More than 120 trees planted and over $36,000 raised to enhance Singapore’s urban landscape and reinforce the maritime community’s shared responsibility for the environment

The Singapore Maritime Foundation (SMF) partnered the Garden City Fund—a registered charity and IPC under the National Parks Board (NParks)—for a second year to organise the Plant-A-Tree Programme bringing together nearly 100 past and present MaritimeONE scholars and 17 organisations (see Annex) in a collective effort to give back to the community. The $36,600 raised from the sponsors enabled 122 trees to be planted at the Rail Corridor under Garden City Fund’s Plant-A- Tree Programme. Mr. Baey Yam Keng, Minister of State, Ministry of Culture, Community & Youth and Ministry of Transport, graced the event as Guest-of-Honour. The event strengthens the cohesion of the maritime community, bringing together companies and youths to contribute to causes that uplift Singapore.

Planting additional trees in the Rail Corridor improves the air quality, reduces the impact of urbanisation, and safeguards natural habitats and biodiversity, while encouraging recreational use by the public. This initiative is in line with the wider OneMillionTrees movement launched by NParks in April 2020, which aims to plant one million more trees across Singapore over ten years, integrating the urban environment with nature and strengthening the nation’s resilience to climate change. This vision to transform Singapore into a City in Nature is a key pillar of the Singapore Green Plan 2030.

“At the Singapore Maritime Foundation, in addition to recognising academic excellence, we also want to instill in our MaritimeONE scholars the culture of giving back to society.

The act of planting trees underscores our commitment to caring for the environment—a cause the maritime community resonates strongly with. I thank all our sponsors for supporting this event,” said Mr. Hor Weng Yew, Chairman, Singapore Maritime Foundation.