Category: Service Projects

T1718EN PMS C 2

 v42_RAAS Newsletter_2014.05.16

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The Hong Kong Government has set its sights on raising Hong Kong people’s quality of life and improving the environment. These two goals are closely related. Environmental improvement inevitably brings health benefits and makes Hong Kong a more attractive and enjoyable place to live. However, the Government cannot achieve these goals on its own. Everyone must recognize they have responsibilities in all aspects of their daily lives to reduce their impacts and help Hong Kong to achieve a more sustainable environment. Thus, our Project “Better environment; Better Health”- Hong Kong Students’ Speech Competition aims at arousing the public concern on the issue and also encourages them to take individual action to create a sustainable environment that will be healthy for present and future generations

♦ Please view the following poster for details:

poster_9-02


 

 

 

 

 

 

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Screen Shot 2014-12-10 at 9.32.18 PM

Sustainability is not a new word to the globe, in fact the concept was once suggested academically originated from Lester Brown’s book (1980) , defining such term to be meeting the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to do the same. This is the base of sustainability. Sustainability is therefore bringing benefits to human and the planet earth without costing. It is definitely a crucial thinking direction for policy-makers, communities, as well as everyone particular young people who are going to build our future society. Raising awareness among younger generation is like investing, since the society tomorrow comprises chiefly the young people today, and hopefully results in a holistic approach in the development process. Besides, sustainability is increasingly viewed as a desired goal of development in many aspects and environmental management; therefore, it is no doubt an inevitable element to be considered. To cease further exploitation and unhealthy development within the ecosystem, the contest takes a preventive step to educate. “Ensure Sustainability, Preserve our Planet” Hong Kong Composition Contest for Youth 2014 advocates the importance of sustainability and raises the awareness in preserving our planet earth. It stimulates adolescence, and so as the general public readers, to rethink the importance of sustainability and how should sustainability be achieved.

♦ Please view the following poster for details:

6413 AKA A3 posterv9-01


 

 

 

 

 

 

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work meeting

  • 50 Clubs become Green Rotary Clubs

Adopt Environmental Policy + appoint a PPE Director +1 initiative)

  • 2 WWF Coastal clean-up projects

One team for full day – Shek O (needs 30 volunteers) 16 Aug, 2014 & 24 May, 2015
One team underwater with South China Diving Club ( needs 10-15 scuba divers) Po Toi Island, 21 Sept, 2014 & 11 Jan, 2015

  • 2 Educational PPE awareness initiatives

Sustainable Seafood Ambassador Programme

3 promotion event planned

1st Venue: Sheung Tak Plaza, Tseung Kwan O

Date: 29 & 30 November, 2014

Time:12 noon-6:00 pm

2nd & 3rd event: Details to be finalised.

AKA Rotary Inter-school Public Speaking Competition – Health & Environment 29-Mar-15
AKA Rotary Inter-school Essay Competition – Ensure Sustainability, Preserve our Planet (Prize giving ceremony date: 19 April, 2015)

  • District submission to HKSAR steering committee on biodiversity strategy and action plan

PPE Directors Earth Summit – briefing & update to set the scene 04-Oct-14
PPE Club Directors Forum – Exchange of position / views to outline the strategy 08-Nov-14
PPE Club Directors Forum – Finalise strategy with action plan 06-Dec-14
Submission of Rotary District 3450 Position Paper (Date: 27 Feb, 2015)

  • 2 Publicity exposures – which connect Rotary with environmental and sustainability

District PPE video full release at District Conference 25/26 April
District PPE video on Green Rotary District release on World Environmental Day

  • 3 District functions with PPE activities

Whisky Night + Sustainable seafood 23-Aug-14
Tree planting (Kardoorie Farm & Botanic Garden) – Large Scale Mar-15
Hiking & Seafood – Lamma Island + Sustainable seafood (Date: 10 Jan, 2015)

♦ For the complete workplan please download: District PPE committee 2014-2015 work plan updated 22 Oct 2014 (PDF)


 

 

 

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Earth horizon

12 months is a long time and we have made up a lot of lost ground and yet there is still so much to do. Should we continue? Most definitely. For the sake of our future generations we must persevere. Can we do more? We now have an organisation structure in place and with the expanded network and resources we are enabled to do more if so desired. Can we do better? With more Rotarians committed to the vision and striving to achieve the mission of District PPE we can only improve year on year.

By launching the Green Rotary Club District Award we have further increased the awareness of Rotary’s responsibilities towards the environment and sustainability within the District. This initiative gathered momentum as the PPE Committee talked to the DMC, JPM and individual Clubs. A direct approach proved to be far more effective in teasing out the support for the environment which was always strong but just waiting to be aroused. Twelve Clubs were successful in gaining the Green Rotary Club status in the Rotary Year 2013/14. Some started but failed to satisfy all the criteria within the set deadline line for District Award.

The drive to increase the awareness and getting commitment to support Sustainable Seafood was one of the major initiatives of the PPE Committee where we put in a substantial effort and resource.

There were two key elements to this initiative. The first was to increase the awareness through education and gaining commitment from the public via the Sustainable Seafood Ambassador Programme (SSAP) was the second element.

Educating the current and future generation across a wide spectrum on sustainable seafood was considered an essential and important step to make positive improvement on the sustainability of our seafood. Therefore the committee sponsored the Aberdeen Kai Fong Association’s Inter-school Annual Public Speaking Competition stipulating “Sustainable Seafood” as the main theme for the competition. Thereby increased the awareness of two thousand students participating in the competition from over 120 schools in Hong Kong. In early February conducted training season for 65 volunteer ambassadors for the SSAP at VTC’s HK Design Institute with a large contingent from the VTC Environmental Group. For the Rotarians in the District we also conducted a sustainable seafood education and identification session on the 2nd day of the District Conference in February as part of the Rotary Service Day initiative.

The SSAP was only made possible with team work, creativity, perseverance and forbearance.  For the successful completion of the SSAP we are grateful to the eight final year VTC PRMB students who co-organised the event, the volunteers from the Centennial College Rotaract Club, the St. Peter Secondary School Interact Club and students from Wah Yan College, Mr. Stanley Shea from Bloom to act as our Marine Conservation advisor and trainer and last but not the least WWF (HK) for the 2013 Sustainable Seafood Guide. We must also acknowledge the generosity of the two companies which provided their premises to us free of charge to conduct the SSAP.  They are The Link and Hysan Development. Over the two weekends, 26 & 27 April at Kai Tin Shopping Mall, Lam Tin and 16 & 17 May at Hysan Place, Causeway Bay our well trained volunteers reached out to the public and gained their commitment to support sustainable seafood. We had over 800 individuals signed up to pledge their support.

In order to promote the protection of our natural environment on land, particularly the newly recognised Global Geo-park in Hong Kong we sponsored the Asia Pacific Geo-tourism Asia Pacific Conference 2013 held on 30 November in the HK Convention and Exhibition Centre.

In our own small way your District PPE Committee with your support contributed to preserve the planet Earth. The land, sea & air benefited, little it may be, from our effort but it would be significant if we all do a little to help sustainability.

We must try to work harder with other agencies & the government, engaging more Clubs in the District, instil a responsible behaviour in all Rotarians towards the environment and strive to become a Green Rotary District.

We all benefit from the environment, suffer from its abuse and our actions in our life time have a significant impact on future generations. In the coming years we hope to see more action, more awareness and more education.


 

 

 

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