Moving Towards a Green Optometry Clinic

(by School of Optometry)

The Cradle of Optometric Professional

The Optometry clinic in PolyU is a teaching facility for Optometry students who receive their clinical training in the last two years of their undergraduate program in the School of Optometry. The service of the clinic is open to the public and it has been serving the society for over 35 years. Apart from teaching, the clinic also supports clinical research and acts as an important clinical resource of eye care in Hong Kong.

Many people may have an impression that an optometrist is the one who refracts your eyes in an optical shop. In fact, the scope of work of optometrists is far more than that. The School of Optometry in The Hong Kong Polytechnic University trains optometrists to carry out comprehensive eye examination which includes the evaluation of:

• vision and refractive errors;
• various visual functions; and
• ocular health.

Vision is the ability of the eye to resolve details of objects at different distances. Refractive errors refer to short-sightedness, far sightedness, astigmatism and presbyopia.

Visual functions include binocular vision or coordination between the two eyes; color vision; eye movement; pupil reflexes and visual field screening, etc. The results of these tests are highly useful to the final judgment on the management of an individual’s ocular conditions.

Finally, the optometrist is also capable of detecting ocular problems such as dry eye, cataract, glaucoma and retinal problems, etc. through a detailed assessment on the ocular health of the patient.

Upon completion of all the examinations, an optometrist will discuss the findings and provide recommendations for the patient to tackle his/her visual and ocular problems.

Care for the Environment

In Optometry practice, it is common to capture the photo of the eye as clinical record. This helps to monitor the changes and progress of some ocular conditions. Such photos are also an important teaching material for Optometry education.

In the past, 135mm camera system was used to take photos of the external (cornea/lens) and internal (retina) regions of the eye. As a result, huge amount of negatives/slides/print-outs had to be kept by the clinic (approximately 12,000 print-outs were produced in a year). Moreover, it usually took a few days to develop the negatives and photos. This consumed a lot of physical space, manpower, chemicals and at the same time produced a lot of chemical wastes.

By Year 2000, digital camera system replaced the traditional film-based camera in which all photos could be saved in electronic format. At the early stage of such development, hard copy print-out of the digital photo was still unavoidable as the capture station was a standalone device and therefore sharing of electronic document was not feasible.

Thanks to the latest information technology, the Optometry Clinic in PolyU is now applying DICOM (Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine) technology to store and retrieve digital ocular images. After taking the picture of the eye, the capture station will send the images to the DICOM gateway and the images are saved in the DICOM server. The optometrist will then go back to the examination room and retrieve and display the photo on the monitor for explanation to the patient as well as teaching the Optometry students. After using this electronic platform, the Optometry Clinic reduces hard copy printing of clinical photos by 80% in volume. In 2014 for example, nearly 10,000 print-outs were saved.

To further protect the environment, the Optometry Clinic also started two new green measures in 2015:

• Ceased to provide Plastic Shopping Bag: To echo the full implementation of the ‘Plastic Shopping Bag Charging’, the Optometry Clinic has ceased to provide plastic shopping bags to customers since 1 April 2015. Staff members of the clinic remind and encourage patients to bring their own bag. After running this measure for a couple of months, it was observed that patients were very cooperative and most of them did bring their own shopping bag when they bought several bottles of contact lens solutions! This act had saved about 1,000 plastic shopping bags per year.
  
  
  Optometry Clinic has ceased to provide plastic shopping bags to customers since 1 April 2015.
  
  

  Patients bring their own bags for buying products at the Optometry Clinic.
  
  

• Use of 100% Recycled Paper: The School of Optometry had made a green shift to use 100% Recycled A4 paper since May 2015. After the launch of this measure, the clinic is now using this ‘green’ paper to print receipts and reports to the patients.
  
  
  
  School of Optometry uses 100% Recycled Paper for printing Customers’ receipts and reports.
  
  
  

Strive for Sustainability and Continuous Improvement

Frankly speaking, there is no full-stop to environmental protection; the clinic is now planning for 100% paperless operation in the coming years. In addition to the electronic medical records, the Optometry Clinic is now exploring other patient communications channels such as SMS/email reminder, Near Field Communication (NFC) receipt/report/payment, etc.

