Page 11 - Hong Kong Green School Guide

9 Hong Kong Green Building Council
Foreword
As the Chairman of Hong Kong Green Building
Council (HKGBC), it is my great pleasure to
present the Hong Kong Green School Guide,
which is published by our Council. This Guide
aims to provide a step-by-step guidance on how
schools can go green, and carry out energy and
environmental improvement projects on school
buildings and facilities.
Since the establishment in 2009, HKGBC
has endeavoured to drive the development
of sustainable built environment and promote
the green building standards throughout Hong
Kong. To achieve this goal, it is crucial to engage
the various stakeholders: community, industry
and government to create a more sustainable
environment. Schools are the nursing grounds
for leaders and citizens of next generation. At
present, there are over 800,0001 students studying
in kindergartens, primary and secondary schools
in Hong Kong. If we can create a nature-friendly
and sustainable green school environment
for our children, they can learn from their very
young age about the importance of protecting the
environment and the essentials of sustainable
lifestyle. More importantly, the students today will
become the driving force for sustainability in the
future. Consequently, we would like to build close
rapport with the school community in gearing up
for the green building movement in Hong Kong.
According to WWF Report, on average, a person
in Hong Kong has an ecological footprint doubling
that that of the global biocapacity available per
person. Assuming that everyone on earth has
a lifestyle like Hong Kong, we would need 2.2
earths to sustain. Clearly our current living is far
from sustainable and urgent actions need to be
taken2. Hong Kong has no industrial production,
yet buildings, including school premises, take up
approximately 90% of total electricity consumption
in Hong Kong3, of which electricity production
accountsforabout60%oftheterritory’sgreenhouse
gas emissions4. If every school in Hong Kong
strives for exemplary environmental performance
and carbon emissions reduction, there will be a
significant impact on the environment.
Ir Conrad T C WONG, JP
Chairman
Hong Kong Green Building
Council