(23rd October 2009, Hong Kong) Corporate Sustainability For Schools (CS4Schools), a program funded by the Sustainable Development Fund of HKSAR Government, was launched today at Mongkok Langham Place Hotel. Business Environment Council (BEC) is the organizer of this program. More than 30 secondary schools and 15 leading companies as Corporate Partners have joined hands with this 2-year program. This program aims to prepare our future leaders who are still in secondary school to learn from leading companies their success stories and best practices on corporate social and environmental responsibility, via business leaders sharing, company visits and seminars, as well as web resources, teaching aids, lesson plans and fact sheets. Through a wide range of activities and sharing, CS4Schools will get in touch with over 50,000 teachers and students in Hong Kong.
Participating Corporate Partners include: Airport Authority, CLP Power, Gammon Construction, The Hongkong Electric, Hongkong International Terminals, Hongkong Land, HSBC, Hysan Development Company, Modern Terminals, MTR Corporation, NWS Holdings, PCCW, Schneider Electric (Hong Kong), Sino Group and Swire Properties.
More and more companies have started implementing corporate sustainability projects in recent years to balance the needs of stakeholders, society and the environment. Through various kinds of activities, CS4Schools introduces the concept of Corporate Sustainability to high school students so that they are more prepared to embrace this issue in their higher education and subsequently when they enter the society. From 2009 to 2011, CS4Schools will organize 50 company visits and seminars to demonstrate real-life cases. By their participation, students can realize that Corporate Sustainability is more than just a concept. In addition, they will be requested to share in a report format what they have learnt from the seminars and company visits with schoolmates. Selected activities reports will be published in the website and the guidebook.
Professor Ho Kin-chung, Member of Council for Sustainable Development spoke in this event and shared his views. In a welcome speech, Dr Andrew Thomson, Chief Executive Officer of BEC, extended a warm welcome to participated schools and expressed their enthusiasm on learning about sustainable development as part of their green learning and education.
Six Corporate Partners representatives shared their sustainability vision, insights and experience in the seminar following the launching ceremony. Speakers included: Mr Sunny Yeung, Executive Director of Sino Group; Mr Peter Young, Head of Technical Services & Sustainability of Hongkong Land; Mr Tommy Wan, Assistant Environment Manager of Hong Kong International Airport; Mr Ip Tat Yan, Environmental Affairs Manager of The Hongkong Electric; and Ms Maria Cheung, Assistant General Manager, NWS Holdings Limited.
One of the Corporate Partners, Mr Sunny Yeung, Executive Director of Sino Group shared in the launch ceremony, “This is certainly a good start! To the next generation, we hope to pass the message that green is everybody’s business. By engaging the young community in the pursuit of environmental protection and carbon reduction, we will eventually make green practices second nature for everyone."
“We have taken the responsibility in being eco-friendly because we understand business has an important role to play when it comes to conserving our environment. We are glad to participate in this project and are looking forward to foster a new generation with the passion towards our society’s sustainable development during the process,” said Mr William Doo, Executive Director of NWS Holdings and Chairman of NWS Environmental Committee.
Mr Mark Whitehead, Executive Director of Hongkong Land Limited mentioned “Sustainability is now a tangible commercial imperative. At Hongkong Land we believe our commitment to and sustainability programs increase the attractiveness of our buildings, and allow us to deliver a higher level of customer service via alignment of Hongkong Lands and our clients goals".
Mr. C K Ng, Deputy Director of Airport Operations, Airport Authority, “Taking part in the CS4 Schools programme gives us a great opportunity to reach out to tomorrow's leaders on the importance of Corporate Social Responsibility. As one of the pillars of Hong Kong’s economy, Hong Kong International Airport is committed to operating in an environmentally sustainable and responsible manner. We value very much having this opportunity to share our strategies and practices on sustainable development with our younger generation."
"We are particularly delighted to take part in this programme as it is indeed in line with Gammon’s vision in sustainable development. We view corporate social responsibility to be about the way we manage and sustain our business to produce an overall positive impact on society through economic and business, health and safety, environment and community engagement. This programme gives us a platform to create a dialogue and interaction with adolescent which is vital and conducive to building a better Hong Kong," shared by Mr Edmond Lai, Director of Human Resources, Gammon Construction
Mr Ip Tat Yan, Environmental Affairs Manager of Hongkong Electric expressed "Hongkong Electric has embarked on a number of educational and publicity programmes to promote green education among the public, including the Hongkong Electric Clean Energy Fund which promotes a better understanding of renewable energy and its applications in the education sector, while Smart Power Campaign aims at encouraging the community to make the smart use of power."
For more information about the program, please visit: www.cs4s.hk.
About Business Environment Council (www.bec.org.hk)
The Business Environment Council (BEC) is the longest running independent, private-sector non-profit organization in Hong Kong promoting corporate social and environmental responsibility. Set up by business for business in 1989, BEC offers sustainable business solutions covering baseline assessment, advisory, research, training and award program for companies across all sectors and at any stage of their corporate sustainability journey.
Participated schools include:
Wa Ying College
St. Stephen’s College
Queen Elizabeth School
S. K. H. Kei Hau Secondary School
Po Leung Kuk 1983 Board of Directors’ College
Baptist Wing Lung Secondary School
CMA Secondary School
True Light Middle School of Hong Kong
Lok Sin Tong Yu Kan Hing Secondary School
Hong Kong Tang King Po College
The Chinese Foundation Secondary School
Hotung Secondary School
China Holiness Church Living Spirit College
YMCA of Hong Kong Christian College
Lingnan Hang Yee Memorial Secondary School
Kowloon Sam Yuk Secondary School
Caritas Tuen Mun Marden Foundation Secondary School
United Christian College (Kowloon East)
Lions College
Yuen Long Lutheran Secondary School
St. Paul’s College
CUHKFAA Chan Chun Ha Secondary School
S.K.H. Lam Kau Mow Secondary School
Yan Oi Tong Chan Wong Suk Fong Memorial Secondary School
CCC Kei Yuen College
St. Peter’s Secondary School
Ho Dao College
Chiu Lut Sau Memorial Secondary School
Shau Kei Wan Government Secondary School
Tung Wah Group of Hospitals Lo Kou Ting Memorial College
The Church of Christ in China Tam Lee Lai Fun Memorial Secondary School
Caritas Wu Cheng-chung Secondary School
Carmel Pak U Secondary School
Islamic Kasim Tuet Memorial College
Cognitio College (Hong Kong)