By applying the cutting edge information technology, the Optometry Clinic will continue to strike for a better ‘green’ practice and we hope that the Optometry students can be trained to be an eye care professional with environmental protection sense.

Details of the Optometry Clinic can be obtained from http://www.polyu.edu.hk/so/patients.php.

PolyU received Government’s Pilot Green Transport Fund

New Green Signage on Campus - Energy Saving Escalators and Eco-block

With the coordination among Campus Sustainability Committee, Facilities Management Office and Health, Safety and Environment Office, new signage has rolled out on PolyU campus to introduce energy saving escalators and eco-block.

Signage of Energy Saving Escalators

The energy saving escalators will run at normal speed if passenger is detected and at crawling speed or stop if no passenger is detected for a specific period of time. Pay attention to these green installations when you visit Phase 8 (Block Z) and Jockey Club Innovation Tower.

Signage of Eco-Block

Eco-block, an environmentally friendly construction material, has been widely used on PolyU Campus. Introduction of eco-block does not only reduce the disposal of waste, but also conserves natural resources, such as river sand, and helps to remove air pollutants on campus. You can find the signage to learn more about the eco-block at i) footpath behind Core A and next to Jogging Track; ii) footpath along Yuk Choi Road opposite to MN Wing; and iii) vehicular access behind Core Q.

Campus Greenery - Khaya Senegalensis (非洲楝 / 非洲桃花心木)

As one of the oldest trees on campus, the Khaya senegalensis in front of the library has guarded the district for over 40 years.

Khaya senegalensis is an evergreen tree. Flowering shortly occurs before or early in the rainy season and the fruit apparently remains on the tree throughout the dry season. In addition to being an ornamental, we can use its wood as construction material; the leaves as animal feed; and bark, resin and leaves as medicine.

More information about Khaya senegalensis can be found at http://goo.gl/htOIXm.

Reusable Items Collection Campaign at Student Hostels

Being one of six individual halls in the Student Halls of Residence (Homantin), Green Hall has been endeavoring to promote environmental culture. A reusable items collection campaign co-organized with the Chinese Mainland Student Association (CMSA) was held during the mass check-out period in May 2015 to collect the unwanted items such as books and cooking utensils. The collected items will either be distributed or sold to new hall residents at the beginning of the next academic year.

Green Orientation Camp (O’ Camp)

To promote green practices in orientation camp and encourage students to play smart, Health, Safety and Environment Office in collaboration with Student Affairs Office have prepared the “Green O’ Camp Information Kit” for all O’ Camp student organizers. It provides easy-to-follow tips in areas on organizing green O’ camps, such as clothing, food and venue management. The full information kit can be found at http://www.polyu.edu.hk/greencampus/en/green-tips/green-info-kit.html.

In addition, a collection house has been planned to place at the podium level outside Communal Building to collect surplus O' Camp souvenirs in late August until early October this year.

Moreover, PolyU supports the “Green! O Camp Project” organized by Friends of the Earth (HK). This year, the project theme is “Green Bottle O Camp”. All O’Camp organizers and participants are encouraged to bring their own reusable water bottles to reduce the waste generation from disposable plastic bottles. You can find more information about the campaign from the dedicated website at http://www.foe.org.hk/GOC/eng/index.html.

To echo the initiatives of green O’ Camp and foster the campus-wide culture of ‪‎sustainability‬, The Green Society, a green student organization under PolyU Students' Union, has been actively adding the green elements to their own O’ Camp and involved in the “Green! O Camp Project” organized by the Friends of the Earth (HK). To follow their status updates, you are most welcome to like The Green Society’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/PolyUGreenSociety.‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

Energy Saving Charter on Indoor Temperature 2015

PolyU has pledged to maintain an average indoor temperature between 24to 26°C during the months from June to September 2015 in supporting the Energy Saving Charter on Indoor Temperature 2015 advocated by the HKSAR Government with an aim of reducing electricity consumption for air-conditioning.

In Hong Kong, 90% of electricity is consumed by buildings which contribute 60% of greenhouse gas emission and air-conditioning accounts for a majority of building energy consumption. Energy conservation has long been a commitment and being a key indicator in the context of PolyU campus sustainability. Thus, keeping the indoor air-conditioning temperature within an efficient range could assist in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and promote energy conservation on campus.

