News & Events

(HONG KONG, 5 December 2020) Co-organised by the Construction Industry Council (CIC) and the Hong Kong Green Building Council (HKGBC), the annual public event “Hong Kong Green Building Week 2020” (HKGBW 2020) officially launched today. With a 7-day campaign themed “Green Buildings TEAM UP for a Zero-carbon Future”, the campaign aims to bring the construction industry, the government and the public together to fight for a zero-carbon future through green buildings. 

HKGBW 2020 offers a diverse line-up of activities, such as a series of interactive online games, experts’ sharing and videos from 5 December to 11 December. Led by the distinguished guests, experts in green buildings, and lifestyle influencers, the online tour will explore the green buildings located in the Hong Kong Island East to share the knowledge of green buildings and how building users can go green for the city as well as practise low-carbon living together!

The First Virtual HKGBW Advocates Low-carbon Lifestyle
HKGBW 2020 commenced with a pre-recorded ceremony led by a panel of distinguished guests including Mr Wong Kam-sing, GBS, JP, Secretary for the Environment, Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Mr Cheung Hau-wai, SBS, Chairman of Hong Kong Green Building Council, Mr Ivan Fu, MH, JP, Chairperson of Committee on Environment of the Construction Industry Council, and Mr Raymond Wong Ho-yin, “Hong Kong Green Building Week 2020” Ambassador. After the Opening Ceremony, the distinguished guests led Regen Cheung, the Cantopop song singer and Ahjeng, the host of Commercial Radio (CR2), together with the students concerning the environment to take part in the “TEAM UP Quiz Competition” to educate the public about knowledge in green buildings and carbon emissions reduction via games.

Mr Wong Kam-sing, Secretary for the Environment of HKSARG has supported CIC and HKGBC over the years. 7 years ago, CIC and HKGBC co-organised the annual event "Hong Kong Green Building Week" to promote green buildings. To organise the 8th Hong Kong Green Building Week, CIC and HKGBC proudly present the first virtual program this year.  "Hong Kong is the leading Asian city in promoting the "Green Building Week".  Green building plays an important role to tackle climate change.  Through the creative online campaign this year, I am delighted to see the continual effort to show the public how we can create a more liveable and healthy city." Secretary Wong said.

Mr Ivan Fu, Chairperson of Committee on Environment of Construction Industry Council is pleased with the impact of carbon emissions reduction contributed by Hong Kong green buildings. He said, “Construction Industry Council has strived to promote green buildings. In 2019, we launched the CIC Carbon Assessment Tool (CAT), a tool to evaluate the carbon emissions, with which the carbon footprint of construction materials and methods can be monitored. CIC will keep up our effort to reduce carbon emissions with the general public.”

Mr Cheung Hau-wai, Chairman of Hong Kong Green Building Council shared, "Green buildings serve a wide range of uses and purposes. They help mitigate climate change, improve ventilation with outdoor air, and most importantly, they help enhance the living environment for the citizens. The online videos hosted by the Hong Kong Green Building Council allow the public to visit green buildings located in the Hong Kong Island East, deepening their understanding towards green buildings in a simple and fun way." 

As the “Hong Kong Green Building Week 2020” Ambassador, Mr Raymond Wong Ho-yin shared his support for green building in the Opening Ceremony. “It is my great honour to be the ambassador of the Hong Kong Green Building Week this year. Indoor activities, such as living, working and shopping, increase carbon emissions of buildings, so we should start reducing carbon emissions in our daily life. With the help of green buildings, let's TEAM UP! Reduce carbon!”

Another programme, “Green Building ‘TEAM’ Chat”, invites experts in climate and sustainable construction, along with seasoned guests to discuss the relationship between sustainability and construction in the carbon emissions reduction from both macro and micro perspectives. Facilitated by former News Reporter, Ms Karen Cheng, speakers including Mr Leung Wing-mo, Former Assistant Director of the Hong Kong Observatory, alongside Tony Ip, Green Architect, Lance Lau, Young Climate Activist, Norman, blogger from Stem Home HK, and Loretta, blogger from Go Go Go with Him will share insights with the audience. The programme encourages an open discussion of the importance of green buildings in alleviating global warming and the promotion of other sustainable lifestyles.

More, the “Green Building Tour” is hosted by celebrity guests Ben Sir, renowned linguist, Ahjeng and Elsie Lui from LA Girls, Chris Leung, travel programme host together with Green Building experts (BEAM Pro), who will tour a list of unique green buildings located in the east of Hong Kong Island. The Tour features various Green Buildings with three different themes, namely “Feng-shui”, “The Travellers” and “Just Chill” diving deeply into the buildings to explore how green buildings enhance the quality of life among urban communities. 

In addition to its diverse mix of guests and programmes, HKGBW launches a series of online games featuring content on green buildings and practical tips of low-carbon living and a goal-setting feature that encourages audiences to convert their knowledge into action. Audiences may watch the videos and answer a few questions for rewards. The latest updates are available on HKGBC’s Facebook page and event webpage. 

Proven Impact of Hong Kong Green Buildings
“Hong Kong Green Building Week 2020” promotes the spirit of “TEAM UP” with the greater goal of educating the public on the contribution of carbon emissions reduction can bring to the environment. HKGBC’s dedication to the promotion of green buildings has seen growing impacts on carbon emissions reduction. As of now, there are over 1,600 BEAM Plus certified buildings in Hong Kong, which are estimated to have saved approximately 880,000MWh of electricity, 19.8 billion Litre of fresh and sea water annually. These have translated into around 620,000 Tons of reduction in carbon emissions which would have otherwise required 27.2 million trees to offset.  

