| The
EPD supports a number of programmes that encourage community involvement
in environmental protection. These programmes reach into every sector
of the community, from housing estates, schools and community groups
to businesses, other government departments and District Councils.
| Community
Relations Unit
The
Community Relations Unit is the main co-ordinator of the EPD’s
community education programme and the secretariat to the government-appointed
Environmental Campaign Committee (ECC), which organises activities
to promote community participation in environmental protection.
In 2003 the
Community Relations Unit:
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organised
291 programmes; |
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delivered
580 talks; |
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worked
with 3 061 organisations including nine District Councils
(the latter figure is down from 2002 due to the outbreak
of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and the District
Council elections); and |
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organised
895 guided tours of the EPD’s Visitors Centre and
Environmental Resource Centres for about 57 000 local
and overseas visitors. |
|
Campaigns
Waste
recycling
The EPD and ECC
organise campaigns to encourage community participation. The largest
is the Waste Recycling Campaign in Housing Estates, which began with
41 housing estates in 1998. Colour-coded bins in blue, yellow and
brown are provided to collect waste paper, aluminium cans and plastic
bottles for recycling. The campaign now reaches 1 333 housing estates
covering 1.58 million households.
Waste
Recycling Campaign in Housing Estates
| |
No.
of estates |
No.
of households |
| Phase
I |
41 |
160
000 |
| Phase
II |
132 |
458
000 |
| Phase
III |
300 |
809
000 |
| Phase
IV |
716 |
1
193 000 |
| Phase
V |
1
050 |
1
429 000 |
| Phase
VI |
1
218 |
1
527 000 |
| Phase
VII |
1
333 |
1
580 000 |
| Note:
Plastic bottles were not included in Phases I & II of the
Campaign. |
The
government’s Environment and Conservation Fund (ECF) provides
grants to non-government organisations to promote waste recovery in
the community, including a pilot scheme on wet/dry waste separation.
Since 2001, $13.82 million has been given to 24 green groups and community
groups to organise 40 waste recovery projects. The ECF has also granted
about $1.23 million to community groups and non-profit making organisations
since April 2000 for implementing environmental education and community
action projects on waste reduction and recovery. A waste campaign
is also being run in schools (see below).
Annual
events
Two major events
are organised each year by the ECC, the World Environment Day festivities
in June and the Hong Kong Environmental Protection Festival in the
latter part of the year.
Photo
of Guests holding up their "green wishes" at World Environment
Day 2003 celebrations.
The United Nations
has designated June 5 as World Environment Day and each year the
day is celebrated in Hong Kong. In 2003 events were affected by
the outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). To minimise
the risk of infection, celebrations were held outdoors and later
in the month, on June 22. The theme was “Walking for a Green
and Healthy Hong Kong”. More than 100 000 people
participated in walks in 18 districts of Hong Kong, including 31
green walks organised by the EPD and green groups on that day. As
in past years, a joint celebration was organised with the Environmental
Protection Bureaux of Dongguan, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Zhongshan and
Zhuhai and the Macau Environment Council.
The Hong Kong
Environmental Protection Festival was held in November. A one-day
event featuring a “Forum on Business Opportunities for SMEs
in Environmental Protection Industry” was held to promote
the waste recovery and recycling industry. 17 seminar sessions were
organised and a trade show on waste recovery ran alongside the event.
More than 8 000 people attended the seminars and exhibition.
The forum and trade show were jointly organised by the ECC and EPD.
Co-organisers included the Hong Kong Trade Development Council and
Hong Kong Women Professionals & Entrepreneurs Association.
Schools
Schools
are a high priority in the EPD’s community work. A number of
programmes have been organised for pre-schools, primary and secondary
schools, universities and vocational institutions.
Waste
Separation and Recycling Scheme in Schools
This programme
places bins in schools for collecting waste paper, aluminium cans
and plastic bottles for recycling. The bins are funded by the Hong
Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust. By the end of 2003, 1 199
schools had bins. The remaining 100 or so schools are not participating
mainly due to lack of space for the bins. In April the Food and Environmental
Hygiene Department started to arrange the collection of recyclable
materials from schools. Pre-schools also have a recycling scheme in
which miniature bins are provided as a teaching tool. The bins are
funded by the Zonta Club of the New Territories and 870 pre-schools
participated in 2003.
Photo
of Pre-school pupils learn to use the waste recycling bins.
SEAS
cum SEPAS
The Schools Environmental
Award Scheme (SEAS) cum Student Environmental Protection Ambassador
Scheme (SEPAS) has been running since 1995 to cultivate a sense of
responsibility for the environment among schools and students. In
2003 more than 11 000 SEPAs participated and organised activities
for more than 400 000 students. The environmental protection ambassador
programme has also been extended to the Scouts, Girl Guides, Junior
Police Call, Lion’s Club, Rotary Club, Zonta Club, the elderly
and housing estate residents and property management staff. In 2003
an ambassador programme was set up to train staff of the Hang Seng
Bank.
Photo
of Number of Schools Participating in the Schools Environmental Award
Scheme since 1995.