More details of the Charter can be found from the dedicated website at http://www.energysaving.gov.hk/indoortemperature/2015/en/.

House of Innovation Open Day

The House of Innovation, PolyU’s innovation and technology showroom that features our wide range of fascinating research achievements will be opened to the public. Don't miss the chance to get inspired by PolyU’s innovations!

Details

• Date: 2 July - 28 August 2015 (Monday – Friday), closed on Public Holidays
• Time: 1:00 PM – 6:00 PM
• Venue: House of Innovation, G/F, Core P, PolyU (next to the lawn near Li Ka Shing Tower)
• Enquiry: Ms. Tse (Tel.: 3400 2929)
• More information: http://goo.gl/jlTL4M

Organizer

• Institute for Entrepreneurship, PolyU

Disclaimer: The above activity is not organized by Campus Sustainability Committee or Health, Safety and Environment Office, PolyU. All information provided here are for reference only.

Make Your Own ECO Bag Workshop

The Hub Hong Kong will organize public green workshop on PolyU campus to promote environmental awareness. Participants could design their own ECO bags.

Details

• Date: 13 - 14 August 2015
• Time: 11:00 AM – 6:00 PM
• Venue: CF Wing, Podium Level, PolyU
• No prior registration is required. All are welcome.

Organizer

• The Hub Hong Kong (a non-profit organization, founded in 2013 by the Bill Crews Exodus Foundation from Australia)

Disclaimer: The above activity is not organized by Campus Sustainability Committee or Health, Safety and Environment Office, PolyU. All information provided here are for reference only.

Green O' Camp Recycling Campaign

To promote green O’ Camps and reduce waste disposed in landfills, PolyU cooperating with the Christian Action will place a recycling house at the podium level outside the Communal Building to collect surplus O' Camp souvenirs.

Details

• Date: 24 August – 14 October 2015
• Recycling House Location: Podium Level, Communal Building, PolyU
• Target items to be collected: Unwanted and surplus O’Camp souvenirs (excluding those with PolyU logo or name)
• Enquiry: green.campus@polyu.edu.hk

A Facebook game will be launched during the campaign period to present chances to participate in our coming green Mid-Autumn Festival workshop. Details will be released later at PolyU Green Campus’s Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/polyugreencampus). Don't miss it, like our page now.

Organizer

• Campus Sustainability Committee, PolyU
• Christian Action
• Health, Safety and Environment Office, PolyU

Student Co-organizer

• The Green Society, HKPU Students' Union

Supporting Department

• Facilities Management Office

Green Mid-Autumn Festival - Mooncake Soap Workshop

To promote the culture of cherishing our food and have a green Mid-Autumn Festival, Campus Sustainability Committee and Health, Safety and Environment Office will organize a green mooncake soap workshop in Mid-Autumn Festival this year. This workshop will let participants make soap with food waste (such as rice chaffs and coffee ground), and then re-shape them into mooncake. Participants will have a chance to take home their hand-made mooncake soaps.

Details

• Date: 24 September 2015 (Thursday)
• Time: 6:15 PM (last for around 1:30 hours)
• Venue: Classroom, PolyU Campus
• Language: Cantonese
• For PolyU students and staff only
• A Facebook game will be launched during the campaign period to present chances to participate in this workshop. Details will be released later at PolyU Green Campus’s Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/polyugreencampus). Don't miss it, like our page now.
• Enquiry: green.campus@polyu.edu.hk

Organizer

• Campus Sustainability Committee, PolyU
• Health, Safety and Environment Office, PolyU

Hong Kong No Air Con Night

To enhance the public awareness about energy saving and wise use of air-conditioning, Green Sense will once again launched the “Hong Kong No Air Con Night” this year on 25 September. Since the launch of the first “Hong Kong No Air Con Night” in 2010, the campaign had encouraged over 315,000 households to join the event accumulated from 2010 to 2014.

