The Campus Sustainability Office (CSO) brings the unique Campus Sustainability Weeks to the PolyU campus annually. First held in 2013 and entering its ninth year this year, it embraces a series of activities by highlighting important initiatives and green practices, helping to build a more sustainable campus and community.
The current pandemic poses social distancing restrictions and causes changes in the way people meet and behave. Nevertheless, this new normal does not stop the University from engaging the students and staff to show their care for the environment. Driven by a wave of creativity and new concepts, the University applied digital alternatives in running the Campus Sustainability Weeks activities in 2021, transforming the face-to-face events into virtual ones, and reported great success in involving the University community to reflect on their responsibilities on sustainability.
Along with a webinar on fashion waste and a special clothing drive, an online sharing session that examined clam digging activities in Hong Kong was also staged. Mr Kelvin So, the speaker from WWF-Hong Kong, had a wonderful talk on the impacts of our recreational activities had on the city’s marine environment. He elaborated on how and why Shui Hau Wan in Lantau, an attractive location in Hong Kong with high ecological value and uniqueness, was adversely affected and disturbed by unregulated recreational clam digging activities. He invited all participants to review how we could help in marine conservation and encouraged our responsible behaviours towards the sustainable use of marine resources.
Following this, another webinar was held to offer the students and staff an exclusive opportunity to explore the wonders of wildlife in Lantau. Dr Xoni Ma mingled with the participants in an online format and had a lively, impressive, and informative sharing on the wide variety of habitats on Lantau and its conservation significance.
Indeed, our planet is now in trouble, particularly shadowed by the pandemic crisis. The issues of sustainability have never been more important, and it’s a critical time for everyone of us to be collaborating for our environment. PolyU’s Campus Sustainability Weeks, integrating virtual components with the University’s mission to further sustainability, created a user experience that inspired more people to involve in ways they never have before.
