Meet Dulwich College: Finalists for for Sustainability Champion of The Year at our Annual Business Awards
What's made them Finalists
Building sustainable practices that are integrated into daily aspects of campus life at the College, Dulwich College Singapore has created a collaborative environment where students, staff, parents and partners can all get involved in building a more sustainable future.
Active College Community Involvement
Dulwich College Singapore has implemented a sustainability strategy which ensures that students, staff, parents and other partners are all involved with and engaged in sustainability initiatives.
There has been a real drive on recycling that has been led by all three school divisions of the College this year, with students as young as six getting involved in leading initiatives after questioning the recycling practices that they observed. As a result of this and discussions at Sustainability Committee meetings, training was provided for cleaning staff to ensure that disposal of recycled materials was done appropriately, and the number of segregated recycling bins were increased.
Food and garden waste is recycled by means of the College’s on-site Eco-Whiz composter and in the dining halls, the catering team have focused on ensuring more consumer plate waste can be processed in their composter. Students are currently focusing on how they can change behaviours to reduce the amount of cross-contamination in the college's recycling and food waste bins to improve the effectiveness of these systems.
The College's catering provider, Sodexo, also work alongside students, staff and parents through the Food and Nutrition and the Sustainability committees as they continuously try to balance the variety of choice, including healthy options, with supporting sustainability driven initiatives such as Meatless Mondays and serving daily vegetarian options.
On Campus Green Initiatives
The Greenhouse, a seven-storey, state-of-the-art learning space designed to develop sustainable learning environments, is the first net-zero international school building in Singapore and was recently certified as Green Mark Platinum Zero Energy by the BCA. Reinforcing the College's commitment to fostering sustainable practices within the realm of education, the initiative exposes students and staff to the many exciting developments and opportunities in the sustainability field.
After Covid, bento boxes as well as compostable cutlery and paper take away cups were still utilised on campus. All single use items in the canteens and coffee shops were no longer made available from the end of January 2023. Even plastic straws were removed, at source, from the juice drink cartons, and froyo was no longer served in paper cups, it is now only available in cones. For the College's Founders Day event in June, they ensured that catering did not utilise single use plastics.
Dulwich College has also began implementing energy-efficient technologies, such as LED lighting and motion sensors, to reduce electricity consumption. Other efforts to drive sustainability include installing more solar panels and rainwater harvesting systems as part of their new building as well as introducing time-controlled plugs with reduced operation time from 10 hours to 8 hours, variable speed drives in pool pumping systems, and an increased number of motion sensors for lights.
Bringing Nature into Early Learning
To ensure that a positive connection is made with nature and the environment from an early age, Dulwich College (Singapore) was the first international school in Singapore to introduce Forest School into the DUCKS early years programme. This allows students have the opportunity to observe and interact with a wide range of Singapore’s diverse flora and fauna. Through hands-on experiences out in nature, children develop a deep understanding of ecosystems, biodiversity, and the importance of environmental conservation. They learn about plants, animals, and natural processes, fostering a sense of responsibility and stewardship towards the environment.