SGBC Staff of Singapore Green Building Council writes:

Asia’s first green-roofed bus initiative was launched today at the inaugural Singapore Garden Festival (SGF) Horticulture Show, held at the newly opened Lakeside Garden, as part of the Festival’s efforts to showcase horticulture excellence and innovation of the local landscape industry. The ‘Garden on the Move’ initiative will see 10 SBS Transit buses ply Singapore’s roads for at least three months. Outfitted with an innovative, locally developed and soil-less roof system, these ‘green roof’ public buses will be deployed on the roads to study possible energy and cost savings for bus operators.

Supported by Temasek Foundation and designed by GWS Living Art, these green-roofed buses seek to tap on the creativity of young innovators to further extend greenery to improve public places and our quality of life. Other partners supporting this initiative include Moove Media, National Parks Board (NParks), and Singapore Green Building Council (SGBC).

The initiative also seeks to raise awareness on the possibilities of green innovation that is mobile and help reduce vehicles’ carbon emission by lowering fuel consumption needed for the air-conditioning. Members of the public can ride these buses along several routes including one through the Central Business District and another through Orchard Road.

We’ve seen this innovation before in another part of the world. In Spain, the landscape artist, Marc Granen, created green roofs for public transit buses called Phyto Kinetic. The aim of the project is to implement some sort of green space in cities to help contribute to the ecosystem.

Read more: Green Building has Hit the Streets