Since 2013, the Campus Sustainability Office (CSO) brings the PolyU Campus Sustainability Weeks to the campus annually, which serves as a platform for dialogues on sustainability and sharing of green ideas. Talks, workshops, exhibitions, tours, and other exciting games are arranged, inviting everyone to experience and reflect on their behaviors and encourage them to adopt a green lifestyle. Prompted by the health concerns of the entire campus community during the current coronavirus pandemic, CSO decides to turn to digital delivery – the physical PolyU Campus Sustainability Weeks is transformed into an online experience in March 2020.
The online version of PolyU Campus Sustainability Week this year is a carefully planned virtual engagement opportunity that meets the participants’ expectations for the value they would have received in person. With a specially designed website, it creates a memorable experience for the campus community in an online setting and is a digital event worthy of their time and attention. Its special ‘Go Green’ section presents a kaleidoscope of information including practical DIY crafts, powerful talks on sustainability, lessons from the experts, short articles on green living, coupled with recommendations on documentaries and e-Books. It delivers meaningful content onto the information superhighway and allows participants to acquire key sustainability concepts in an inspiring and convenient way as they sit comfortably in front of their computers.
Another section on ‘Stay Healthy’ on the website offers helpful Traditional Chinese regimen, professional advice on maintaining physical and mental wellness as well as tips to fight the novel coronavirus. It reveals the unbreakable bond between health and sustainability and emphasising the idea that adopting a healthy and sustainable lifestyle is admittedly important to us now.
The website offers not only great content. It also builds an agenda to increase participants involvement. It has strongly embraced interactivity capabilities and incorporates gaming elements and rewards to keep the participants’ attention. Participants can challenge themselves and complete specific tasks to win a prize. They can also try some fun Facebook AR (Augmented Reality) face filters when taking a selfie and be part of the community who are spreading the messages on sustainability.
Moving an event to a virtual platform with quality digital content is definitely a good way to remain connected with the campus community. The online PolyU Campus Sustainability Week shows how this works perfectly. It is a powerful catalyst in motivating staff and students to pick up sustainability concepts by making knowledge more accessible to everyone. It shows that sustainability learning can also be achieved out of the campus and into our homes.
