Effective Communication SIE

I was interested in green technologies after my visit to the Zero Energy Building (ZEB) at Building & Construction Authority (BCA) during my polytechnic days. BCA deployed many innovative building designs and energy efficient building solutions in the ZEB. These solutions contribute to a 40 to 50 percent increase in energy efficiency compared to a typical building. I hope to incorporate these innovative ideas into old residential buildings so that they may acquire the same level of energy efficiency BCA had achieved.

Since its establishment in January 2005, the Green Mark Scheme is now ten years into operation. In the recently published 3rd Green Building Masterplan, Building and Construction Authority (BCA) has announced its plans on having 80 per cent of all buildings Green Mark certified by 2030. To ensure that BCA keeps its target in sight, the organisation has also set interim goals from now till 2030. From the 1960s till January 2005, a large number of Housing Development Board (HDB) residential buildings were built to provide roofs over Singaporeans.  These estates are old and have yet to be retrofitted to be energy efficient for the Green Mark Certification. Team Old is Green has seen this problem as an opportunity and have set our sights on the potential of retrofitting existing residential buildings to make them energy efficient. This proposal discusses why the team decided to take on the problem of retrofitting existing residential buildings and a feasible solution that should be made aware of to all consumers. With the green movement, every building stakeholder will stand to reap benefits and protect Mother Earth from further deterioration. With this proposal in place, the team hopes to reach BCA’s target well before 2030.

03 October 2015

Dr Chong Fook Loong

Director of Building Research and Planning

Housing and Development Board

Block 190 Lorong 6 Toa Payoh

#04-510 Singapore 310190

Dear Mr. Chong

RE: Request for Proposals

This letter is to inform you of our acknowledgement and response to your letter of authorization. We are pleased to present you with the following proposal for upgrading older generation public housing buildings into green buildings. This will be in line with Building and Construction Authority’s (BCA) goal of having at least 80% of buildings in Singapore to be green by 2030.

In 2005, BCA introduced the Green Mark scheme to encourage new buildings in Singapore to be sustainable and eco-friendly. In 2006, BCA released the Green Building Masterplan to motivate industry stakeholders to embrace green buildings. While these initiatives are critical and necessary (BCA has since released Green Building Masterplan 3 in 2014), we must not forget the many HDB flats built before 2005.

As of 31 March 2005, there were 879,556 units, and taking an average of 103 units per block according to teoalida.com, that would equate to 8,540 HDB blocks built before Green Marks existed. We must not forget about these buildings as they form a large percentage of all buildings in Singapore. If BCA wants to have 80% of buildings in Singapore to be green by 2030, we need to upgrade these old generation buildings with new green technology.

We are proposing the use of smart meters in individual homes of these mature HDB estates. These smart meters provide real time update on the amount of electricity or water being used. It is a good way to influence the residents to reduce their utility consumption.

We believe that education of the public over introduction of new technologies will have a greater impact on Singapore in terms of going green because of how wasteful Singaporeans can be. We are targeting the HDB flats because 76.3% of all dwelling units in Singapore are HDBs, which allows us to reach more of the public.

Yours Sincerely,

 Ong Bing Zhi

On Behalf of Team “Old is Green”

After the first lesson, I was informed that three draft of reader response, one proposal and one presentation needs to be done. I did not had good grades for my English module in the past before and I did not expect to achieve a good grades for this module. Basically my standard was very low. But due to brad and his Peer and Tutor Feedback learning, I felt that I learned more than I expected from this course.

I had never done any reader response in my life, but in this module I did three draft. After the first draft, it was reviewed by my fellow classmates. They gave me feedback, which I took in and make improvement to my reader response. This process repeats for one more cycle before brad’s review. He will then point out grammatical error, structure error and give feedback on how it could be improved. I had never went through this process before. In my previous English modules, I was only given my grades. I did not know where I make a mistake and I will carry on and make the mistake over and over again.  I feel that this system really works and I have learned a lot throughout this module.

Then came the proposal and oral presentation, I was already struggling with other modules such as mechanics and math. Writing the proposal was difficult and time consuming for me. But with the help of my teammate, I am able to pull through it all.

