the event marks JTC’s first community tree-planting exercise in collaboration with National Parks Board (NParks), where the industrial developer brought together industry and community to jointly enhance the greenery at one-north, a work-live-play-learn research and business hub. The event was graced by Guest-of-Honour, Senior Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Education and Ministry of Manpower, and Mayor of Southwest District, Ms Low Yen Ling.
First Community Tree-Planting
The tree-planting initiative is part of JTC’s Industry for Sustainability programme, where JTC engages business and industry partners to increase awareness of and participation in sustainable climate action. In one-north, 16 companies and 8 individuals have donated a total of 115 trees, through NParks’ registered charity and IPC, Garden City Fund’s “Plant-a-Tree” programme. The donors included companies located in one-north such as Agency of Science and Technology Singapore (A*STAR), P&G, GSK, Equinix; developers Boustead, Soilbuild, Ho Bee Land, Crescendas, Ascott; start-ups and small medium enterprises (SMEs) Trive Ventures, SGInnovate, gumi SG, Timbre+, and schools Tanglin Trust School and Mindchamps. Other donors included Grab and Telin Singapore. The trees will be planted in various locations within one-north Park, the 16-hectare ‘green spine’ that stretches across the 200-hectare estate. At the event, donors from the industry and community planted trees at one-north Park: Fusionopolis South, a short walk from one-north MRT Station. It is a nature sanctuary where the original habitat and secondary forests have been retained.
Alongside the tree-planting activity, JTC also partnered volunteers including residents from the nearby estates to organise a sustainability-themed carnival to educate participants how to go green. Highlights included SG Food Rescue’s very first ‘Junk’ Food Truck where their chefs served dishes made from ‘rescued’ food. These food produce are fresh and edible but unsellable due to their ‘ugly’ appearance and hence, usually thrown out by stores and restaurants. Other activities included a Farmers’ Market by volunteers from Telok Blangah Dover Crescent Community Centre, led by retiree Mr Benjamin Ee, who created a community garden at the top of a multi-storey carpark in Dover estate. Produce from the volunteers’ garden were being sold at the event, with the volunteers on hand to teach participants how to create planter kits using newspapers.
Enhancing one-north’s vibrancy
To activate public spaces within one-north, and enhance the business park’s vibrancy on weekends and after working hours, JTC will also be reaching out to the industry and community to bring more events and programmes into one-north. With more than 17 hectares of park and public spaces both indoor and outdoor, there is an immense opportunity for more programming activities at the business park. Apart from large-scale weekend events like Car-Free Sunday SG @ one-north (co-organised by JTC and Urban Redevelopment Authority) and one-north Festival (co-organised by JTC and A*STAR), JTC has also opened up spaces in one-north for interest groups to hold their events and activities. For instance, Cycling Chap, a group of bike enthusiasts, held their mountain bike street cycling challenge and Strider challenge for toddlers at Biopolis over the weekend on 16 September. A second edition has been planned for 25 November and 16 December.
JTC is in discussion with NParks to create community gardening plots around one-north at LaunchPad @ one-north and Wessex, a residential area comprising black and white colonial bungalows. These plots will be open to industry and members of the public, bringing together enterprises looking to test-bed urban solutions, eateries cultivating edible herbs and plants, as well as interest groups, students and residents staying in the vicinity.
“We are heartened by the active participation of the companies and members of the public to enhance the environment in one-north. With the collective efforts of the industry and community, we hope to not only bring more vibrancy to one-north, but also make it a green and inclusive estate for all.” said Aaron Tham, Director of New Estates at JTC.