The proposed “No Air Con Night” at homes is a large-scale activity for motivating the whole society to participate in energy saving. All household units and university hall students are invited to switch off their air-conditioners for at least one night on 25 September 2015, suggested from 7pm to 7am the next day. All household units and university hall students are also encouraged to stop using the air con at night afterwards.

Details

• Time & Date: 7pm, 25 September to 7am, 26 September 2015
• More information: https://www.facebook.com/noaircon

Organizer

• Green Sense

Disclaimer: The above activity is not organized by Campus Sustainability Committee or Health, Safety and Environment Office, PolyU. All information provided here are for reference only.

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:

16 September 2015 - International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer

The International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer, proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in 1994, commemorating the date of the signing, in 1987, of the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer. Please visit the United Nations website for more information at http://www.un.org/en/events/ozoneday/index.shtml.

18 to 20 September 2015 - Clean Up the World Weekend

The Clean Up the World Weekend is held on the 3rd weekend in September each year, focusing on public attention on global community concerns for the environment and how each individual can make a positive contribution to a cleaner and healthier world. In 2015, Clean Up the World Weekend will be held from 18 to 20 September 2015. Please visit the Clean Up the World website for more information at http://www.cleanuptheworld.org/en/Activities/clean-up-the-world-weekend.html.

22 September 2015 - World Car Free Day

The World Car Free Day encourage motorists to give up their cars for a day to promote improvement of mass transit, cycling and walking, and the development of communities where jobs are closer to home and where shopping is within walking distance. Please visit the World Carfree Network website for more information at http://www.worldcarfree.net/wcfd/.

PolyU received awards of Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) Certification Scheme 2014

On 19 May 2015, PolyU received good class certificates of Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) Certification Scheme 2014, which has been organized by the Environmental Protection Department (EPD) since 2003 to promote and commend good IAQ management practice. This year, PolyU also received a special award as one of the ten organizations with the highest participation rates in terms of floor area.

Over the years, PolyU endeavors to provide a pleasant indoor air environment for all staff and students. Certified buildings with good class certificates are listed below.

• Phase 8 - Whole Building
• Mong Man Wai Building and Anita Chan Lai Ling Building - Whole Building
• Chow Yei Ching Building, Ng Wing Hong Building and Communal Building - Whole Building
• Jockey Club Auditorium - Whole Building
• Choi Kai Yau Building and Shirley Chan Building - Whole Building
• Li Ka Shing Tower and Block N - Whole Building
• Tang Ping Yuan Building, Chan Tai Ho Building, Lui Che Woo Building, Chan Sui Wai Building and CMA Building - Whole Building
• Kinmay W. Tang Building, Stanley Ho Building and GH Wing - Whole Building
• Chung Sze Yuen Building, BC Wing and Block A - Whole Building (Exclude Chiang Chen Studio Theatre)
• Shaw Sports Complex, Shaw Amenities Building and Fong Shu Chuen Hall - Whole Building
• Pao Yue Kong Library - Whole Building
• Yip Kit Chuen Building, Realink Building and Ho Iu Kwong Building / Industrial Centre - Whole Building of Yip Kit Chuen Building, Office Area of Realink Building and Ho Iu Kwong Building / Industrial Centre
• Lee Shau Kee Building - G/F to 9/F (Exclude7/F)
• Chung Sze Yuen Building - Chiang Chen Studio Theatre

You can find more information about the scheme from the dedicated website at http://www.iaq.gov.hk/index_eng.asp.

PolyU received Gold Award in Yan Oi Tong Plastic Recycling Partnership Scheme

On 17 June 2015, PolyU received the Certificate of Gold Award for the School Sector in Yan Oi Tong Plastic Recycling Partnership Scheme 2014/15, marking our second consecutive year as the award recipient, to recognize our efforts on supporting and promoting plastic recycling.

Over the years, PolyU has set up a wide variety of recycling bins on campus to facilitate source separation and recycling. You are encouraged to separate the recyclables and put them into recycling bins to reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill. However, the best option is still to avoid generating waste.

