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RAS holds inaugural Singapore WASH
(Water, Sanitation & Hygiene) Conference and 5th annual LOO
(Let’s Observe Ourselves) Awards
At the inaugural Singapore
WASH Conference held on World Toilet Day (WTD), 19th November, at
the Tampines Regional Library, a WTD observance ceremony was first held
with a video screening of “Where you go, matters” followed by
observing a minute of silence for 2.5 billion people who do not have access
to proper sanitation and 1.5 million children who die as a result of poor
sanitation. Prior to presenting the LOO Awards to the unsung heroes behind clean public
toilets, Guest of Honour, Minister Grace Fu launched the 3rd edition of A Guide to Better Public Toilet
Design and Maintenance. This guide provides qualified persons
such as engineers, architects, environmental and facility management
professionals with information about good design, maintenance and user
education. Design and user-friendly features which can influence better
user behaviour were introduced in this latest edition. More  comprehensive information
on maintenance was also incorporated. The first edition was published in
1999 by the then Ministry of the Environment. The second edition was
published in 2002 by RAS, in partnership with the National Environment
Agency (NEA).
After the launch, 20 awards were presented
at the LOO Awards ceremony with a record of 10 awards and grocery
vouchers presented to restroom cleaning attendants in recognition of
their efforts and professionalism. As its strategic move to evolve as a
one-stop solution provider, RAS also signed a Memorandum of Understanding
(MOU) with two partners namely BusAds and Nicae Trading & Industrial Supplies that offer odour
reduction solutions and nano-coating technology
respectively. Another MOU was also signed in September with Infinergy Systems Solutions (ISS),
an IT partner, to provide innovative solutions such as an electronic
feedback system. ISS is the first company to sign an MOU with RAS. RAS
has been providing solutions in terms of certification, consultation,
education and training since its inception in 1998 but has never looked
into product solutions.
The WASH conference, which was
organised for building owners and qualified persons, focussed on four
themes. On WASH regulations and guidelines, the Building &
Construction Authority (BCA) and National Environment Agency (NEA) first shared
about their latest regulatory updates followed by RAS on its 3rd edition
guide. On  WASH planning, the Association
of Consulting Engineers (ACES) presented on practical challenges in
design and construction of WASH systems while Singapore Workforce
Development Agency (WDA) on its WSQ training on Environmental Cleaning. On
WASH practices, Environmental Management Association of Singapore (EMAS)
provided audience with tips on best practices in environmental management
while NEA updated the audience about its Enhanced Clean Mark
Accreditation Scheme. Finally on WASH promotion, Lien Aid, World Toilet
Organization (WTO) and RAS shared about their community-based programmes
and activities that are promoting WASH to the public. RAS wishes to
extend its sincere appreciation to the above organisations for not only
contributing its expertise but also supporting the WTD.
[Media Release]
[View Photos]
[View Video]
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RAS certifies
Circle Line MRT stations and another preschool under the Happy Toilet
Programme (HTP)
The
HTP has achieved
another milestone with the certification of 11 Circle Line MRT stations for
the first time. Station commuters at Botanic Gardens, Buona
Vista, Caldecott, Farrer Road, Haw Par Villa,
Holland Village, Kent Ridge, Labrador Park, One North, Pasir Panjang and Telok Blangah can visit its 4-star Happy Toilets and
provide instant feedback to RAS via LOO Connect or QR
Code printed on the certificate if toilets are found to be
unsatisfactory. RAS also shared its holistic approach with the MRT
facility management company about training on restroom cleaning &
inspection and effective maintenance by adopting innovative products
& solutions.
 After
PAP Community Foundation (PCF) Yew Tee Preschool became the first
preschool to certify its toilets as 3-star Happy Toilets, Sparkletots Child Development Centre (Telok Blangah) followed
suit and became the first preschool to achieve a 4-star higher rating. These
exemplary preschools have gone the extra mile, after participating in the
Happy Toilet School
Education for Preschools (HTSEP) education programme, to certify its
toilets as Happy Toilets. With more preschools stepping up its hygiene
standards against possible outbreaks such as the Hand, Foot & Mouth
Disease (HFMD), we are anticipating more preschools to follow suit to
provide quality Happy Toilets for its preschoolers.
[View Photos]
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RAS conducts
training for mosques’ cleaning attendants and supervisors from the
South West Mosque Cluster
Almost three years after Malabar Muslim Jamaath Mosque became
the first mosque to achieve 4-star rating for its toilets, RAS finally
had the opportunity to collaborate closely with mosques from the South West
Mosque Cluster (SWMC). RAS was introduced by the World Toilet
Organization (WTO) to the Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura (MUIS) and after a
meeting in October, MUIS took the initiative to encourage the SWMC
mosques to embark on a holistic approach with RAS which first began with
training for its cleaning attendants and supervisors.
 For three consecutive days in November, on-the-job training
(OJT) sessions on restroom cleaning were conducted at three mosques
for a total of 32 cleaning attendants followed by a training session on
restroom inspection for 9 supervisors in December. After the training
sessions, SWMC would embark on the next approach to undergo Happy Toilet
certification of its toilets. This would be followed by adoption
of innovative products & solutions in restroom maintenance to enhance
productivity and efficiency.
