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The following is issued on behalf of the Environmental Campaign Committee:
The Chief Executive, Mr C Y Leung today (May 14) officiated at the award presentation ceremony for the Hong Kong Awards for Environmental Excellence (HKAEE) at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai. During the ceremony, winners of the 2014 HKAEE and Hong Kong Green Innovations Awards were presented with awards.
The HKAEE seeks to encourage businesses and organisations to adopt green management practices and to recognise those that contribute to protecting the environment. Speaking at the ceremony, the Chief Executive expressed his gratitude to the participating organisations for supporting the award, pursuing social responsibility, and implementing various effective and innovative energy-saving and waste reduction measures to conserve the environment.
The HKAEE recognises organisations that have demonstrated an outstanding environmental performance across different sectors. The three judging criteria are green leadership, programme and performance, and partner synergy. The HKAEE is categorised into non-Small and Medium Enterprises (non-SME) and SME categories. There are 11 sectors in the non-SME category, namely the construction industry, hotels and recreational clubs, manufacturing and industrial services, media and communication, property management, public services, restaurants, schools, servicing and trading, shops and retailers, and transport and logistics. The SME category comprises four sectors, namely construction, manufacturing and industrial services, servicing industry, shops and retailers, and trading.
The number of entries competing for the 2014 HKAEE reached a record high of 1 048, a threefold increase compared with 2008 when the award was launched, of which 101 entries came from SMEs. At today's ceremony a total of 46 gold, silver and bronze awards and 124 certificates of merit were presented.
The Hong Kong Green Innovations Awards (HKGIA) aim to encourage local organisations to meet environmental challenges with new ideas that will benefit the environment. The three assessment criteria are level of innovation, environmental achievements and cost-effectiveness, and practicability and contribution to society. The priority themes of 2014 were energy conservation and waste management. Among the 61 entries, two Green Innovations Awards and three certificates of merit were granted.
In his welcoming remarks, the Chairman of the Environmental Campaign Committee (ECC), Mr Lam Chiu-ying, said that the assessment process for the awards was rigorous and comprehensive. The 2014 final adjudications were chaired by the Vice Chancellor and President of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Professor Joseph Sung; Mr Lam; and the Chairman of Awards Committee on HKAEE, Mr Thomas Ho. The adjudicating panels were formed by representatives of major business chambers, professional bodies and government departments.
Also attending today's ceremony were the Secretary for the Environment, Mr Wong Kam-sing; the Chairman of the Final Adjudicating Panels for the 2014 HKAEE, Professor Sung; Mr Lam; the Chairman of the Environment and Conservation Fund Committee, Dr Joseph Lee; Mr Ho; the Permanent Secretary for the Environment/ Director of Environmental Protection, Ms Anissa Wong, and representatives of the joint organisers.
The 2015 HKAEE and HKGIA are now open for applications. The ECC is also launching the Hong Kong Green Organisation Certification (HKGOC) this year to benchmark the green performance of companies and organisations, and to encourage them to sustain their environmental initiatives in waste reduction, energy saving, carbon reduction, indoor air quality improvement and environmental attributes in products.
Launched in 2008, the HKAEE is jointly organised by the ECC, the Environmental Protection Department, the Advisory Council on the Environment, the Business Environment Council, the Chinese General Chamber of Commerce, the Chinese Manufacturers' Association of Hong Kong, the Federation of Hong Kong Industries, the Hong Kong Chinese Importers' and Exporters' Association, the Hong Kong Council of Social Service, the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce and the Hong Kong Productivity Council. The HKAEE is sponsored by the Environment and Conservation Fund.
The ECC will hold a number of seminars in May and June for winning organisations to share their experience of "going green". Organisations wishing to know more about the HKAEE may obtain details at the seminars. For more information, please visit the HKAEE website at www.hkaee.gov.hk or call the hotline on 2788 5903.
Ends/Thursday, May 14, 2015
Issued at HKT 17:31
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