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RAS launches LOO Campaign 2008-2010
 RAS
launched the LOO - Let's Observe Ourselves - campaign at the Singapore Zoological
Gardens on 19 November, in conjunction with World Toilet Day, to achieve
its 2010 goal of sprucing up 70% of local public toilets to a minimum
3-star Happy Toilet rating. More than 150 guests from our participating
organisations, partners, supporters, sponsors and school representatives
including journalists from various media attended this milestone event.
The
Guest-of-Honour, Dr. Amy Khor, Senior
Parliamentary Secretary for the Environment and Water Resources witnessed
our President and  representatives
from our participating organisations, partners, supporters and sponsors
signed a LOO Pledge. After the LOO Pledge, RAS took the opportunity to
introduce its pioneer batch of Eco-Assessors at a photo-taking session with
Dr. Khor.
Initial Hygiene and
World Toilet Organization displayed their commitment and dedication to the
LOO Campaign by showcasing their exhibits and products to the invited
guests. Students from Fuhua Primary
School put on an impressive STOMP-like
performance while students from Zhangde Primary
did the eye-catching LOO rap to remind everyone to adopt good toilet
etiquette.
[Read media release
& speeches]
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RAS holds first
Inter Agencies Working Committee (IAWC) meeting
If
the LOO Campaign is targeted to achieve at least 70% 3-star Happy Toilets
by 2010, then the inception of the Inter Agencies Working Committee or IAWC
is part of our vision and long-term plan to achieve "Every Restroom
like Changi
Airport"
(ERICA). Supported by the National Environment Agency (NEA), RAS co-chaired
its first IAWC meeting with the World Toilet Organisation (WTO) on 6
October 2008 at the Environment
Building.
Present
at the first IAWC meeting were representatives from Civil Aviation
Authority of Singapore, Environmental Management Association of Singapore,
Housing and Development Board, JTC Corporation, Land Transport Authority,
Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore, National Environment Agency,
National Parks Board, National Trades Union Congress, PUB, Singapore  Action
Group of Elders, Singapore Kindness Movement, Singapore Sports Council,
Singapore Tourism Board, Singapore Workforce Development Agency, Singapore
Youth Olympic Games Organising Committee, SMRT Corporation Ltd, Society for
the Physically Disabled, South West Community Development Council, Unit for
Contract and Casual Workers (UCCW) and World Toilet College.
Served
to introduce and tackle problems persisting with dirty toilets, the RAS and
WTO jointly presented detailed information informing its member
representatives of current problems, requirements and potential solutions.
A good cross section of toilet owners, cleaners and users was present to
pledge their commitment to propose and implement solutions.
[View videos]
[View pictures]
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RAS conducts
first Certified Eco-Assessor (CEA) training session
 The
first Certified Eco-Assessor (CEA) training was conducted on the 10th and 11th
November at the JTC Summit for seven participants from the South West
Community Development Council (CDC) and one brave soul from Central CDC.
CEAs play a vital role in the sustainability of
clean public toilets for years to come given that they work closely with
the Restroom Association (Singapore)
(RAS) to certify public toilets under the Happy Toilet Program (HTP). In
addition, CEAs advise the restroom owners on how
to improve the standard of restrooms under their purview. CEAs are hired on an assignment basis and they have to
submit a report to RAS after each restroom audit. They have to do a minimum
of 50 audits per year to renew their licence. Given that they will
eventually be trained to assess toilets not only for cleanliness but also
eco-friendly features such as energy and water saving features, the title
of "Eco-Assessor" best suits them.
To
prepare the eight trainees for their future roles, they had to attend a
classroom segment on the first day where they learned about essential
restroom knowledge. On the second day, they had to undergo practical
training to familiarise themselves with the process of conducting an audit.
In  order
to ensure that the trainees were equipped with the necessary expertise,
they had to sit for a written assessment at the end of the first day and go
through an individual oral test at the end of the second day. They are
currently serving as Probationary CEAs after
passing the test. They will become full-fledged CEAs
after successfully completing five restroom audits with a mentor.
[View pictures]
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RAS awards Happy Toilet School Education (HTSE) certification to the first international
school
 Another
milestone for the school program pillar of the Restroom Association was
reached in December as we welcomed DPS International
School into our HTSE
family. RAS staff first met teachers from DPS during the Clean and Green
Schools Carnival and a formal handshake was preceded by a commitment to
join and participate in our school program. Over 300 students participated
in the assembly talk with 100 of them specially tasked with decorating and
improving the standards of clean toilets in their premises. The
students’ enthusiasm for the project was ably met by a GOLD star
standard of work undertaken.
What
was significant to note was during the audit on the 4th of December, DPS
International held its first ever Helpers’ Day in conjunction with
its school concert celebrating and acknowledging the efforts of its cleaners
and offering them tokens of appreciation. RAS staff who attended was also
treated to a fine performance of songs and musical displays commemorating
this prestigious event. DPS International has also issued its commitment to
extend the program to its pre-schoolers and secondary students in 2009. The
Restroom Association would like to thank the students and teachers of DPS
International for its fine work ethic and commitment towards clean toilets.
