February 2012 | Business Environment Council

2012-02-01

BEC Newsletters February 2012

BEC Programme

BEC Low-carbon School Programme

Sponsored by the Environment and Conservation Fund (ECF) and Canon Hongkong Company Limited (Canon), Business Environment Council (BEC) kick-started the ‘BEC Low-carbon School’ Programme on 29 October 2011. This 8-month engagement programme provides a platform for secondary school students to learn and put into practice their understanding on the latest green technologies and environmental knowledge. A series of activities, such as EcoExpo Guided Tour, Dialogue with Secretary for the Environment, school workshops and inter-school design competition are being organised.

EcoExpo Guided Tour

BEC organised a Guided Tour for the participants of the ‘BEC Low-carbon School’ Programme to visit the EcoAsia Expo on 29 October, 2011. Over 1300 students from 33 secondary schools joined the Tour to explore and learn more about the eco-businesses in Hong Kong. BEC recruited 66 ambassadors from three tertiary institutions to help guide the secondary school students in the EcoExpo Asia.

Students taking pictures at the Canon booth in the EcoExpo Asia.

Dialogue with Secretary for the Environment

The Dialogue with Secretary for the Environment, also held on 29 October 2011, had given over 400 secondary school students a prime opportunity to meet Hon Edward Yau Tang-wah. The students articulated their thoughts on low carbon lifestyle and shared their ideas on how government and the business sector could collaborate to reduce carbon emission.

Left: Mr Vincent Cheung, representative of Canon together with Hon Edward Yau shared how individuals and businesses can work together in reducing carbon emissions. Right: Student shared his view on low-carbon lifestyle with Hon Edward Yau.

Workshops for Secondary Schools

During the programme period, BEC organizes workshops at secondary schools on low carbon economy and low carbon lifestyle. These workshops aim at encouraging students to lead a low carbon life at school. As of end of December 2011, a total of 17 workshops with 1500 participating had been held.

BEC representative is presenting at the Homantin Government Secondary School on 2 November 2011.

BEC Low-carbon School Inter-school Design Competition
The Inter-school Design Competition is the key component and highlight of the ‘BEC Low-Carbon School Programme’. Students will have a platform to share their creativity and make use of their environmental knowledge to enhance their school setting in the specially designed 3D online game. Students will learn how to promote low-carbon life in the school. After BEC shared a 3D video of this competition, students expressed their interest to join this event.

BEC Low-carbon School Inter-school Design Competition video was shared at various secondary school workshops. Other videos can be found here.

Low Carbon Home 2011-2012 Programme

With sponsorship from Agile Property Holdings Limited, “BEC Low-carbon Home” 2011-2012 Programme was launched on January 14, 2012. It is a unique programme including a project design competition, tailor made for tertiary students who are studying courses in urban planning and design, architecture, landscape architecture, engineering, surveying, building services, real estate, construction and environmental management. It aims to promote the concept and principles of low carbon housing design and offer the students an opportunity to learn from industry practitioners on green urban and property development. The full programme consists of 8 key modules including a promotion period, launching ceremony, professional talks, site visits, experiential learning trip, design competition, award ceremony and summer internship opportunities in Mainland China. For details of our programme, please go to our facebook.

Programme Launch Ceremony and Panel Discussion Session
The Business Environment Council (BEC) launched the ‘BEC Low-carbon Home’ 2011-2012 Programme (LCH Programme) today. Mr Jimmy C.F. Leung, JP, Director of Planning of the HKSAR, jointly officiated at the Launch Ceremony with other distinguished guests. More than 50 representatives from the academia and business sector and tertiary students attended the event.
The Launch Ceremony was followed by a Panel Discussion Session entitled ‘Opportunities and Challenges in Green Planning’ which was moderated by Prof. Jonathan Wong Woon Chung, Professor of Department of Biology, Hong Kong Baptist University. Panellists included:

Professor HO Puay-peng, Director, School of Architecture, Chinese University of Hong Kong;
Dr. Eric Lee, Assistant Professor, Department of Civil and Architectural Engineering, City University of Hong Kong;
Prof. Li-Yin Shen, Professor, Department of Building & Real Estate, Hong Kong Polytechnic University;
Mr. Evans Iu, President, The Hong Kong Institute of Landscape Architects;
Mr. Larry Poon, Council Member, Hong Kong Institute of Planners, and
Mr. August Tiu, Head of Project, Agile Property Holdings Limited.

The panelists provide insights and their professional point of view on green planning and the future of the industry.

Group photo of the Launch Ceremony

Panel Discussion ‘Opportunities and Challenges in Green Planning’

BEC Event

BEC Membership Visit to Kennedy Town and Overrun Tunnel (17 Nov 2011)

Around 20 BEC members joined our visit to the future Kennedy Town MTR Station on the West Island Line on 17 November 2011. During the visit to the construction site, representatives of Gammon Construction and MTR Corporation introduced the construction methods used and environmental protection measures adopted on the project. Participating members were introduced to new technologies and the building of the overrun tunnel. As part of the visit, there was also a tour to the over-a-century-old tree wall zone at Forbes Street.

