Green management has been one of the major commitments of Information Services Department. In this third environmental report, we shall review the effectiveness of the various environmental initiatives and measures taken in 2001 and sets out our green targets in 2002.

Environmental Goal & Policy

2. Same as in previous years, the Information Services Department is committed to ensuring that government's Public Relations and Information policies, both locally and overseas, are implemented in an environmentally responsible manner. Throughout the year of 2001, we adopted the following policies in meeting our environmental goal: -

(a) implementing government's PR policies in an environmentally responsible manner such as issuing press releases and photographs electronically to all news organisations; promoting the use of the Internet for dissemination of information; publishing the Hong Kong Annual Report on the Internet and in CD Rom format and reducing hard copies of publications produced;

(b) promoting communication within the department through electronic means via GCN and the Intranet; working towards the concept of paperless office to reduce the use and dispatch of paper; adopting the principles of Reduce, Reuse and Recycle in the consumption of materials and seeking continual improvement in the efficient use of natural resources and energy, e.g. by re-engineering of work processes;

(c) complying with the relevant environmental protection ordinances;

(d) providing training for staff to develop an environmentally responsible culture and increasing their awareness of continual improvement in protecting the environment; and

(e) recommending to clients the use of environmental friendly paper and ink for printing publicity items and publications.

Environmental Management and Performance

3. With the green commitments in mind, we went through another year of green management in 2001 with the following fruitful results:

Environmental Aspects	Measures	Performance in 2001
A. Use of Energy and Material
Energy	All officers are requested to comply with the energy conservation policy of switching off lights and air-conditioners whenever offices are not in use. Routine checks are conducted.	Effective compliance.
Material	(i) Measures are taken to economise the use of paper. This includes using blank side of used paper for drafting, printing on both sides of paper and re-using envelopes, etc.	Effective compliance.
	(ii) All officers are reminded to maximise the use of the Internet and e-mail facilities for communication.	Effective compliance.
	(iii) ISD Intranet was set up in May 2001 to facilitate communication among officers in the department and to reduce the need for hard-copy circulation and facsimile transmission of paper and documents. More than 15 categories with over 1,500 items are posted on the Intranet.	All staff can log into the Intranet and gain access to departmental information, thus minimising the need for hard-copy circulation. The on-line booking of conference rooms and departmental transport available on the Intranet was particularly useful in reducing paper forms required for processing these bookings.
	(iv) Computerised office equipment, e.g. high-speed scanners, digital senders and fax servers are used to improve office efficiency and to minimise paper consumption.	Effective compliance.
	(v) Environmental initiatives are introduced in respect of the production and sales of government publications to minimise paper consumption:
	a) Government publications can be ordered by electronic means through the Internet, in addition to fax and mail.	About 50% of the orders for Government publications were received via internet in 2001.
	b) e-Gazette is uploaded on the Government web-site.	The number of printed copies of Government Gazette was reduced from 2,200 in 2000 to 1,500 in 2001, representing a drop of 31.8%.
	c) The Hong Kong Annual Report is produced in electronic format.	The number of printed copies of Annual Report was reduced from 27,000 in 2000 to 14,000 in 2001, representing a drop of 48.1%. The number of Annual Report CD-ROM produced was increased from 10,000 in 2000 to 20,000 in 2001.
	d) The information sheet of "Hong Kong Background Information" has been produced in CD-ROM format instead of hard copy since November 2001.	92,000 sheets of paper were saved in 2001.
	e) The number of printed copies of "Hong Kong: The Facts" were reduced.	The number of printed copies was reduced from 1,069,800 in 2000 to 970,100 in 2001, representing a drop of 9.3%.
	(vi) Digital Photo System is used to distribute news photographs to news organisations and other users in digital format.	The number of printed copies of news photographs was reduced from 1,082 in 2000 to 720 in 2001, representing a drop of 33.5%.
	(vii) The Department continues to make use of the Government News Information System (GNIS) and the Internet to disseminate news and information to the media and the public.	The news broadcasting service provided through GNIS and the Internet is paperless.
B. Pollution Prevention
Air-quality	(i) Random checks are conducted to ensure the implementation of Government's Smoke-free Workplace Policy.	Full compliance.
	(ii) All drivers are regularly reminded of the need to switch off engines of cars while waiting.	Full compliance.
Waste	(i) Used printer cartridges are collected for re-cycling.	274 used printer cartridges were collected in 2001 and $3,562 was donated to Sowers Action under the Recycling Campaign.
	(ii) Used plastic film containers are collected by a private firm for recycling.	About 4,300 plastic film containers were collected for recycling in 2001.
Hazardous waste management	(i) Chemical waste emitted in the course of photo-processing is properly contained and stored.	Arrangement has been made to comply with the Waste Disposal (Chemical Waste) (General) Regulation.
	(ii) The waste is collected by Environmental Protection Department 's contractor for disposal.	The contractor has been requested to dispose of chemical waste in an environmentally safe manner.
	(iii) Regular site inspections are conducted to ensure proper handling of hazardous waste.	Full compliance.
Purchasing	(i) Wider use of green products, e.g. recycled photocopying paper, alkaline batteries, energy-saving light bulbs and refillable ball-pens, etc. is adopted in the office.	Green products are widely accepted by users.
	(ii) New equipments purchased are of low voltage and are recognised energy efficient models.	Conscious assessment and judgement on environmental friendliness and energy efficiency was made for all equipment procurement.
C. Management Action/Initiatives on Environmental Improvement
Green Management Initiatives Implemented
Green management scheme	Each Division has nominated an officer to be the Green Management Co-ordinator who is responsible for gauging staff's views on environmental improvement, relaying views to management and conducting regular checks and reviews on progress of green housekeeping measures implemented.	Close liaison has been maintained between management and the green management co-ordinators. Progress of green housekeeping action plans was highly satisfactory in 2001.
Environmental policy	Departmental management, in consultation with staff, has developed an environmental policy. The policy has been implemented smoothly and is kept under regular review.	The environmental policy was first introduced in December 1999. The Policy Statement is circulated regularly and made available on the Intranet for staff's information.
Support of green activities	Staff members are encouraged to participate in the green activities organised in the community.	Staff donations were made to the Community Chest Green Day in May 2001. Our staff also participated in the Hong Kong Environmental Protection Festival in December 2001.
D. Education and Training
Training	Environmental audit training is arranged for staff in the Photo Section to equip them with knowledge on the handling of chemical waste discharged in the course of photo-processing.	All technicians handling chemical waste attended related training.
Green practice guideline/ information for staff	Departmental circulars on energy conservation, economy in the use of paper and other environmental protection matters are circulated to all staff periodically and placed on the Lotus Notes Bulletin Board for easy access and re-circulation.	Continuous effort is made on dissemination of information to enhance environmental consciousness.

Environmental Initiatives in 2002

4. The department will make continuous efforts to implement green management in our workplace. Various projects under the Information Systems Strategy Review have been/will be conducted for the enhancement, improvement and further development of the use of Information Technology (IT) for various work processes of the department. The e-bulletin project to be launched in late 2002 aiming at disseminating updated Government information via the Internet certainly meets the department's environmental goal. With the successful implementation of these projects, the service of our department as a whole will be delivered in a more environmental-friendly manner.

Your suggestions are welcome

5. If you have any suggestion or points to make on this report, you can telephone, call at or write to the Departmental Secretary (Telephone No. 2842 8780, Fax No. 2525 6584, internet e-mail address ghychu@isd.gov.hk).

August 2002