The collected plastics on campus are handled by Yan Oi Tong EcoPark Plastic Resources Recycling Centre (YOTPRRC), which is funded by the Environment and Conservation Fund (ECF). ECF was set up under the Environment and Conservation Fund Ordinance (Cap. 450) in 1994 to support educational, research, and other projects and activities in relation to environmental and conservation matters. The locations of recycling bins on PolyU campus can be obtained from Facilities Management Office’s website at http://www.polyu.edu.hk/fmo/eMap/recycle_bin_locator.html.

Environment Bureau unveiled the Hong Kong First Energy Saving Plan

The Hong Kong first energy saving blueprint was unveiled by Environment Bureau with the goal of cutting the amount of energy for every unit of wealth created by 40% by 2025 and reducing the electricity consumption in Government buildings by 5% by 2020. As close to 90% of Hong Kong's electricity is consumed in buildings, green building development becomes one of priority tasks in the plan. It is proposed all new public housings and Government buildings have to reach at least BEAM Plus Gold rating and encourages private building to adopt the same benchmark. The Government will drive the energy saving in both public and private sectors through a combination of educational, social, economic and regulatory means. You can find the full blueprint from Environment Bureau’s website at http://www.enb.gov.hk/sites/default/files/pdf/EnergySavingPlanEn.pdf.

Greenhouse gas inventory for Hong Kong in 2012 was released

The Environmental Protection Department released the 2012 greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory for Hong Kong. GHG mainly contributes to global warming because it absorbs infrared radiation and trap heat in atmosphere.

According to the latest inventory, there was a slight increase of GHG emissions from 2011 to 2012 by 0.7% or 300 kilotonnes CO2-e. Electricity generation was the major emission source, accounting for 68.2% of total city emissions. The per capita GHG emission was around 6 tonnes CO2-e, equivalent to removing about 260 units of trees in one year Note. It reminds us to take steps forward to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions in our daily life.

Details of the greenhouse gas inventory in Hong Kong can be found from Environmental Protection Department’s website at http://www.epd.gov.hk/epd/english/climate_change/resources.html.

Note: Based on the Environmental Protection Department’s guideline, the removal factor of one tree per year is 23 kilograms CO2-e. The figure is applicable to all trees commonly found in Hong Kong which are able to reach at least 5 metres in height.

World Environment Day and Hong Kong Green Day

Proclaimed by the United Nations, every 5th of June is the World Environment Day (WED), a day to remind us of the environmental issues we are facing. “Seven Billion Dreams. One Planet. Consume with Care” was the theme this year. Evidence shows that people are consuming far more natural resources than what our Earth can sustainably provide. “Consume with care” means living within planetary boundaries to ensure a healthy future where our dreams can be realized. To learn more about the World Environment Day, please visit the dedicated website at http://www.unep.org/wed/.

To echo with the World Environment Day, Hong Kong Green Council has launched “Hong Kong Green Day 2015” on the same day. A series of activities were organized with the theme of “Go Green, Act Green”. PolyU is one of the supporting organizations for this meaningful event. You can find more information from the website at http://www.greenday.hk or Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/greenday.hk.

Sustainable Seafood Week 2015 and Sustainable Seafood Guide

Sustainable seafood refers to the seafood that is either wild caught or farmed in a manner that meets the demands of today while not damaging a fishery’s ability to provide the same function to future generations Note. According to the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)’s consumer survey revealed in late 2014, a primary challenge for consumers is to locate and purchase sustainable seafood.

To encourage the public to adopt sustainable seafood in their meals, WWF-Hong Kong has launched the “Sustainable Seafood Week” during the period from 27 June to 5 July 2015. Over 100 restaurants used sustainable seafood to prepare Ocean Friendly Menus. In addition, a series of activities were organized, such as Sustainable Seafood Photo Competition and Panda Flash Mob. You can find more about the “Sustainable Seafood Week” from WWF’s website at http://goo.gl/Rp3x3R.

Also, WWF-Hong Kong published Sustainable Seafood Guide with the aim of helping individuals and businesses choose sustainable seafood and avoid unsustainable seafood products. The Guide covers seafood species that can easily be found in local wet markets, supermarkets and frozen food shops. You can find the full guideline from WWF’s website at http://goo.gl/0lhNS0.

Note: The definition of sustainable seafood was provided by WWF-Hong Kong at http://goo.gl/Rp3x3R.