The electric trucks and EV chargers were unveiled on 10 July 2023 at Willing Hearts by Guest of Honour, Mr Edwin Tong (left), Minister for Culture, Community and Youth, Second Minister for Law, together with Mr Loh Chin Hua, CEO of Keppel Corporation; Ms Cindy Lim, CEO of Keppel’s Infrastructure Division and Mr Tony Tay (not in picture), Founder of Willing Hearts.
Mr Loh Chin Hua (left), CEO of Keppel Corporation, presented a $100,000 cheque on behalf of Keppel and its stakeholders to the Singapore Cancer Society, represented by its CEO, Mr Albert Ching.
Keppel Volunteers visited students in Guangnan County in Yunnan Province as part of a programme to uplift rural communities and stimulate the development of remote regions.
Growing with Singapore and making a difference
Besides running our business sustainably and providing sustainable solutions at Keppel, we also leverage our expertise to contribute to the social, economic and environmental wellbeing of communities wherever we operate. Keppelite features some of the key highlights of our collective efforts to care for people and the environment.
Supporting sustainable operations at Willing Hearts
Keppel has helped to make Willing Hearts’ operations more sustainable with a donation of $315,000 for the purchase of two electric trucks and the installation of two electric vehicle (EV) charging points at the charity’s new premises in Telok Kurau. The donation was made through Keppel Care Foundation (KCF), Keppel’s philanthropic arm.
Ms Cindy Lim said, “As a corporate citizen, we have a responsibility towards the environment and community. Keppel is pleased to leverage our expertise and resources to contribute in multiple ways to Willing Hearts and support them in their charity operations. These include employee volunteerism at Willing Hearts, electricity cost subsidies and the latest funding of new and higher-capacity electric trucks, as well as installation of Keppel’s Volt EV chargers to provide convenient, one-stop high-speed and overnight charging.”
Since 2021, Keppel employees have been volunteering with Willing Hearts through meal preparation and delivery. The latest contribution builds on Keppel’s $120,000 donation in 2021 in the form of rebates to subsidise electricity costs at Willing Hearts’ premises and also cash for defraying operational costs.
Mr Tony Tay, Founder of Willing Hearts, said, “We are very grateful to companies like Keppel, who have generously contributed their resources and efforts over the years as we work together to uplift the lives of the underprivileged. Keppel’s latest contribution is significant, as it has helped to renew our vehicle fleet, which will enable Willing Hearts to make more deliveries, more efficiently, while reducing our impact on the environment.”
Pitching in for cancer patients
In August, Keppel and its stakeholders raised $100,000 for the Singapore Cancer Society, as part of the 45th Keppel Golf Day organised by Keppel REIT for tenants and business partners.
Keppel, through KCF, committed to make donations, based on each golfer’s score, where the better a golfer plays, the higher the donation amount. The event saw KCF donating $17,900 to the Singapore Cancer Society based on the players’ scores. In addition, the golfers individually contributed another $16,650 to the charity. KCF added a further donation of $65,450, bringing donations for the evening to a total of $100,000.
Uplifting rural communities in China
Over 30 Keppel Volunteers visited underprivileged schoolchildren in Guangnan County in Yunnan Province, China. The volunteers engaged around 840 students through interactive activities related to sustainable practices such as energy conservation and waste classification.
This was one of several volunteer-based initiatives extending from Keppel’s RMB 5 million contribution towards the China Foundation for Rural Development to uplift rural communities and spur development in remote regions of
China.
Since the programme’s launch in 2018, it has benefitted more than 13,000 students from over 40 rural schools across China by funding the upgrading of school kitchen facilities and providing children with nutritious meals.
Promoting a low-carbon economy
In the lead-up to the World Environment Day (WED) on 5 June 2023, the Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City Investment and Development Co., Ltd. (SSTEC) and the China-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City Social Development Bureau jointly organised an event to promote low-carbon travel.
The event aimed to encourage the adoption of low-carbon and sustainable lifestyles through cycling to various low-carbon pitstops in the Eco-City. The pitstops include the Low-Carbon Living Lab, the No. 4 Community Centre and the Public Housing Exhibition Centre, where the participants had a first-hand experience of low-carbon buildings and technologies.
Over in Singapore, M1 launched its new True 5G Eco SIM in half-sized card format (half the size of a credit card) made from recycled resources. This will progressively replace SIM cards which are currently made from Polyvinyl Chloride materials. By halving the size of the SIM card holder and using recyclable materials, M1 expects to reduce plastic use by 50% and product carbon footprint by 30% in the production of SIM cards.