Environment Hong Kong 2009
 
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Chapter 13 Sustainable Development

Mission

To promote sustainable development in Hong Kong.

SUSTAINING THE MESSAGE

Highlights in 2008

THE Hong Kong Government attaches great importance to sustainable development and has incorporated sustainability principles in its policies and decision-making process. Much effort has been given to promoting sustainable development to the general public.

Photo - Hong Kong aspires to become a world-class sustainable city.

The Council for Sustainable Development (SDC) advises the Government on priority sustainability issues and collects public views on these issues. In 2008 it submitted a report to the Government on a public engagement exercise on better air quality that attracted more than 80 000 responses. School and Community Outreach programmes also raise awareness among students and local communities respectively, while the Sustainable Development Fund provides financial support for community-initiated projects.

These efforts lay the groundwork for raising people's awareness of the importance and complexity of pursuing sustainability policies, and of striking a balance between meeting present needs and those of future generations so that Hong Kong can develop into a world-class sustainable city.

Presenting the public's views on air quality

The SDC carries out public engagement exercises on priority issues to solicit public feedback, which serve to better inform the Government on the public's views and aspirations and contribute towards the latter's policy formulation. The most recent exercise concerned better air quality and attracted more than 80 000 responses from the public. These responses formed the basis for the recommendations in the SDC's Report on the Better Air Quality Engagement Process, which was submitted to the Government in early 2008.

The report offered ideas on reducing air pollution on multiple fronts. Some of the key recommendations were to adopt a colour-coded system to denote high air pollution days; introduce road pricing in congested areas; explore cleaner fuels for light goods and passenger vehicles; build more pedestrianised areas; reduce the number of bus routes that have low usage at certain hours of the day; make low sulphur diesel mandatory for marine transport and other industries; and introduce incentives for electricity companies to work with consumer groups and supply cleaner power.

Photo - Members of the public are invited to share their views at the "Air Summit" organised during the Better Air Quality Engagement Process.

The Government welcomed the report and fully agreed with the SDC that a holistic and comprehensive approach was required to combat air pollution. To this end, the Government is reviewing Hong Kong's Air Quality Objectives in preparation for developing a long-term air quality management strategy to protect the public's health (see the Air section for details).

The SDC's next public engagement exercise will be launched in mid-2009 and focus on how building design can foster a quality and sustainable built environment. The scope of discussion will cover: enhancing sustainable building design; balancing the need for essential, green and amenity features in buildings against building height and bulk; and improving energy efficiency of buildings through more effective building design.

Teaching children well

Sustainability is about meeting the needs of both the present and the future. We therefore have to ensure our children – who are the beneficiaries, as well as the caretakers of this goal – understand the necessity of supporting sustainable development.

The Sustainable Development School Award Scheme handed out its first awards in 2008 to schools that demonstrated they were introducing sustainability concepts to their students, engaging them in related activities, and adopting sustainability practices on campus. Schools were also recognised for efforts to promote this message to families and their local communities. Thirty-three schools qualified for the award, with 11 earning Gold Awards, 12 earning Silver Awards and 10 earning Bronze Awards. About 32 000 students, teachers, parents and local residents were involved in the award scheme.

Photo - A student shares his findings on local sustainability issues with community stakeholders.

A School Outreach Programme has also been organised where we visit schools to give talks on sustainable development concepts. Concrete examples are used to illustrate local and global sustainability issues and students are encouraged to discuss how they can practice sustainable development in their daily lives. Local projects are presented to show how community groups and individuals in Hong Kong are implementing sustainability. One example used is the Urban Green Project organised by the Aberdeen Kaifong Welfare Association Social Service Centre, which established three community gardens in the Aberdeen, Ap Lei Chau and Wah Fu areas. We hope that through such daily life examples, students will support such projects and may even be inspired to organise their own.

Encouraging action in the community

Many groups like the one in Aberdeen have innovative ideas for applying sustainability in their communities. The Government offers support through the $100 million Sustainable Development Fund, which was established in 2003 to provide funding for deserving projects. Organisations and individuals who have a plan or proposal for enhancing awareness of sustainable development or encouraging sustainable practices can apply to the Fund.

Photo - A member of the Hong Kong Federation of Women's Centre, a recipient of the Sustainable Development Fund, speaks at an experience-sharing session to promote sustainable development.

By the end of 2008, 26 projects had been granted a total of $21.7 million. Many of these projects could serve as examples to others and so in May 2008, the Government published a booklet describing the projects and reporting on their progress, to bring these ideas to a wider audience.

The SDC is building on this work by operating a Community Outreach Programme in districts where funded projects have been organised. One such programme involved the Tai Po District Council and the Hong Kong Federation of Women's Centre in Tai Po in 2008. The Women's Centre has a strong local network and previously organised a project to promote sustainable living among women and young people in Tai Po.

Such grassroots initiatives will help promote sustainable development. As long as people understand the importance of sustainability in their daily lives, and commit to practicing it, there is hope that we will achieve a level of development that sustains present and future generations. Our task is to nudge people towards that goal.

Photo - Participants of Community Outreach Programme join a local tour activity.

Looking Ahead

  • The Council on Sustainable Development will conduct a new public engagement on building design to foster a quality and sustainable built environment.
  • Projects approved under the sixth round of application to the Sustainable Development Fund will get underway.
  • The first Award Presentation ceremony will be held for the Sustainable Development School Award Programme.
 
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