Tacloban, Leyte that was severely destroyed by Typhoon Haiyan. The team repaired the roof,
replaced the ceiling, cleaned debris and gave the place a fresh coat of paint, thus restoring the
classroom back to its original condition for the kindergarten children.
In January 2014, over 30 residents and staff from our Somerset serviced residences in Hanoi spent
a meaningful day at Thuy An Rehabilitation Centre cleaning, decorating and refurbishing. The centre
is situated in a small village in the north-west of Hanoi, home to hundreds of disabled children,
victims of Agent Orange and orphanages. To improve the general living conditions of the
less-privileged children in Thuy An, the team also raised VND60,000,000 (approximately S$3,600)
through fundraising activities. The proceeds have been used to build dormitories, toilets as well as
to repair broken furniture and facilities.
Creating a Sustainable Environment
Together with our Sponsor, Ascott, we are uniquely positioned to play an active role in transforming
business practices and employee mindsets, and to make a positive impact on the environment.
Ultimately, our pledge towards a clean and green future resonates with our commitment to people –
by showing care and respect for our shared environment. Ascott Reit adopts environment friendly
practices across our properties globally by incorporating energy-efficient features and durable
building materials in all our refurbishment programmes. We establish procurement guidelines to help
our serviced residences “reduce, reuse and recycle” by switching to energy-saving light bulbs,
solar-powered water heaters, motion-detector lighting, biodegradable laundry bags and bathroom
amenities with recyclable packaging to minimise wastage. In 2014, our reduction in energy and water
consumption by 18% and 28% respectively against base year of 2008 have well exceeded our target
of 15% reduction by 2015.
Commemorating Earth Hour
As part of our Sponsor’s commitment towards Go Green @ Ascott, all Ascott Reit properties are active
supporters of Earth Day activities every first Friday of the month. Besides switching off beacon
signage lights and other non-essential lightings for 10 hours from 8pm, Ascott Reit’s properties are
encouraged to turn off selected lights that do not impact the safety and security of residents and
employees. This year, employees and residents of Ascott Reit properties around the world
participated in the annual Earth Hour. With the lights dimmed and candles lit, lectures and videos
about environment protection and energy saving were shared and discussed so as to promote
awareness of pressing environmental issues.
Activities with a cause
In August, Ascott Reit’s staff and guests from around the world participated in Ascott’s global fitness
cum CSR campaign “Moving Feet, Touching Lives”, which was launched to help the less fortunate as
it commemorated its 30th anniversary. Ascott pledged to donate S$1 to “Save the Children
International” for every kilometre our associates and residents walk, jog or run, with the goal to cover
30,000 kilometres within three months. Save the Children International is a children’s organisation
working to deliver change for children in 120 countries. Ascott donated a total of S$30,000 to “Save
the Children International” and covered 230,000 kilometres at the end of three months, exceeding its
original target by more than seven times. In addition, CapitaLand Hope Foundation pledged another
S$20,000 to benefit approximately 4,000 children in Cilincing, North Jakarta.
Environment, health and safety
Protecting the environment and ensuring occupational health and safety are of paramount
importance to Ascott Reit. In line with CapitaLand’s policies, all Ascott Reit properties are certified
to international standards for environment management (ISO 14001) and occupational health and
safety management systems (OHSAS 18001). To preserve the Earth’s limited resources, the Group
sets clear targets for energy, water and paper conservation. Safety risks involved in the performing
Our People and the Communities
50 | Ascott Residence Trust Annual Report 2014
