Through my experience and time here in Singapore I have learned numerous things about the culture, politics, and business of Singapore along with the differences between Signaporian and Western customs/norms. One of the biggest things that I noticed and learned about was the country’s policies towards having a positive environmental impact. This underlying theme was seen in many aspects ranging from how companies conduct business, how policies get implemented, and people’s everyday mentality. For example, when we went to visit the Sustainable Singapore Gallery I was able to learn about the initiatives people are beginning to take in order to reduce their carbon footprint, and maintain a clean environment. Some of these actions included biking or public transportation as an alternative to cars, designated smoking areas, and water conservation efforts. Additionally, the government has an impact on the outcome of this, for example, the price to own a car in Singapore is expensive and the process is a titious one. This is made to deter people from having a car to reduce the impact on the environment as well as reduce traffic. This along with other policies set in place by the government help to keep Singapore a clean and environmentally friendly city. In addition to individuals and companies, we observed that businesses play a role in this. For example, when we visited Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group we had the wonderful opportunity to tour the ?back of the shop? and one instance really stuck with me. They had a section in which workers would drop off their uniforms at the end of a shift, and all the uniforms would be washed together. At the hotel all workers were expected to maintain a ?clean and sharp look?; however, if they were expected to clean their uniform every night on their own this would lead to a larger impact on electricity and water. So, therefore by providing the service to wash them all together the company has helped to reduce water impact from its employees.
Before going to Singapore I had known that the country was known to be clean and environmentally friendly, but seeing it in person along with the policies and initiative set in place made me realize that point even more. I believe that this is a major part of Singapore’s culture and one of the aspects that make them unique compared to many Western and Asian countries, so it was great to be able to experience first hand and see the impact it had on the city.