Upcoming Events

BEC Membership Visit to Lam Tei Quarry (24 February 2012)

BEC will be organizing a membership visit to alliance Construction’s quarry site in Lam Tei on 24 February, participating members will be able to gain a better understanding on how a quarry operates and how surplus rocks generated from local construction sites are recycled. Members will also be able to learn more about the current landform design, including re-vegetation of the area and a self-sustaining ecosystem integrating into the surrounding environment.

EnviroSeries Conference 2012 – Green Built Environment and Urban Planning (4 May 2012)

The EnviroSeries Conference is BEC’s flagship event; it is a series of conferences organized annually for the broadest range of stakeholders to address and discuss key environmental agenda crucial the sustainable development in Hong Kong and mainland China. The first of 2012 series will be held on 4 May at JW Marriott Hong Kong. The Conference will focus on urban planning and the past, present and future of the green built environment. We will discuss the cultural heritage conservation issues in relation to property development, the challenges and opportunities of the current green built environment, and the future city planning and design.

BEC Members’ Sustainability Initiatives

The Hong Kong Jockey Club Green Carnival

The Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC), BEC’s Council Member, has a long standing commitment to protecting the environment and achieving sustainable development. Into its second year, the HKJC Green Action programme 2011 aims to strengthen the green culture amongst its staff members. With emphasis in ‘Green Mobility’ and ‘Recycling’ for the current year, a host of internal initiatives were organized for its staff, namely test drives of electric vehicles, collection of recycling items, and green guided tours.

The HKJC Green Carnival was held on 15 December 2011 at the Happy Valley Racecourse as the grand finale of the Green Action Programme. BEC as an active partner with the HKJC in advocating for a sustainable environment, our Chairman Prof John Chai attended the event on behalf of the organization and presented the Council Membership certificate to Mrs Mimi Cunningham, HKJC’s Director of Human Resources and Sustainability. As a token of appreciation, HKJC gave Prof Chai a carbon credit certificate of 6.7 tonnes, which represents the average amount of carbon emissions per capita per year in Hong Kong.

Members Update

New Council Members

BASF East Asia Regional Headquarters Limited – the world's leading chemical company. Its portfolio ranges from chemicals, plastics, performance products and agricultural products to oil and gas. BASF provides high-value products and intelligent solutions and plays an important role in finding answers to global challenges such as climate protection, energy efficiency, nutrition and mobility.

The Hong Kong Jockey Club – a non-profit organization providing horse racing, sporting and betting entertainment in Hong Kong, HKJC supports other environmental initiatives in the community through its charitable donations. The Club’s Environmental Management Committee is set up to ensure good corporate governance and adherence to best practices as regards to sustainability.

New Corporate Members

AECOM Asia Company Limited – a global provider of professional technical and management support services to a broad range of markets, including transportation, facilities, environmental, energy, water and government.

Kimberly-Clark (Hong Kong) Limited – one of the world’s most recognizable family and personal care brands. With brands like Kleenex®, Scott®, Huggies®, Pull-Ups®, Kotex®, Poise® and Depend®, Kimberly-Clark holds the No.1 or No. 2 share position globally in more than 80 countries. Kimberly-Clark Professional is one of Kimberly-Clark Corporation's four business segments - known for innovative, quality solutions for away-from-home washrooms, "clean" and "industrial" manufacturing environments, the global brands of Kimberly-Clark Professional include Kleenex®, Scott®, WypAll*, KleenGuard* and Kimtech*.

Scania (Hong Kong) Limited – a wholly owned subsidiary of Scania CV AB from Sweden which has a presence in more than 100 countries worldwide. Scania is a leading manufacturer of heavy trucks, buses, coaches, and industrial and marine engines and has a long history in Hong Kong with Scania vehicles being imported since the early 80's.

New General Members

GHK (Hong Kong) Limited – an international firm of economic, financial, planning and management consultants with experience in public and private sector consultancy. In particular, strategic planning and economic development, ports, airports, logistics and transport, infrastructure planning development and finance, governance, public sector management and reform.

Greatmat Technology (HK) Limited – an innovative company that provides customers with designs, manufacturing solutions and technical advice for specialist building projects. Greatmat specializes in the design and manufacture of quartz-based Reconstituted Stone and are the first company in the world to apply such finishing techniques on a commercial scale.

Khind Electrical (Hong Kong) Limited – provides electrical and environmental solutions to homes, schools, hotels, factories, shopping centres etc and has been taking part in a wide range of construction projects in Asia for 50 years.

MS Enterprises Limited – a wholly-owned subsidiary company of Cosmos Machinery Enterprises LTD (HKEX Stock Code: 118). Founded in 1987, MS Enterprises specializes in mold development, injection molding and surface treatment, OEM/ODM services, as well as bio-plastic product manufacturing.

Sun Ngai Recycle Company – provides various services in recycling materials for nearly half a century. With a high standard management system, Sun Ngai holds the ISO 9001:200 certificate in recycling paper, plastic, metal, used clothes etc.

Other Events of Interest