Schools are responsible for a significant portion of the community’s environmental impacts. In areas ranging from the resources used in the construction of the school building to the energy used to operate them, greener schools can alleviate the overall impacts on the environment. Green schools can also help raise community awareness of environmental stewardship. In order to support schools in becoming greener, the Hong Kong Green Building Council (HKGBC) had commissioned the Business Environment Council Limited (BEC) to develop the Hong Kong Green School Guide, targeting primary and secondary schools in Hong Kong.
Objectives of the Guide
This Guide aims to provide comprehensive step-by-step guidance to school decision makers on how schools can go green, and fill the information gap in this area in Hong Kong. This Guide introduces a collection of ideas and resources for relevant personnel regarding the design, construction and operation of environmentally responsible school buildings.
Who Should Read This Guide
The target audience includes policy makers, decision makers, stakeholders and beneficiaries, including school boards, principals, teachers, students, school administrators, parents and school building-related professionals.
School Buildings Targeted
The Guide is primarily targeted at primary and secondary schools in Hong Kong but some portions may be useful for kindergarten level schools as well. School building designs in Hong Kong are diverse. The school forms range from the rectangle-shaped “matchbox” in the 1970s’ to the “post-millennium” schools of the mid-2000s. As school designs and conditions vary, it is important to understand that the solutions mentioned in this Guide may not be “one-size-fits-all” for implementation of green initiatives.
The printed version of the Hong Kong Green School Guide has been distributed to local primary and secondary schools in March 2013. The Electronic version of the Guide can be downloaded through the following links:
Amendment Notice
For the Chinese printed version, the term “3千度電力” in line 7 of Section 3.1.6 Green Roof on page 48 should be amended as “3度電力”.