Photo
of Number of Student Environmental Protection Ambassadors since 1995.
Hong
Kong Green School Award
The Hong Kong Green
School Award was launched in 2000 to encourage school managers to
introduce environmental management systems into their schools and
involve the entire school community in green efforts. In 2003 186
schools participated. A green schools website was also set up with
a helpdesk. The first Hong Kong Green Pre-School Award was launched
and over 110 pre-schools participated.
Business
Partners
Various award schemes
have been introduced for young people, organised jointly by the ECC
and business partners. The MTR Corporation has sponsored an environmental
leadership programme for 72 SEPAs and ambassadors from Scouts, Girl
Guides and Junior Police Call. 10 outstanding SEPAs were invited to
join the Bangkok environmental study visit in summer 2003 with sponsorship
from the AEON Education and Environment Fund. The ECC and Shell Hong
Kong Limited have jointly organised an award scheme to recognise the
environmental efforts of tertiary students in Hong Kong and youths
in the Mainland since 1997-98. An exchange programme is part of the
scheme and Hong Kong winners go to the Mainland on study visits and
Mainland winners come to Hong Kong for the same purpose. In 2003 the
ECC, EPD and Hong Kong Disneyland launched the Jiminy Cricket’s
Environmentality Challenge for primary schools.
Other
Community Activities
Environmental
Resource Centres
Environmental Resource Centres have been established in the community
to provide people with easy access to information on environmental
protection. The first centre opened in Wan Chai in December 1993.
For its 10th anniversary, special sessions for visitors were organised
and a guidebook was produced on the nearby Wan Chai Green Trail. There
is also a centre in Tsuen Wan and a Mobile Environmental Resource
Centre which made 112 visits to different parts of Hong Kong in 2003.
The
largest Environmental Resource Centre opened in Fanling in August
2003. The 400-square-metre centre hosted more than 12 000 visitors
in the first three months of operation.
Community
Green Network
The network involves EPD staff going into housing estates in the early
evening to deliver talks and discuss environmental issues with residents
and owners’ Corporations. A “green desk” may also
be brought along at which residents can drop by to ask about any environmental
topic. (A green desk also accompanies the Mobile Environmental Resource
Centre.) In 2003, 106 talks were held and 126 green desks set up.
Green
Leaders
The Green Leader Programme involves training trainers from among 10
groups of stakeholders. It was completed in March 2003. The programme
trained about 10 000 leaders from the transport industry, District
Councils, non-government organisations, community and youth groups,
teachers and principals, women’s associations, the commercial,
industrial and business sectors, local green groups and members of
Owners' Incorporations and Mutual Aid Committees of housing estates.
Hong
Kong Eco-Business Awards
The Hong Kong Eco-Business Awards honour businesses that have demonstrated
a commitment to environmental management. In 2003 entries were received
from 139 organisations in the award categories of Green Property Management
(Private Housing), Green Office and Best Environmental Reporting.
The awards are jointly organised by the ECC, The Chinese General Chamber
of Commerce, Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce and Hong Kong Productivity
Council.
Photo
of Display panels being brought to housing estates, featuring tips
on green living.
Photo
of Mutual aid committee members of a housing estate attend a talk
on environmental protection.
Photo
of The Mobile Environmental Resource Centre.
Photo
of Children enjoying the facilities aboard the Mobile Environmental
Resource Centre.
Press
Releases and Publications
The EPD aims to make environmental information widely available to
the general public. Press releases are issued regularly and the Internet
is increasingly being used to disseminate information.
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Weekly press releases on water quality at gazetted bathing beaches
are issued to the media. The press releases and reports on beach
water quality are uploaded on the EPD website. |
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Hourly Air Pollution Indexes (API) have been issued since July
1999 via the EPD website and a telephone hotline. Daily API
forecasts and hourly API reports are issued to the media. |
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Statistics on environmental prosecutions brought by the EPD
are released to the media on a monthly basis. This information
has also been made available to the general public through the
EPD website since August 2003. |
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A list of environmental impact assessments (EIAs) that are either
in progress or about to start is released quarterly to the media.
The EIA reports, and the Director of Environmental Protection's
decisions on the reports, are placed on the EPD website. |
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Monitoring data for rivers and streams and marine waters are
published in separate annual reports, as are air and beach water
monitoring data. |
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An Environmental Protection Interactive Centre was set up on
the website in 2003, where the public can set parameters for
the information they are seeking. |
In
addition, the EPD produced 49 publications in 2003 ranging from publicity
and training materials to guidelines on new services and initiatives.
Most publications and other information from the department can be
viewed on the EPD website http://www.epd.gov.hk/.
During the year, seven media visits were organised to the following
sites: the Air Quality Monitoring Services Laboratory; a scientific
vessel for monitoring water quality, the Dr Catherine Lam;
the Island West Transfer Station; the Southeast New Territories Landfill;
the West New Territories Landfill; and two workshops for the Trial
Recovery Programme for Computers and Electrical Appliances. The EPD
also handled 7 323 press enquiries during the year, issued 108 press
releases, organised eight press conferences and briefings, and arranged
68 press interviews.
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