Brad is always there for us and provides valuable feedbacks to improve our work. Brad is very positive and is very encouraging. After 4 months of effective communication module, I felt that I have learned a lot from not only brad but from my peers as well.  Thanks brad for this wonderful learning experience.

In the article “Why the climate fight needs engineers”, Shah (2015) agree that highly qualified engineers will be needed to tackle the issue of climate change in Singapore by applying sustainable engineering. The writer mentions the importance of low carbon economy as Asian cities have been facing extreme weather events such as droughts, floods and rising sea levels as a result of climate change. She mentions that to address the problem will take innovations in numerous areas including sustainable energy and sustainable infrastructure development. Engineers with leadership skills will also need to understand how to incorporate the alternative technologies to develop more sustainable power sources.

I agree with Shah that engineers are needed to address the issue of climate change by applying and maintaining the creative sustainable engineering solutions such as sustainable energy. But she did not elaborate enough on the sustainable energy which may contribute the most to the reduction of carbon emission.

According to The World Bank (2014), 97.6 percent of Singapore’s electricity is generated by the burning of fossil fuel. This contribute to the high carbon emissions in Singapore. Power consumption in Singapore is still increasing due to the growing population. To meet the needs of its people, Singapore is desperately seeking new ways of generating power without increasing its carbon emissions. Chua (2015) describes how engineers can make use of low-carbon, sustainable electricity generation like solar photo-voltaic (PV) and wind power to reduce the dependency on fossil fuel.

I agree with the writer that sustainable engineering solutions will be in strong demand and engineers will see tremendous opportunities. Shah further explains the Engineers Progressive Pathway Programme that Singapore deploy to create a long term development for engineers. The engineers progression pathway programme has three targeted group: engineers who have just joined the workforce, professional engineers and senior engineers. This programme aims to increase standards in the engineering field and develop a strong supply of engineering leaders. Engineers from different engineering background such as materials, electrical, and manufacturing engineering could work together to enhance the performance of various renewable energy technologies, such as solar photovoltaic panels.

Being located close to the equator has its benefit. Singapore can make full use of the sun to provide a viable source of solar energy. A PV system is beneficial in creating a low carbon emission ecosystem as it does not create any carbon emission. Engineers will be needed to implement the usage of solar panels on infrastructures. The article “Sunny future for solar panel research in Singapore” (2015) shows how engineers tested out floating solar panel. They studied the result and confirmed that the cooler the solar panel, the more energy you can get out of it. The amount of solar power harvested using the floating solar panels are higher as compared to the amount on a system taken on a rooftop or a land based system.

In conclusion, I agree with Shah that engineers play an important role in the fight against climate change and what Singapore can do to sustain a strong supply of engineers. But I feel that she could have given more details on how engineers can contribute in the energy sector. To win the fight against climate change, engineers are needed to think of innovative solutions and carry out testing and implementing of these new solutions.

In the article “Why the climate fight needs engineers”, Vaidehi Shah (2015) agrees that highly qualified engineers will be needed to tackle the issue of climate change in Singapore by applying sustainable engineering. The writer acknowledge the importance of low carbon economy as Asian cities have been facing extreme weather events such as drought, flood and rising sea levels as a result of climate change. She mention that to address the problem will take innovations in numerous areas including sustainable technologies, engineers with leadership skill will also need to understand how to incorporate the alternative technologies to build a sustainable power source.

I agree with shah that engineers are needed to address the issue of climate change by making applying creative sustainable engineering solutions. However the writer did not specify any alternative ways to build a strong pipe of engineers which is vital in combating climate change.

In Singapore, the work of engineers can be seen everywhere from green buildings, water treatment, incineration plants, land reclamation. All of it is done to make Singapore a smart nation and to support more convenient and integrated living. The writer remarks that to achieve the transition to a more sustainable urban and economic system. Sustainable engineering solutions will be in strong demand, and engineers will see tremendous opportunities. This point is also supported by Jean (2015) whom added that because of Singapore’s small size and urban environment, we can play a useful role as a living lab to test-bed and pilot innovative urban solutions. Sha furthers explain the engineers progression pathway programme singapore deploy to create a long term development for engineers. Which will subsequently raise the standards in the engineering field and nurture a good supply of engineering leaders.

