SINGAPORE- A new guidebook outlining eco-friendly practices for restaurants and retail outlets was launched on Monday (March 7).
Entitled BCA Green Mark for Restaurants and Retail For Dummies, the guidebook was launched by Senior Minister of State for National Development Desmond Lee at an event held by the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) at the Ocean Financial Centre in Collyer Quay.
The guidebook will have recommend eco-friendly practices and sustainable features for restaurants and retail outlets.
Examples include installing sensors to regulate the flow of outdoor air into restaurants, and installing water-efficient fittings in retail outlets.
There will also be information on the BCA Green Mark scheme and how restaurants and those in the retail sector can get certified.
Launched in 2005, the BCA Green Mark Scheme is an initiative to encourage more environment-friendly buildings. The assessment criteria for the certification includes energy and water efficiency, environmental protection, and indoor environmental quality, among others.
According to the BCA's website, there were more than 2,500 Green Mark building projects in Singapore as of September 1, 2015.
Since 2011, BCA has received about 50 applications from restaurants and retail outlets. Of these, close to 30 have already been awarded the Green Mark certification and several others are in the process of attaining certification, said the BCA in a press release on Monday.
Fitness First Group's Gravity Club was the first gym here to incorporate sustainable designs including LED lights which can dim according to the time set. It will be awarded the Green Mark GoldPLUS award this year.
Half of the total building energy consumption comes from end users, said the BCA and the authority will continue to roll out more initiatives to encourage end users'to reduce their carbon footprint.
The launch event on Monday was held in conjunction with the BCA Green Office Pop-up at Ocean Financial Centre.
The pop-up is open to the public until Tuesday and includes interactive exhibits that allows visitors to learn about green practices and features that could be incorporated in offices.
