Environmental education in the private sphere can take many forms and continues to evolve with time. Some businesses are set up for the purpose of environmental education, while some others provide environmental education as a by-product of their branding.
In 1982, environmental education provided by the private sector in Singapore were limited to the Singapore Zoological Gardens and Jurong Bird Park. Thankfully, environmental consciousness has grown through the years, and the private sector has come a long way since. In this section, I will share two Singapore-based examples of how businesses and corporations contribute to environmental education.
Ground-up Initiative (GUI)
GUI is a social enterprise that was founded by Mr Tay Lai Hock in 2008. Located in Yishun, Singapore, GUI was designed to be a Kampung (village) campus to model for children and adults how sustainable urban living looks like. GUI offers a range of programmes surrounding the theme of nature and natural materials, with each programme serving a different environmental education objectives. Below is a table with examples of the type of workshops offered at GUI and how they contribute to the objectives laid out in the Belgrade Charter.
| Type of workshop | Brief description | Environmental Education Objectives |
| Nature Play | Children socialisation programme in nature | Attitude |
| Soil Regeneration | Farm tour and talk on soil health | Awareness, Knowledge |
| CSR-Tech Detox | Get away from technology, till the earth, and learn about sustainable practices | Attitude, Knowledge, Participation |
| CSR-Eco Enzyme | Making composting enzyme for use at home | Knowledge, Skills, Participation |
| Information accurate at the time of writing. For the latest workshops available at GUI, please visit their official website here. | ||
DBS Bank Ltd
Headquartered in Singapore, DBS Bank is the largest bank in Southeast Asia by assets. DBS brands itself as an environmentally and socially conscious bank, and incorporates sustainability practices into various aspects of its operations including sustainability reporting and providing green loans.
DBS Foundations is an arm of DBS that supports social enterprises, some of which championing environmental outcomes. Besides backing these businesses financially, DBS also co-produces environmental education content with these enterprises as part of their branding.
In this video on food waste in Singapore, we see its intent of inculcating awareness around the problem of food waste, changing attitudes on food waste, and practical tips on how to participate in pro-environmental behaviours surrounding food waste.