Shah stresses the importance of engineers in shaping the future for a cleaner and green city. However in the article she did not provide any alternative ways to producing engineers of such caliber. Jean (2015) mentions that engineers have a vital role to play in the fight against climate change and is worried that young people might not be drawn to the industry because of relatively lower salaries – compared to those in investment banking and law – and the ‘glamour’ factor.

In conclusion, I feel that by nurturing the youth and teaching them the importance of creating a zero-carbon economy and the devastating effects of climate change on the world may be a better way to achieve a strong pipeline of engineers.

References:

Shah, V. (2015, June 8). Why the Climate Fight Needs Engineers. The Eco-Business. Retrieve from: http://www.eco-business.com/news/why-the-climate-fight-needs-engineers/

Jean Chua, (2015, July 28). Engineering plays crucial role in climate change. Retrieved Tuesday 28 July 2015, from http://www.eco-business.com/news/engineering-plays-crucial-role-in-climate-change/

Jean Chua, (2015, June 15). Cities: Asia’s Main Battleground for Climate Change. The Eco-business. Retrieve from: http://www.eco-business.com/news/cities-asias-main-battleground-for-climate-change/

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In “Why the climate fight needs engineers”, Vaidehi Shah(2015) highlights the increasing need of highly qualified engineers to tackle the issue of climate change in Singapore. The writer acknowledge the importance of low carbon economy as cities have been facing extreme weather events such as drought, flood and rising sea levels.

In order to combat climate fight, INSTITUTION OF ENGINEERS SINGAPORE(IES) president Chong Kee Sen mention that the IES aims to create a  long term development for engineers, raise the standards in the engineering field and nurture a good supply of engineering leaders.

Sanjay Kuttan, director and country manager of the Clean Technology Centre whom supports her view notes that Singapore has one of the world’s highest carbon emissions per capital. Solving this challenge will take innovations in numerous areas including renewable energy, electric vehicles, and energy efficiency, but ultimately, engineers will also have to demonstrate an understanding of how these technologies work together in a broader, truly sustainable power system.

In conclusion, I agree with shah that to combat climate change, engineers were needed and the demand for highly qualified engineers will stay. In the article, shah had mention the importance of engineers in the climate fight and mentioning that green technology such as renewable energy, electric vehicles, and energy efficiency. But i believe that politician also plays a crucial roles in the climate fight.

References:

Vaidehi Shah (2015, June 8). Why the Climate Fight Needs Engineers. The Eco-Business. Retrieve from: http://www.eco-business.com/news/why-the-climate-fight-needs-engineers/

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In the article “Why the climate fight needs engineers”, Shah (2015) mentioned that a new scheme for engineers has been set in motion in Singapore to address issues that will be caused by the change in climate in the near future. Extreme weather fluctuations and fast urban development made the government saw the need to achieve a new sustainable urban and economic system through engineering.The scheme will allow professionals to upgrade their knowledge in their field of expertise, increase the job opportunities for engineers and grooming senior engineers to take up leadership position within the industry. She concludes that engineering expertise will remain a key part of the solution in realising Singapore’s green growth vision.

Being borned a 90s kid i had no access to the internet till the early 2000s, and having two mandarin speaking parents. I had little to no experience in the mysterious art of the english language before pre-school. But what i do have is a television and my trusty state of the art gaming console, a turquoise Gameboy colour with a Pokemon Yellow Cartridge. Every morning i would tune to my favourite television programmes like Hey arnold and Rugrats. So by watching television programme and playing games, i have managed to learn basic english and slowly but surely i had managed to place my feet on the first step to my english language learning journey.English to me is just a mean for me to complete my task and this situation persist even till the end of the secondary school life.

So what benefit does english brings? For me, english is a platform that people around the world can use to communicate. The ability to write good contents means that it will be easier to convey the message from one to other.