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RAS organises
first Potty Training Workshop
RAS held its first Potty Training Workshop at
KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital on 15 November for 25 KK
Juniors Club Members. The session which aims to educate new parents on how
to potty train their 2 to 4 year olds, was jointly conducted by Ms Susan Pereira,
a key person for the Happy Toilet  School
Education Programme for Preschools and Ms Brenda Wang, a volunteer mother
of two.
The session consisted of explaining the dos and
don’ts of potty training as well as sharing sessions among the
parents on their own potty training challenges. The programme of the
workshop also includes the following:
·
Developing life skills in children and
good toilet habits
·
Minimize risk of infectious disease in
the home
·
Keeping your child clean
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RAS conducts
training of Volunteer Eco-Assessors (VEAs) from National
Parks Board (NParks)
The second Volunteer Eco-Assessor (VEA)
training was conducted for officers from the National Parks Board (NParks). An unexpected 18 participants attended the two-hour
training session held at the East Coast Park Visitors' Centre on 22
October. The VEAs were schooled in basic restroom
knowledge and they also had their hands at auditing the restrooms located  nearby
using the Happy Toilet Self-assessment Checklist. With NParks
as the first organisation to join our VEA program, the movement for clean
public restrooms was given a shot in the arm as these VEAs
can also share their newly acquired knowledge with their peers at NParks. The commitment and participation of NParks will drive more organisations to emulate their
initiative.
Usually upon completion of a training session, VEAs will conduct mystery audits for restrooms under
the Happy Toilet Programme (HTP) and advise the toilet owners of dirty
public toilets about the necessary remedial steps to be taken. They can
also educate their peers about clean restrooms and promote the HTP to
toilet owners within their district.
[View pictures]
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RAS awards Happy Toilet certificate to the first National
Environment Agency (NEA) Regional Office
Following
the successful run of the Happy Toilet Programme (HTP) talk at NEA's
Northwest Regional Office (NWRO) on 7 August with more than 50 participants
from the northwest region of Singapore, the NWRO displayed
its commitment on the HTP by having their toilets to be certified as Happy
Toilets on 23 October during its gathering.
 Our
President was also invited to their gathering to give a speech and present
our HTP plaque to NWRO. NWRO also unveiled their Happy Toilet Pledge to
encourage its staff to commit to the following:
- Flush the toilet after use
- Keep floor and countertop dry
- Keep toilet seat clean
[View pictures]
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RAS participates in South
West Community Development Council (SWCDC) Public Health Awards
 RAS
was honoured to be invited as a judge for the 4th Public Health Awards judging
ceremony held by the SWCDC. Tasked with evaluating cleanliness standards of
toilets and HDB blocks nominated for the awards for five days was indeed
challenging but an enjoyable experience. Prior to the judging, SWCDC also
invited the RAS to train some ITE students on how to assess toilets as part
of their role as student judges. The 1 hour training held at JTC Summit and
feedback from them revealed that they gained invaluable knowledge and were
more appreciative of proper toilet culture.
On the 5th day of the audits, Dr. Amy Khor, Mayor of SWCDC graced us with her presence,
offering her support for the event. We believe she was pleased with the
conditions at one of the nominated venues, Yuhua
Food Centre and endorsed our opinion that their toilets were of a high
standard. The Straits Times and Lianhe Wanbao newspapers sent representatives to cover the
event and interview our representative. We thank Southwest CDC and the NEA
for the opportunity to participate in this event and look forward to an invitation
next year.
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RAS showcases its exhibits at the Clean & Green Singapore
Schools' Carnival
In keeping with tradition, the RAS was once
again honoured to accept an invitation from the National Environment Agency
(NEA) to take part in the Clean and Green Schools' Carnival which was held
at Suntec City on the 5th and 6th of November.
Not only were we given a booth to display our school programs, we were also
allocated a space to set up games and fun events for preschool pupils
visiting the event. The RAS had a good deal of exposure from this publicity
with 20 new schools signing up with us. We also had the opportunity to
mingle with teachers from private and international schools and were
pleased to note that they too have expressed their interest to be a part of
the Happy Toilet School Education (HTSE) family.
 During
the course of the two days, RAS also had an enthusiastic 23 volunteers
taking turns to operate the Happy Toilet School Education for Preschools
(HTSEP) booth. Three different stations were set up: the LOO quest game,
the LOO inspector game and the LOO rap. Our volunteers had a fruitful
experience as they guided the children in their learning about toilet
hygiene through the hands-on experience.
[View pictures]
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RAS participates in the Semakau
Corporate Environmental Outreach (CEO) Run
The RAS re-affirmed its commitment to the 3P
partnership by once again participating in the Semakau
CEO Run on 19 October. Along with five other Non-Government Organisations,
the RAS exhibited its current and forthcoming initiatives that garnered
towards all aspects of environmental conservation and corporate social
responsibility. Our President also graciously volunteered her time to
participate in the Run.
 Gracing
the event, Guest-of-Honour, Dr Yaacob Ibrahim,
Minister for the Environment and Water Resources, flagged off the run and
after the run, he also expressed his support to our initiatives and offered
kind words of encouragement and support for our forthcoming activities when
he visited our exhibits.
[View TV news] [View pictures]
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