This is the third year we have the PolyU Campus Sustainability Weeks 2015, jointly organized by the Campus Sustainability Committee and the Health, Safety and Environment Office, PolyU. To promote sustainable culture in PolyU, we convey green messages through a variety of activities, such as forums, carnival, seminars, workshops and guided tours during the fortnights.

The theme for this year is “Green Campus; Green City” and we hope to cultivate green lifestyle on campus and together with our academic and research excellence, we give back and contribute to the sustainable development of the community.

This year we are grateful to have our alumni involved in engaging our students and staff. These graduates have attained success in green education and in various environmental protection aspects of Hong Kong and we are glad to have their support and sharing with us in this very important event.

Green Campus; Green City

To kick off the Campus Sustainability Weeks 2015 and echo the theme “Green Campus; Green City”, a Green Carnival, which featured interactive green information and game booths, was held at Chan Sui Kau and Chan Lam Moon Chun Square (Logo Square)on 16 March 2015.

Sustainability has been indisputably the pursuit of modern city planner and administrator. This year, a Green Forum was organized together with the Green Carnival, where guest speakers with different perspectives shared their insights and expertise in relation to building a sustainable city. We were honored to have Ir Professor Alexander WAI, Vice President (Research Development) and Chairman of Campus Sustainability Committee as the moderator in the Green Forum.

Students and Alumni Participation

One of the missions of the Campus Sustainability Weeks is to engage PolyU students and staff, to inspire them to pursue a greener lifestyle. The success of the Campus Sustainability Weeks relies on collective efforts of our staff, students, alumni and partners. This time, we would like to highlight the contributions of students and alumni.

• Joseph CHAN, Senior Campus Sustainability Manager of PolyU
  Holding Activity: Green Campus Tour on 17 March 2015
  
  “It is my honor to come back to my alma mater to serve PolyU students and staff after so many years since graduation. The campus has changed a lot but the missions never changed. I am more than willing to share my experience with everyone in PolyU and together, we make this campus a green one.”
  -Joseph CHAN, graduate of Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology
  
  

  Joseph has witnessed the changes of the University and also involved in motivating the pursuit of sustainability on PolyU Campus. On 17 March 2015, a group of PolyU members experienced a special journey on campus with him. If you do not know the whereabouts of eco-block paving road on campus and PolyU’s first Hong Kong-made electric vehicle that hit the international market? Remember to join our green campus tour next time.

  

• KaCaMa Design Lab, a Group of Hong Kong-based Designers
  Holding Activity: Wine Cork Pen Workshop on 18 and 25 March 2015
  
  “It is our pleasure to be one of the guest tutors to coach different sustainable workshops during the Campus Sustainability Weeks in PolyU. We have a lot of fun and it provides a great opportunity for us to promote eco message to different audiences including students. We hope to participate in this meaningful program again and share the eco message to all of you next year.”
  - Match CHENG, graduate of School of Design
  
  

  KaCaMa Design Lab was established by a group of young PolyU graduates, who specialize in reusing post-consumer waste materials. They hope their products can not only delight people’s lives and instill eco-awareness in its users, but can also connect with local enterprises, handcraft men and local cultures.

  This workshop demonstrated to participants on how to make a pen with wine cork instead of disposing them into rubbish bin.

  

  
  Wine Cork Pen Workshops were held on 18 and 25 March 2015

• Kevin CHEUNG, a Upcycling Product Designer
  Holding Activity: Thumb Piano Workshop on 20 March 2015
  
  “It was great to have the opportunity to share an upcycling experience with PolyU students and staffs. “Upcycle" is never a hard thing to do, if you don’t mind getting your hands a little dirty, fun is guaranteed!"
  - Kevin CHEUNG, graduate of School of Design
  
  

  As a freelance designer, Kevin has integrated the concept of sustainability into his designs by upcycling unwanted materials into new products with practical value. He believes designers have to be sustainable by enriching the environment, users and society.

  
  Boombottle, designed by Kevin, is a speaker system made from a waste plastic container
  

  Organized by Kevin, this workshop demonstrated to the participants on how to make upcycled thumb pianos, a simplified version of an ancient African instrument Kalimba, by using spokes collected from old bicycle wheels and wood from wine boxes.

  

  
  Thumb Piano Workshop was held on 20 March 2015

• Run 2 Tree Studio, a Green-based Design Studio
  Holding Activity: Party Animal Soap Workshop on 26 March 2015
  
  “Run 2 Tree is glad to be invited to share the possibilities of upcycling food residual, with their being neglected inner beauty at our alma mater's Campus Sustainability Weeks. We hope the participants do love their "Party Animal Rice Soap" and have had the felicity bath time brought by our local food soap.”
  - Run 2 Tree Studio
  
  

  Run 2 Tree Studio, established by graduates of School of Design and friends of PolyU, is a green-based design studio committed to promote sustainable living through design since 2012, including holding up-cycling workshops and setting up social design projects.

