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The following is issued on behalf of the Environmental Campaign Committee:
To commemorate World Environment Day (WED) today (June 5), the Environmental Campaign Committee (ECC) held a series of public events to promote public awareness of environmental protection and community action to combat climate change.
In the morning, the ECC held a prize presentation ceremony for the "Low Carbon Living @ Hong Kong" video competition at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Piazza. Outstanding video clips from the competition were screened to show how people can adopt low-carbon living in simple ways.
The competition was launched in February and received an enthusiastic response from the public. About 80 entries were received and over 2 000 people signed up at the competition's Facebook page. Following the video showcase, a group of university students shared experiences and insights from their recent Antarctic expedition. They also reflected on the threats arising from climate change as well as the mission for young people to take action to protect the environment.
Officiating at the event, the Permanent Secretary for the Environment and Director of Environmental Protection, Ms Anissa Wong, appealed to members of the public to unite in adopting low-carbon living. She said that low-carbon living is easy to achieve and that every citizen can contribute toward improving the environment by taking small steps in everyday life to reduce carbon emissions. Members of the public can help turn Hong Kong into a greener, low-carbon city by sending these messages to their families and friends, Ms Wong added.
In the afternoon, the ECC held the WED 2011 seminar at the Hong Kong Science Museum. The event was part of the seminar series entitled "Global Warming and Climate Variation", jointly organised by the ECC, the Polar Museum Foundation, the Environmental Protection Department, the Hong Kong Observatory and the Hong Kong Science Museum. The founder of the Polar Museum Foundation, Dr Rebecca Lee; Director of the Hong Kong Green Building Council, Mr Wong Kam-sing; and Senior Conservation Officer (Biodiversity) of the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department, Mr Simon Chan, shared their views on the topics "Humans and Nature", "Green Architecture and Urban Ecology" and "Biodiversity Conservation in Hong Kong", respectively.
The United Nations General Assembly first set up the WED on June 5, 1972, to encourage worldwide efforts to protect the environment and reduce pollution.
The ECC, founded in 1990, aims to enhance public motivation to protect the environment and to encourage the community to help build a better environment. To further its aims, the ECC has organised a wide range of environmental activities including the Hong Kong Awards for Environmental Excellence, the Hong Kong Green School Awards and the Student Environmental Protection Ambassador Scheme.
Ends/Sunday, June 5, 2011
Issued at HKT 15:01
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