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Singapore is unlike any other Asian city in that
this tiny republic has managed to maximize every potential financial opportunity
that has been presented to it since the end of World War II. Few people are
aware if it but Singapore is now the fourth largest financial trading center in
the world. They follow only London, New York and Tokyo. Since 1997 economic
growth of this island nation located at the tip of the Malay peninsula has
exploded. The reason for this is simple. When the British returned Hong Kong to
China after their 99 year lease ran out in 1997, Many ex-pats looked for a
convenient Asian trading post with a stable government. Enter Singapore with its
pro UK recent past. Until 1965, the republic was another centre of the British
Empire.
Singapore is geographically small. The total area
of the city state numbers just 271 square miles. The country is comprised of 63
individual islands. 25% of the gross national product of Singapore comes from
refining of raw materials. Another 25% is derived from transport and brokerage
of same. All of this industrialization has not come without an ecological price.
100 years ago 90% of the land of Singapore was rain forest. That number
plummeted to less than 15% before reforestation measures restored the rain
forest to almost 25% of the usable land.
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Singapore has become one of, if not the most,
technologically advanced nations of the world. They lead the world in
implementation of cutting edge clean technologies. A shining example of this is
Singapore’s new Clean Tech Industrial Park. As part of a grand plan to achieve
energy efficiency and total sustainability the government’s economic
development board has partnered with the local corporate community to set up a
Green Development area. Not only is the project location itself setup for
minimum eco-impact and maximum sustainability, but the work within the park is
all focused upon development of clean tech solutions. It is the plan of the
government of Singapore to lead the world in this area. Situated on 50 hectares
of land the project, to be completed by 2030 will accommodate 20,000 workers.
Emphasis on the development in placed on minimizing the office and industrial
impact on the land. Simple ideas such as implementation of underground parking
and passive lighting are blended with high tech solar power installations. Land
optimization seems to be the central theme as all buildings are designed to
return more of the original rain forest to the island.
Singapore is a unique South Pacific weigh station
in that it prospers as the ultimate global corporate middleman. This new
industrial park will exist to develop sustainability technologies as well as
incorporate them. The park streets will be lit exclusively with LEDS, the
development of which having taken place in Singapore. The specific designs of
these are then licensed for manufacture throughout the world. Rainwater is
collected on the roofs of the massive office buildings. The system used for this
gathering is further developed and marketed. Singapore became one of the
wealthiest nations in the world by refining raw materials and exporting them
around the word. Now they will likely pioneer the “Green age” by refining
sustainability techniques and selling those ideas.
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