  This workshop demonstrated to the participants on how to make natural soap in different animal shapes with rice chaffs and coffee ground. Common household cleaners may contain chemicals harmful to us and the environment. The use of rice soap with natural ingredients can help to reduce environmental pollution.

  

  
  Party Animal Soap Workshop on 26 March 2015

• The Green Society, HKPUSU, a Green PolyU Student Organization
  Holding Activity: Make Your Own Bracelet Workshop on 27 March 2015
  
  “We are glad to join the Campus Sustainability Weeks and display our work in the Logo Square.” “The Green Bracelet Workshop has successfully been launched with the joint effort of student and our committees. We will keep going to organize more green workshops!”
  - The Green Society, a group of energetic green PolyU students
  
  

  As a student organization, the Green Society dedicates to promote green lifestyle and raise environmental awareness among students. You can find more information from their Facebook page at https://goo.gl/Q5ZhpS .

  The Green Society organized a Make Your Own Bracelet Workshop for students to come up with unique designs of their own bracelets by using old clothes as raw material.

  

  
  Make Your Own Bracelet Workshop was held on 27 March 2015

Sustainability beyond Campus - Heritage Conservation in Hong Kong

Heritage conservation movement in Hong Kong can be dated as early as 1970's. Since handover in 1997, various social campaigns in preserving Star Ferry Pier and the Queen's Pier have put the topic of heritage conservation under the spotlight. In view of the increased public concern over heritage conservation, the government responded with the measure namely "Revitalizing Historic Buildings through Partnership Scheme".

Notwithstanding, conservation on private properties remains an unsolvable challenge for the government, in which numerous architectures of significant historical value have been demolished. It is hoped that corresponding policies will be launched to protect those precious heritage buildings.

Co-organized with the Conservancy Association Centre for Heritage (CACHe), a seminar was organized to cover the discussions from the history of conservation movement in Hong Kong since the 1970’s, the government’s conservation policies to the challenges and difficulties in the conservation field. Moreover, a guided cultural tour was organized to let participants set foot at Sai Ying Pun to experience traditional industries and heritage that characterize the unique features of Sai Ying Pun.

Coda

The PolyU Campus Sustainability Weeks 2015 was successful completed. This would not have made possible without the support and participation from different parties, stakeholders and you. We are looking forward to your continued support to the sustainable development of the University. You can find more information of the event at http://goo.gl/WuxQd2.

See you in 2016.

Guideline for Green Promotion and Campus Activities Released

Promoting a Paper-less PolyU Campus

The student winning entries from previous Green Poster Design Competition are now displayed as core pictures on campus. Check them out at Core E and support the prudent use of paper on campus.

PolyU participated in Hong Kong Awards for Environmental Excellence 2014

The Hong Kong Awards for Environmental Excellence (HKAEE) has been established since 2008 to encourage organizations in 11 industry sectors to adopt green management and benchmark their commitments towards best practices. This award scheme is recognized by the community as one of the most prestigious and reputable environmental award schemes in Hong Kong. Five schemes are offered, namely, “Sectoral Awards”, “Green Innovation Awards”, “Green Organization Labels”, “Environmental Labels” and “Carbon Reduction Certificates”. Details of the Award Schemes are available at http://goo.gl/yhVJ07.

Further to the receiving of a Certificate of Merit for the 2013 HKAEE Sectoral Awards, PolyU continued to show support to this award by participating in the 2014 Sectoral Awards Scheme and had undergone all 3 stages of assessments to assess PolyU’s green leadership, environmental performance and green partner synergy, etc.

One of the most important milestones in PolyU’s history of campus sustainability development, the establishment of new policies on campus sustainability, energy conservation, green procurement, waste management, water conservation and campus development and guideline on green promotion and campus activities took place in 2014. With PolyU’s commitment in fostering campus sustainability and continuous effort and resources in practicing green management, greening our campus buildings and student hostels, we look forward that our journey towards sustainability excellence is publicly recognized and supported by all stakeholders. Results will be officially announced in May 2015.

Introducing Eco-block on PolyU campus

Eco-block is an environmentally friendly construction material which is made by a patented technology developed by PolyU. PolyU had introduced this award winning environmentally friendly paving block which effectively uses recycled glass and construction waste as major constituents in the production process to remove air pollutants on campus. Introduction of eco-block does not only reduce the disposal of waste, but also conserves the use of natural resources, such as river sand.

