CUHK
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With its distinguishing humanistic spirit, The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) has striven to serve the community, care for its employees and protect the environment. Recently, CUHK was recognised as a ‘Caring Organisation’ by the Hong Kong Council of Social Service (HKCSS) for the fourth consecutive year, which is a strong indication that CUHK is committed to building a sustainable and caring society.

CUHK cares about the community. With the establishment of the ‘CUHK • Care Service Team’ in 2013, a solid network of volunteers composed of students, staff, alumni and friends has been built. ‘CUHK • Care Service Team’ aims to promote the benevolence that CUHK values, in the hope of having a positive impact on society. The team has grown over the years with over 1,200 members. Around 250 social services have been arranged and collaborated in with different non-profit organisations, including giving CUHK mooncakes to 1,000 elderly people in Shatin and Tai Po as an annual key community care activity, and other types of visits to social minority groups.

CUHK treasures its staff by attending to their physical and mental health, respecting their familial obligations and advocating a work life balance. CUHK provides family friendly measures through its personnel policies and benefits, like adoption leave, 14-week maternity leave, 5-day paternity leave and the provision of nursing rooms. The University also hosts various seminars, workshops and conducts surveys to explore the working developments and family needs of the staff. CUHK is also actively engaged in building a positive workplace. The ‘CUHK Staff Thankful Day’ was held for the fourth consecutive year to promote positive communication and appreciation between co-workers, and create a harmonious and productive working environment. CUHK’s effort has been recognised by the public, and received three awards in the 2017/18 Family-Friendly Employers Scheme organised by the Home Affairs Bureau and the Family Council. They are ‘Meritorious Family-Friendly Employers 2017/18’, ‘Special Mention 2017/18’ and ‘Award for Breastfeeding Support 2017/18’.

With the aim of creating a sustainable campus, CUHK implements various green policies. CUHK has been putting in place a range of waste reduction and recycling programmes. In 2015, CUHK introduced new methods to implement its waste management initiatives. Radio frequency identification (RFID) electronic tags were put on rubbish bins and recycle bins to trace and record the amount of rubbish so that waste audit and analysis can be done for the future evaluation of the waste management plan. A green purchasing policy has also been set up in the University, to guide different departments in CUHK to purchase products that reduce environmental pollution. Various energy saving techniques will also be used to reduce the overall energy consumption level of the buildings. In 2014, CUHK introduced a pioneering Energy Conservation Incentive Scheme to reduce its impact on the environment. CUHK has installed a variety of energy-saving and renewable energy measures in the campus and distributed to various departments the electricity consumption and carbon emissions of their buildings so that their colleagues can clearly understand their electricity consumption patterns and methods for saving electricity. An audit system, as well as rewards and penalties, was also introduced to encourage electricity consumption reduction. Compared with the 2011/12 academic year, the per capita electricity consumption and per capita solid waste production in the 2016/17 academic year decreased by 12% and 15% respectively. The effect was very significant. The overall environmental protection work done by CUHK has been recognised by society. It received the Hong Kong Green Organisation Certification from the Environmental Campaign Committee and the Environmental Protection Department.

The Caring Organisation Scheme

Launched by the HKCSS, the Caring Organisation Scheme aims to build a cohesive society by promoting strategic partnerships among public sectors and social service partners and inspiring corporate social responsibility through caring for the community, employees and the environment.