The final phase of the holistic approach would be a public education
campaign at the mosques. We hope to soon see mosques from other clusters
emulating the commitment of SWMC in its provision of quality toilets for
its worshippers.
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RAS
organises LOO (Let’s Observe Ourselves) Carnival at
five HDB shopping malls
With
HDB as the venue sponsor, the LOO Carnival makes its last appearance at
the Rivervale Plaza from 18th – 24th
November after making a stop each week at four shopping malls namely Pasir
Ris West Plaza, Dawson Place, Taman Jurong
Shopping Centre and Fajar Shopping Centre from
21st October. The message for the LOO Carnival was the same as the key World Toilet Day
(WTD) message of “Ignite a SPARK – Share, Promote & Adopt
Restroom Kindness” which aims to inspire everyone to not only share
but also  promote
and adopt restroom kindness towards the following people:
· Cleaning
attendants
· Fellow
users
· 2.5
billion people in the world still without a toilet
Exhibitions, games and
activities were held for one week at each shopping mall to reach out to
shoppers. Exhibitions were held on weekdays while games and activities were
held on weekends. The first LOO
Carnival was organised in 2010 at the National Library Building to
commemorate WTD and raise public awareness on the right restroom culture.
Since 2010, the carnival was held only at one venue with the exception of
2013 which saw the carnival held island wide for the first time, thanks
to the strong support of HDB.
[View
Photos]
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RAS participates
actively in Clean and Green Singapore (CGS) events
Prior
to the CGS
2014 Carnival and Launch Ceremony on 26th October, RAS actively
worked with the organiser National Environment Agency (NEA) and Public Hygiene Council (PHC) to develop
educational contents of one of the CGS exhibits. The CGS exhibition was
divided into three areas – Our Stories, Our Actions and Our
Community. RAS exhibition area was allocated under Our Actions with the
design layout of a toilet setting. Same as the LOO Carnival, our key World Toilet Day
(WTD) message of “Ignite a SPARK –  Share,
Promote & Adopt Restroom Kindness” was also featured at the exhibition.
Instead of cliché messages on reminding visitors to adopt good restroom
habits, thought-provoking messages prompting visitors to think were used
such as: Are we treasuring what 2.5 billion people are lacking –
Appreciate what we have.
After
the CGS Carnival 2014, RAS continued its involvement in the CGS
Schools' Carnival held at ITE College West from 12th to 13th
November. Similar to last year, educational games and activities were
conducted for visiting preschoolers and primary school students. Colouring
activities were organised for the first time to educate the young
visitors on adopting good restroom etiquette. For eight
consecutive years since 2006, RAS has been actively
participating in this event to reach out to the young. This year’s
carnival which was organised by the NEA attracted 6,000 visitors from 153
schools.
[View
Photos]
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Featured school from our STAR (Sustaining Toilets As Restrooms)
programme
Our
featured school in this edition of our e-newsletter is Global Indian
International School (GIIS) Balestier Campus.
From the list of nominated candidates for our LOO Awards for the Best
School category, GIIS Balestier emerged as the
worthy winner. Accrediting GIIS Balestier as the
2013 winner was no easy feat as there were worthy contenders, but this
school edged ahead of the competition mainly due to its unique track record
of  achievements
in the restroom environment within just a few years.
A
healthy level of support from the Principal to the teachers and support
staff saw GIIS Balestier get consecutive GOLD
Star awards in our STAR Programme for schools. The uniqueness of the
students’ contributions and determination of all school stakeholders
to improve the restroom environment saw to this success. One of its
achievements includes organising a special day each year to thank the school
cleaners and support staff for their contribution to the school. Via an
assembly programme and other approaches, this student driven initiative is
something that RAS welcomes. Will GIIS Balestier
take the crown in 2014? We hope to see other schools doing what they can to
make it an interesting challenge. |
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Featured school decorations from our STAR (Sustaining
Toilets As Restrooms) programme
 Continuing
further with our next few rounds of STAR Programme school audits, RAS would
like to thrust the spotlight on the efforts of Fuhua
Primary, Park View Primary and CHIJ Queen of Peace. These schools deserve a
special mention due to the unique approaches employed in the decoration of
their toilets. Can the kampong spirit be exemplified in a modern day school
toilet? Yes it can, at Park View Primary School. Can one mistakenly assume
that the beautiful paintings at Fuhua Primary
School were the efforts of paid professionals? Certainly.
From
the pictures provided with this article, it can be seen that the decorations
here are rather unique and creative. CHIJ Queen of Peace  emphasises
the need to eat healthy with a good dose of fruit by getting students to
paint tiles and banners with colourful reminders. Fuhua
Primary, an active school within South West CDC’s Green School
programme, promotes positive environmental messages through the
students’ artwork (yes, those ducks and frogs were actually painted
by primary school students!). And finally, Park View Primary re-fashioned a
toilet with straw hats, bamboo fixtures and artwork to create a vibrant
kampong atmosphere. RAS staff always experiences such joy when seeing all
these unique decorations during school audits.
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