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CUHK Jockey Club Initiative Gaia held a forum entitled ‘Community Green Stations’ (CGS’s) at the ZCB (Zero Carbon Building) in Kowloon Bay last Friday (22 January). The forum, under the Environment and Climate Change Forum Series, gathered experts from different sectors to share knowledge on and insights into the setting-up and benefits of the CGS’s. Close to 100 participants from the public and private sectors, local schools and tertiary institutions attended the event. 

Mr Samson Lai, Assistant Director (Waste Management Policy) of the Environmental Protection Department, Hong Kong SAR Government, was the keynote speaker. Other guest speakers included Mr Kwok Lit-tung, Chief Executive of the Christian Family Service Centre, Ms Alice Lam, Former Chairman of the Food, Environment and Hygiene Committee, Eastern District Council, and Professor Poon Chi-sun, Chair Professor of Sustainable Construction Materials, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. The forum was chaired by Dr Matthew Pang, Programme Consultant of CUHK Jockey Club Initiative Gaia. 

At the forum, Mr Samson Lai noted that the Hong Kong SAR Government has a comprehensive plan of well-defined strategies and priorities to develop Hong Kong as a sustainable city. One of the initiatives under the plan is to set up a CGS in each of the 18 districts in Hong Kong. Operated by non-governmental organizations, the CGS’s, through a host of education programmes and activities on ‘Waste Less, Recycle More’, encourage positive behavioural change among the public that leads to improvements to the environment and community wellbeing. Mr Lai emphasized that a CGS is not a waste treatment centre; rather it supports the logistics system for recycling, turning the collected waste into resources. In addition, a stylish purpose-built CGS facility will become a landmark that serves the local community by beautifying the environment and gathering residents who care about the area in which they live. 

During the Question and Answer session, participants raised questions about the CGS’s, and had a fruitful discussion with the speakers. 

CUHK Jockey Club Initiative Gaia

CUHK Jockey Club Initiative Gaia is a 5-year community engagement programme launched in 2012 by CUHK, with a generous donation of HK$70 million by The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust. Committed to paving the way to a sustainable future for Hong Kong, the programme aims at promoting environmental conservation and sustainability in local communities, through public education and carbon reduction partnerships with schools and non-governmental organizations. 

To draw on collective wisdom and to encourage active public participation in tackling various environmental issues, CUHK Jockey Club Initiative Gaia has organized the Environment and Climate Change Forum Series. The forums invite experts and practitioners from different fields, as well as members of the public, to offer different perspectives on environmental challenges and the impact of climate change, and to develop possible solutions. 

The Jockey Club Museum of Climate Change (MoCC) maintained by Gaia is open for free to the public. The MoCC showcases the ‘Three Poles’ (the North Pole, the South Pole and Mount Everest) collection of the renowned Hong Kong explorer Dr Rebecca Lee, innovative research in environment, energy and sustainability initiated by CUHK, and the Jockey Club’s initiatives that promote green living in the community. 

More details of the CUHK Jockey Club Initiative Gaia can be found at www.cuhk.edu.hk/gaia.