Hong Kong Green Building Week 2016 The Power of Social Media Reaches the Green Community

HONG KONG, CHINA - Media OutReach- Aug 31, 2016 - The Hong Kong Green Building Week(HKGBW) has been a well-received campaign since its launch in 2013. This year, the Construction Industry Council (CIC) and the Hong Kong Green Building Council (HKGBC) again co-organisedthe HKGBW to boost public awareness of the development of green buildings and construction, as well as the green lifestyle. The Launching Ceremony of HKGBW 2016 was held atHarbourCity in Tsim Sha Tsui today.

Internet celebrities Hay WONG, Smiling Boris and Ah Sing, who also starred in the HKGBW 2016 promotional videos, took a selfie with Mr WONG Kam-sing, GBS, JP, Secretary for the Environment, and all the guests.

The fourth year of the campaign saw continuous support from the Environment Bureau and participation from a number of NGOs, social enterprises, corporations and organisations, with a series of exciting events taking place from 31 August to 17 September. At today's Launching Ceremony, the officiating guests Mr WONG Kam-sing, GBS, JP, Secretary for the Environment, Sr CHAN Ka-kui, BBS, JP, Chairman of the CIC, and Mr CHEUNG Hau-wai, SBS, Chairman of the HKGBC together encouraged the public to join the HKGBW 2016.

The HKGBW is fully funded by the CIC. Chairman Sr CHAN Ka-kui, BBS, JP said today, "This is already the fourth consecutive year that the CIC works with the HKGBC in organising the HKGBW. We wish to boost the public awareness and engagement in the green building development through this campaign. The CIC is committed to minimising the industry's impact on the environment and enhancing our competence so as to improve the environment of Hong Kong in general. Besides joining hands with the HKGBC to promote green building, we are devoting significant resources to the operation of the Zero Carbon Building (ZCB) at Kowloon Bay. ZCB shows how the public can adopt a zero-carbon lifestyle, and we welcome everyone to visit and experience."

Mr CHEUNG Hau-wai, SBS, Chairman of the HKGBC, hopes that more people will adopt a green lifestyle. He said, "The Hong Kong green building assessment tool BEAM Plus was launched in 2010. By the end of 2014, the estimated annual electricity saving of the assessed buildings is around 240 million kWh. This is equivalent to the annual electricity consumption of 51,000 households. A total 166,000 tonnes of carbon emission is avoided. The impact equals planting 7.4 million trees. It is a major step to mitigate climate change. The participation of the public is important. I urge everyone to continue to support the green movement and HKGBW, and start to live a greener life."

The five major programmes of HKGBW 2016 are: the Video Idea Contest, Mini LegCo and Youth Forum, Biz-Green Dress Day, Green Building Ideas Pitch and an online campaign with a series of games and green living messages. Among them, the Video Idea Contest is a brand-new programme that aims to gather creative ideas from the new generation on how to put green building concepts into practice. The winners were awarded during the Launching Ceremony today. The winning idea from Mr CHEANG Chi-hang is to mimic that there are technicians working inside appliances such as air-conditioners. They are forced to work overtime when users forget to turn off the appliances. To save them from exhaustion, users simply need to turn off the switch. The idea demonstrates how simple it is to practice green in everyday life.

This idea has been adopted in the HKGBW 2016 videos with the support of internet celebrities. The videos are broadcast in mass media channels and social media platforms to promote green building and sustainable lifestyle. The YouTube video can be viewed at (Cantonese version only):

https://youtu.be/0xFZpOIr8xE

Another programme of HKGBW, the Biz-Green Dress Day on 14 September, encourages office workers to dress lighter and turn the thermostat up to save energy. It has already received support from over 100 corporations and organisations. The HKGBW mascot GB Buddy (綠築仔) and the popular character from the Environment Bureau Big Waster (大嘥鬼) will show up at two commercial areas to promote the Biz-Green concept. Office workers are welcome to take selfies with the mascots and upload their photos to social media channels to get a prize. Details are as follows:

• 12:00pm -- 2:30pm      Taikoo Place
• 5:00pm -- 7:00pm        Pedestrian area outside Hang Lung Centre, Causeway Bay

Image

Internet celebrities Hay WONG, Smiling Boris and Ah Sing, who also starred in the HKGBW 2016 promotional videos, took a selfie with Mr WONG Kam-sing, GBS, JP, Secretary for the Environment, and all the guests.

http://release.media-outreach.com/i/Download/5465

Logo

http://release.media-outreach.com/i/Download/5452

Photo download:https://drive.google.com/open?id=0Bxwy6KzRIjrIa1htakI5RDJlc3M

Appendix: Hong Kong Green Building Week 2016 Programmes

About Hong Kong Green Building Week 2016 (HKGBW 2016)

Jointly organised by the Construction Industry Council (CIC) and the Hong Kong Green Building Council (HKGBC), the Hong Kong Green Building Week 2016 will be held from 31 August to 17 September 2016. Through a series of programmes, HKGBW 2016 encourages the public to live a greener life and understand more about local green building development. The programmes are:

• Video Idea Contest
• Mini LegCo and Youth Forum
• Green Building Ideas Pitch
• Biz-Green Dress Day
• Online campaign: games and promotion

To learn more about HKGBW 2016, please visit:

Website of HKGBW 2016: www.hkgbc.org.hk/eng/gbw.aspx

Facebook page of HKGBC: https://www.facebook.com/hkgreenbuildingcouncil

HKGBW 2016 is fully funded by the CIC.

About the Organisers

Construction Industry Council

The Construction Industry Council (CIC) was formed in 2007 under the Construction Industry Council Ordinance (Cap. 587). The CIC consists of a chairman and 24 members representing various sectors of the industry including employers, professionals, academics, contractors, workers, independent persons and Government officials.

The main functions of the CIC are to forge consensus on long-term strategic issues, convey the industry's needs and aspirations to Government, provide training and registrationfor the construction workforce and serve as a communication channel for Government to solicit advice on all construction-related matters.

Please visit www.cic.hk for further details.

Hong Kong Green Building Council

The Hong Kong Green Building Council (HKGBC) is a non-profit, member led organisation established in 2009 with the vision to help save the planet and improve the wellbeing of the people of Hong Kong by transforming the city into a greener built environment. The Founding Members of the HKGBC include the Construction Industry Council (CIC), the Business Environment Council (BEC), the BEAM Society Limited (BSL) and the Professional Green Building Council (PGBC). Its mission is to lead the market transformation by advocating green policies to the Government; introducing green building practices to all stakeholders; setting design, construction and management standards for the building profession; and promoting green living to the people of Hong Kong.

To learn more about the HKGBC, please visit www.hkgbc.org.hk.