To find out more about the special features, advantages and applications of eco-block, you may visit the following locations where eco-blocks were introduced on campus and this website http://goo.gl/UhoyVU

• 2^nd vehicular access, footpath along Yuk Choi Road opposite to MN Wing, footpath behind Core A and outside Phase 7 and emergency vehicular access (partial) of Phase 8 at Main Campus;
• Lower ground floor at Hung Hom Bay Campus; and
• Ground and lower ground floor at Ho Man Tin Student Hostel

Green PolyU Photography Contest

Chinese Mainland Affairs Office organized the Green PolyU Photography Contest in April 2015 to encourage students to share their green moments on PolyU green campus. Results will be announced in mid-May 2015. You can find the details from Chinese Mainland Affairs Office's website at http://goo.gl/knU1AH and check the winning photos from PolyU Sina Weibo at http://goo.gl/TzbUFa. You may discover a different campus in green.

PolyU Supported Earth Hour 2015

The “Earth Hour” is a global campaign initiated by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) in 2007 to encourage people to turn off non-essential lights for one hour with the aim of raising public awareness on combating greenhouse gas emissions. According to WWF-Hong Kong “Hong Kong Ecological Footprint Summary 2014” published in October 2014, people in Hong Kong are using 540 times more resources than the territory can provide. If everyone on earth lives the same way as people in Hong Kong, 3.1 Earths are required. This figure is much higher than the global average of 1.5 Earths.

Earth Hour 2015 was held this year on 28 March 2015 from 8:30 to 9:30 pm. PolyU members showed their great concern and support in combating greenhouse gas emissions through numerous innovations and supportive actions, including but not limited to:

• switching off non-essential lighting on campus; encouraging staff and students to switch off non-essential lighting at home;
• encouraging staff and students not to use facilities of the university;
• encouraging staff and students not to hold important events or activities;
• suspending certain services and the use of certain facilities, e.g., switching off all computers, monitors and printers after work.

You may learn more about the Earth Hour from the website at https://earthhour.wwf.org.hk/en.

PolyU Shared Experience on Green Management in HKQAA Seminar

On 16 April 2015, Mr. Joseph CHAN, Senior Campus Sustainability Manager of Health, Safety and Environment Office was invited by Hong Kong Quality Assurance Agency (HKQAA) as guest speaker to share PolyU’s experience on green management and initiatives in “Hong Kong Solid Waste Recycling Seminar” on PolyU campus.

You can find more information about the seminar from the flyer at http://goo.gl/K94erg (Chinese version only).

Green Moves at Student Hall of Residence (Homantin)

Green Hall is one of the six individual halls in Student Hall of Residence (Homantin). Students in Green Hall are encouraged to practice green living and green design to promote sustainability.

On 26 March 2015, a creative Shoe Rack Competition was organized in Student Hall of Residence (Homantin). The residents turned the used material, including cardboard paper and plastic bottles, into creative shoe racks. The shoe racks were scored according to weight resistance, space utilization and aesthetics. All amazing shoes racks survived the loading test and were capable of storing 6 pairs of shoes plus an extra 1000 grams. Combining the scores by judges and the votes by the audiences, 3 winning shoe racks were announced:

For better use of reusable resources, Green Hall organized the Flea Market Campaign to collect second-hand reusable items from students on 25 April and 2 May 2015. The collected items will then be donated or sold in Student Halls of Residence (Homantin) in the next residential year.

In addition, on 19 April 2015, a group of residents of Homantin Hall used their spare time to remove trash and debris from beaches at Tap Mun and to get close with the nature.

These events are not only fun and creative but more significantly, it arouses participants’ awareness on environmental sustainability under the prevailing consumerist culture in society.

PolyU Faculty of Business Alumni Sustainability Carnival

On 28 February 2015, Faculty of Business, PolyU held the Sustainability Carnival for alumni and their families on PolyU campus, which featured a series of interactive booth games, workshops, film shows and displays.

With the support from Health, Safety and Environment Office, DBA (Doctor of Business Administration) and MBA (Master of Business Administration) Alumni Associations, students and various green parties, all participants enjoyed a green day on PolyU campus. You can find more details about the carnival at Faculty of Business Newsletter 2015 issue 1 at http://goo.gl/6V4P2l.

(Jun-Sep 2015) Energy Saving Charter

PolyU has pledged to support the Energy Saving Charter on Indoor Temperature 2015 advocated by the Hong Kong SAR Government with an aim of reducing electricity consumption for air-conditioning.

