ESF schools around Hong Kong unite to save planet Earth
Schools around Hong Kong are starting to take environmental awareness and sustainability seriously
ESF Environmental Conference wants a sustainable future.More than 200 students and teachers from 15 primary and secondary schools across Hong Kong came together for the ESF Environmental Conference on June 11.
The schools shared stories about projects they had set up to improve sustainability and reduce waste.
Ben Edwards is a South Island School teacher and leader of the school's sustainability group. "South Island School recently eliminated all plastic cutlery," Edwards said.
Kelly Yu, a Year 12 student at Shatin College, said the projects were a way to encourage environmental awareness in Hong Kong. "We held a food waste audit earlier this year, helping us monitor the food waste we produce as a school," Kelly said, describing Shatin College's programme. "The statistics provided by the audit have helped us cut down food waste."
The conference also came up with nine steps to get rid of waste in local schools.
Guest speaker and author of The Zero Waste Solution Dr Paul Connett said the goal is for these habits to spread outside of the school system and into local communities.
"My vision for Zero Wastage is that it's a concrete stepping stone to sustainability and everyone is involved," said Connett. "Students are the key players; it's all about their future and they are the ones that can change it."