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New awards for journalism about the environment will be given out from next year, Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Vivian Balakrishnan announced yesterday.

The awards, to be given out by the Singapore Environment Council (SEC), will honor media organizations as well as students from local secondary schools and universities.

They will include categories such as best environmental journalist of the year, excellence in environmental reporting by a media organization in the region, and best student journalist.

The SEC said it will accept entries from a wide range of platforms, including television, radio, newsletters, magazines and social media. It has not decided on the prizes.

Balakrishnan made the announcement at yesterday's annual Singapore Environmental Achievement Awards, where four companies and a school were honored for their efforts in sustainability.

Temasek Polytechnic won the Top Achiever award for a rainwater collection system that irrigates the entire campus' plants and fields.

Balakrishnan singled out young people of today as a driving force behind green initiatives worldwide.

"Young Singaporeans and young people all over the world often care more about the environment than their seniors," he said. "This is one area politicians don't have to nag young people about."

Dianne Goh, 23, who helped to organize the World Leadership Conference about environmental topics last month, said the new awards will encourage more young people to start writing about green issues.

"A lot of schools and organizations have magazines about sustainability. (Non-profit organization) Eco Singapore has a quarterly magazine and most of the writers are students," she said. "The awards would be good recognition for their work."

Balakrishnan also launched a new training program to help manufacturing companies make their operations greener.

Called the 'Implement Sustainable Manufacturing' program, it will be conducted over 15 hours and cost about $500 for each trainee, with government subsidies of up to 70 percent for citizens and permanent residents. Graduates will be awarded certificates from the Workforce Development Agency.

The program is expected to start enrolling trainees within the next few months and will take in about 200 over the next two years.

Balakrishnan said green practices benefit not just the environment but businesses as well.

"It is no longer a zero-sum game between responsibility and profit," he said. "In markets where consumers choose to buy from companies that have a good reputation for environmental sustainability, green companies have the winning edge."

The four companies honored at yesterday's event were Seagate Technology International, PowerSeraya, Greenpac and HydroBall Technics (SEA).

Greenpac chief executive Susan Chong, 41, said her company looked for ways to help others reduce waste and find green alternatives to materials. For example, it replaced foam chips used to secure items in crates with reusable belts. This helped it win the Top Achiever award.

'There's a "green wave" influencing the way companies conduct their activities," she said. "In the coming years, people will expect companies to be sustainable."

To find out more about the new Asian Environmental Journalism Awards, visit www.sec.org.sg


Reprinted courtesy of Straits Times Indonesia. To subscribe to Straits Times Indonesia and/or the Jakarta Globe call 021 2553 5055.