In Hong Kong, buildings account for about 90% of our electricity consumption, representing over 60% of greenhouse gas emissions while air-conditioning contributes to most of the energy consumption.

In response to this pledge, offices on PolyU campuses will strive to maintain an average indoor temperature between 24 to 26°C during the months of June to September 2015 to support energy conservation and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

You may learn more about the Energy Saving Charter and useful tips from the below dedicated website at http://www.energysaving.gov.hk/indoortemperature/.

(5 Jun 2015) Hong Kong Green Day

(Image source: http://www.greenday.hk)

To celebrate United Nations’ World Environmental Day on 5 June, the Green Council has been organizing Hong Kong Green Day (HKGD) since 2013 with the objective of increasing public awareness and interest regarding greater environmental responsibility and protection. PolyU is one of the supporting organizations for this meaningful event. You can find more information about the Hong Kong Green Day from the website at http://www.greenday.hk or Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/greenday.hk.

(11-14 June 2015) Youth to Sustainability Summit 2015

(Image source: http://www.accupass.com/go/ys15)

Youth to Sustainability Summit 2015 organized by AIESEC, a global youth-run organization, will be held from 11 to 14 June 2015 at PolyU campus to provide an international platform for youths to explore and discuss global and local issues with current leaders from various fields. The topics of this year include i) Green lifestyle, ii) Social inclusion and, iii) Cultural preservation and development. For more details and registration, please visit AIESEC’s website at http://www.accupass.com/go/ys15.

(12 Jun 2015) HKAEE Experience Sharing Seminar

Under the scheme of Hong Kong Awards for Environmental Excellence (HKAEE), Environmental Campaign Committee will organize a series of experience sharing seminars for representatives from different organizations to share their experience of adopting green management and innovations.

Colleagues from Health, Safety and Environment Office, PolyU has been invited as one of the guest speakers of seminar “Green Management: Business as Usual?” to share PolyU’s green experience with details below:

Details

• Date: 12 June 2015 (Friday)
• Time: 2:30 ‐ 5:30 pm (Registration starts at 2:15 pm)
• Venue: Conference Hall, 4/F, HKPC Building, 78 Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon
• Fee: Free‐of‐charge
• Language: Cantonese
• Enquiries: HKAEE Hotline (Tel: 2788 5903)
• Online Application: http://events.hkpc.org/register.php?code=HKAEE2015_5

Experience Sharing

• Leighton ‐ Gammon Joint Venture ‐ MTR Express Rail Link (XRL) Contract 810A : West Kowloon Terminus Station North
• Queen's College Old Boys' Association Secondary School
• Sino Estates Management Limited ‐ Olympian City
• The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
• Introduction of Hong Kong Awards for Environmental Excellence and Hong Kong Green Organization Certification

You can find the details of other sharing seminars from HKAEE’s flyer at and the Hong Kong Green Day at http://goo.gl/nAm2Zw.

(11-12 Sep 2015) Flea Market for Second-Hand Items in Student Hall of Residence(Homantin)

For better use of reusable resources, Green Hall will organize the Flea Market in September 2015 to sell the second-hand reusable items to students of the new residential year, which were collected from residents in the last residential year.

Details

• Sale Dates: 11 to 12 September 2015 (Friday to Saturday)
• Venue: Canteen Function Room, G/F, Student Hall of Residence (Homantin)

Organizer

• Green Hall, Student Hall of Residence (Homantin)

World Environmental Dates

Over the years, various world-wide environmental and sustainability-related days have been established to raise public awareness on different environmental, social and ecological issues:

5 June - World Environment Day

The United Nations has proclaimed 5 June as World Environment Day (WED) to encourage worldwide awareness and action for the environment. The theme this year is "Seven Billion Dreams. One Planet. Consume with Care". To celebrate this Day, Green Council will organize Hong Kong Green Day. You can find more information about the WED from the website at http://www.unep.org/wed and the Hong Kong Green Day at http://www.greenday.hk.

8 June - World Ocean Day

World Oceans Day on 8 June every year is the United Nations-recognized day of ocean celebration and action. The theme for this year is “Healthy oceans, healthy planet” and particularly focuses on stopping plastic pollution. You can find more information at http://www.worldoceansday.org, which will provide special resources on plastic pollution this year.

17 June - World Day to Combat Desertification

In 1994, the United Nations General Assembly declared 17 June as the World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought to promote public awareness and highlight the implementation of preventing desertification and recovering from drought. You can find more information about the World Day to Combat Desertification from the website http://www.un.org/en/events/desertificationday.

