Source: Government of Singapore
JOINT NEWS RELEASE BETWEEN NEA, NPARKS AND NE CDC
Singapore, 1 November 2025 – The Clean & Green Singapore (CGS) Day[1] is an annual event celebrating and reaffirming our shared commitment to environmental care. CGS Day 2025 was held at Our Tampines Hub. It is organised by the National Environment Agency (NEA), National Parks Board (NParks), North East Community Development Council (CDC)[2], as well as Tampines Central Grassroots Organisations.
2 Guest-of-Honour, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade and Industry, Mr Gan Kim Yong, commenced CGS Day with the traditional tree-planting ceremony. This tradition began in 1963, when founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew planted a Mempat tree at Farrer Circus to mark the start of Singapore’s greening programme. DPM Gan also presented the Environmental Services (ES) Star Awards, and the Community in Bloom (CIB) Ambassador Awards.
Honouring 30 Individuals for Keeping Singapore Clean
3 The annual ES Star Awards honour workers’ dedication to maintaining public health and hygiene in Singapore. DPM Gan presented awards[3] to 30 frontline, supervisory, and operations support staff.
4 This award honoured individuals like Ms Foo Kai Xin, an entomologist with Ikari Services Pte Ltd. Ms Foo’s technical proficiency in pest biology and species identification has enabled her to resolve challenging cases and conduct critical high-risk inspections. She developed innovative pest management solutions, such as smart rodent monitoring systems, and non-toxic pest control solutions.
Appointment of Community in Bloom (CIB) Ambassador
5 Ten new CIB Ambassadors[4] were appointed at CGS Day 2025. This award honours individuals who have made meaningful contributions in promoting gardening and actively engaging the community through gardening-related projects.
6 Among this year’s awardees was 18-year-old Ang Jet Hong. Jet Hong has shown exceptional commitment to community gardening at Kampong Glam Kelantan Residents’ Network’s Garden of Love. He has been gardening with his mother since the age of five and currently leads community events for residents, senior homes, and schools. Jet Hong specialises in upcycling and promotes eco-friendly practices through workshops, bringing together diverse participants to champion creative sustainability.
SG60: Reflecting Singapore’s Clean & Green Journey
7 In celebration of SG60, this year’s CGS Day features a special exhibition showcasing Singapore’s Clean & Green journey. The exhibits feature iconic milestones including the Singapore River clean-up, Garden City vision, and Semakau Landfill development. Visitors will see Singapore’s transformation from early struggles with polluted waterways, dirty streets, and poor sanitation. It then showcases today’s Singapore, a modern city renowned for high public health and cleanliness standards and urban greenery. The final section explores the future through initiatives such as the Singapore Green Plan 2030. The CGS SG60 exhibition runs at Our Tampines Hub on 1 and 2 November, 10am-5pm daily.
8 DPM Gan and Mr Baey Yam Keng, Mayor of the North East District unveiled the Tampines Community Art Project, “Colours of Tampines”[5]. Created by residents for SG60, this vibrant project creatively took fabric from used and unwanted clothing to craft a collage embodying their environmental aspirations. The artwork also features iconic Tampines landmarks, weaving together each neighbourhood’s unique identity. It will be displayed in their respective communities as a symbol of the residents’ environmental commitment.
9 The Public Hygiene Council (PHC) launched its latest CleanPod at Tampines Park today. This community-based resource provides organisations, schools, and residents with litter-picking tools for ground-up clean-up activities. A litter picking activity was led by Grassroots Adviser Mr Masagos Zulkifli, together with Chairman of the Public Hygiene Council Mr Andrew Khng, and involved 50 residents, students and volunteers. To date, PHC has set up 26 CleanPods across Singapore, at housing estates, beaches and parks.
10 Additionally, NParks will offer seven special community garden tours and activities curated by the Master Community Gardeners this November. These garden activities are part of the “Grow and Share”[6] initiative launched by NParks in March 2025 in conjunction with the 20th anniversary of the CIB programme.
11 As part of North East District and Tampines GRC’s community efforts, residents and partners also came together to showcase ground-up green initiatives. These efforts highlighted youth innovation, sustainable living, and care for nature. A notable initiative is the Leaders of Tomorrow Hackathon, organised by North East CDC with Temasek Polytechnic. During the hackathon, student teams developed prototypes that make sustainability engaging for primary school learners. Visitors experienced these interactive and gamified teaching resources and heard directly from the creators.
12 These “by students, for students” innovations will be piloted in five primary schools – Waterway, Punggol Cove, Junyuan, Horizon, and Mee Toh School. This initiative aims to spark early green mindsets and inspire the next generation of sustainability leaders.
13 Complementing this, the Tampines Go Green Festival provided family-friendly activities such as creative upcycling and recycling workshops, alongside a Farmers’ Market promoting eco-friendly farming and healthy living. Residents also connected with the Tampines West Nature Kakis, who shared their conservation experiences from Tampines Eco Green and family beach clean-ups. Community gardeners also conducted hands-on activities to encourage urban gardening and greener lifestyles. Collectively, these Tampines-led initiatives demonstrate the successful collaboration between grassroots leaders, residents, and youths to build a cleaner, greener, and more sustainable community.
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[1] For details of CGS experiences and activities, please refer to Annex A
[2] Each of the five districts of Singapore take turns to host the event, with North East District hosting this year.
[3] Please refer to Annex B for profiles of ES Star awardees who are available for media interviews.
[4] Please refer to Annex C for more details on the Community in Bloom Ambassador Awards and Ambassadors who have been appointed this year.
[5] Please refer to Annex E for more details on the SG60 exhibition and ‘Colours of Tampines’ project.
[6] Please refer to Annex F for more details on the “Grow and Share” initiative and activities.
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