For more information about sustainability-related dates, please refer to PolyU Green Concepts’ website at http://goo.gl/tZ7xq7 .

PolyU Sustainability Website attained Gold Award in Web Accessibility Recognition Scheme 2015

Since 2013, the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer and the Equal Opportunities Commission have joined hands to organize an annual Web Accessibility Recognition Scheme to encourage local organizations to adopt accessibility design in their websites and mobile apps, recognize the efforts and accomplishments of organizations that have adopted accessibility design in their websites and mobile apps and provide advisory support to help participating organizations make their websites and mobile apps accessible.

The third Web Accessibility Recognition Scheme Awards Presentation Ceremony was held on 13 April 2015. Our Sustainability Website (PolyU Green Concepts http://www.polyu.edu.hk/greencampus) has again attained the Gold Award (Website Stream).

PolyU Sustainable Campus received HKAEE Bronze Award

The Hong Kong Awards for Environmental Excellence (HKAEE) has been established since 2008 to encourage organizations in 11 industry sectors to adopt green management and benchmark their commitments towards best practices. This award scheme is recognized by the community as one of the most prestigious and reputable environmental award schemes in Hong Kong. Five schemes are offered, namely, “Sectoral Awards”, “Green Innovation Awards”, “Green Organization Labels”, “Environmental Labels” and “Carbon Reduction Certificates”. Details of the Award Schemes are available at http://hkaee.gov.hk

On 14 May 2015, PolyU received the Bronze Award for the Public Organizations & Utilities Sector of the 2014 HKAEE. PolyU has actively implemented programmes and launched new policies within campus to build a green culture in campus environment. Students and staff members were involved in numerous environmental activities on campus and community with change in attitude and behaviour towards sustainability. PolyU had undergone three stages of assessments in the HKAEE Sectoral Awards Scheme which assess PolyU’s green leadership, environmental performance and green partner synergy, etc. PolyU’s commitment and accomplishments in green campus management during the past year has been recognized by this Bronze Award. The news is also published on PolyU homepage at http://www.polyu.edu.hk/web/en/media/campus_reports/index_id_6115.html.

Earth Day 2015

‘It’s our turn to lead!’ – Earth Day’s 45^th anniversary could become the exciting year for promoting environmental message worldwide through education, policy and campaigns etc. Green group from different countries always work hand in hand to protect our environment. However, not many people know about Earth Day on 22 April in Hong Kong. It is time for us to do our part and stand up together for environmental issues.

Full Implementation of Plastic Shopping Bag Charging take effect on 1 April 2015

To build a sustainable lifestyle in the community, the Environmental Levy Scheme on Plastic Shopping Bags (PSB Levy Scheme) has extended to cover all retails outlets with effect from 1 April 2015 to avoid using plastic material. 50 cents is charged for each plastic shopping bag given out as the environmental levy. It encourages the public to bring their own bags when they plan to go shopping and repeat using shopping bags which helps to reduce waste at source. Let’s support the scheme of ‘Use Less, Waste Less’. For more details, please visit Environmental Protection Department’s website at http://www.epd.gov.hk/epd/psb_extension/en.

Environmental Protection Department published - Waste Statistics for 2013

We have sent more rubbish to landfills in 2013 than year before. 14,311 tonnes of solid waste was tossed in three landfills every day in 2013 which is 3.4 per cent increased as compared with record in 2012. Two-third of them was municipal solid waste including glass, paper and plastic which could be recycled. The government has set a target of reducing 20 per cent and 40 per cent of municipal solid waste per capita in 2017 and 2020 respectively. From this report card, both government and the public have to pay more efforts to meet the target. To find more information about 2013 waste statistics, please visit the press release at http://goo.gl/aIoSQN and the Hong Kong Waste Reduction Website at http://www.wastereduction.gov.hk/en/assistancewizard/waste_red_sat.htm.

Environmental Protection Department released the Marine Refuse Study Report(Hong Kong)

A one year study was conducted by consultancy from March 2013 to recognize the problem of marine refuse in Hong Kong. The report (http://goo.gl/NkW04I) was announced in April 2015 to indicate the distribution and sources of marine refuse. 15,000 tonnes of marine refuse was collected which 70 per cent were floating waste. Land-based sources including shoreline and recreational activities contributed 80 per cent of marine refuse. For example, people generated waste after barbecue and beach-going along shoreline. Also over 70 per cent was non-biodegradable plastic and foam. The government believes public education is the effective means to convey the clean shorelines message through community activities. To find more information about the Marine Refuse Study, please visit the Environmental Protection Department’s website at http://www.epd.gov.hk/epd/clean_shorelines/node/21.html.