To accelerate more existing buildings turning into green, HKGBC has implemented BEAM Plus Existing Buildings (EB) Volume Certification to streamline its assessment procedure and offer promotion on registration fee in October 2019. It enables multiple existing buildings that bear similarities to be certified in a faster and more economical manner. More than 150 properties have participated in the Volume Certification since it was launched. HKGBC has also signed Memoranda of Understanding with a number of portfolio management companies which were committed to promoting BEAM Plus Existing Buildings (EB) Volume Certification to over 500 properties under their portfolios. It is foreseeable that there will be a growing number of certified existing buildings in the near future.  HKGBC is pleased to see significant results in the scheme and is hopeful that the public will be able to learn more about green building and sustainable living with more campaigns including the Hong Kong Green Building Week this year. 

Details of “Hong Kong Green Building Week 2020”: 

Opening Ceremony and “TEAM UP Quiz Competition”
Date: 5 December (Saturday)
Time: 1pm
Format: Livestreaming on Hong Kong Green Building Council’s Facebook 

“Green Building ‘TEAM’ Chat” 
Date and Time:
【Green Buildings x Climate Expert】- 5 December (Saturday), 4pm 
【Green Buildings Professional x Sustainability Youngster】- 6 December (Sunday), 1pm 
【Green Buildings x Everyday Family Life】- 6 December (Sunday), 4pm 
Format: Livestreaming on Hong Kong Green Building Council’s Facebook
 

Program	Participating Guests ＆ Highlights
Green Buildings  x  Climate Expert	Former Assistant Director of the HK Observatory Mr Leung Wing-mo
	Global Warming is no doubt a ticking time bomb. How do green buildings help? Mr Leung Wing-mo, the Former Assistant Director of the HK Observatory will join us in a discussion on green buildings and its environmental impacts.
Green Buildings Professional x Sustainability Youngster	Green Architect Tony Ip	Young Climate Activist Lance Lau
	What does it mean to be a “green building”? Tony Ip, a reputable green architect, and Lance Lau, young climate activist who is also dubbed “Hong Kong’s Greta Thunberg”, will initiate a live discussion on green buildings and its sustained impacts.
Green Buildings  x  Everyday Family Life	Blogger from  Stem Home HK Norman	Blogger from  Go Go Go with Him Loretta
	It is never too late to teach your children about sustainability and green buildings. Norman and Loretta, local parent bloggers will break down their sustainability-driven parenting in this interactive session.

 
“Green Building Tour” 
Date and Time:
【Feng-shui】- 6 December (Sunday), 7pm
【The Travellers】- 8 December (Tuesday), 1pm
【Just Chill】- 10 December (Thursday), 1pm
Format: Livestreaming on Hong Kong Green Building Council’s Facebook

Seasoned guests:
 

Renowned Linguist Ben Sir	LA Girls Elsie Lui (left), Ahjeng (right)	TV Travel Programme Host Chris Leung

Prize Quiz and “Green Day Grand Prize”

Program	Prize
“TEAM UP Quiz Competition”  Format： Watch live videos and answer the questions. For those who have the best answers will be awarded.	LANE-EIGHT Trainer AD Sneakers in any colour (HK$750) (1 winner each) Doughnut’s Nomad Collection Pyramid Bag (HK$430)  (5 winners each)
“Green Building Tour”  Format： Watch videos and answer the questions. For those who have the best answers will be awarded.	Rewards per each episode: LANE-EIGHT Trainer AD Sneakers in any colour (HK$750) (1 winner each) Doughnut’s Nomad Collection Drip Bag (HK$230)  (3 winners each) HK$100 Green Dot Dot Cash Voucher  (5 winners each)
“Green Building Grand Prize” Format: To join the Grand Prize, you have to participate in 3 Q&A games in “Green Building Tour” on Facebook and leave a comment below HKGBC’s Facebook post on “Green Day Grand Prize”.	Most Visionary Green Building Talent (1 winner each): Nintendo Switch with Neon Blue and Neon Red Joy-Con (HK$2,340) Most Creative Low-Carbon Talent (1 winner each):  Nintendo Switch Ring Fit Adventure (HK$589) Most Interesting Sharing (5 winners each): Doughnut’s Nomad Collection Pyramid Bag (HK$430) Most Unique Low-Carbon Tips (1 winner each): Doughnut’s Nomad Collection Drip Bag (HK$230)

For more details, please refer to Hong Kong Green Building Council’s Facebook and webpage. Kindly refer to the attachment for the guest’s bio and event photos. 

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About the Construction Industry Council (CIC)
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 the Government, provide professional training and registration services, and serve as a communication channel between the Government and the construction industry.  

To learn more about CIC, please visit www.cic.hk.

About the Hong Kong Green Building Council (HKGBC)
The Hong Kong Green Building Council Limited (HKGBC) is a non-profit, member-led organisation established in 2009 with the vision to aspire for quality and sustainability at every stage of the building life cycle and embrace these principles as a mark of excellence. The Founding Members of HKGBC include the Construction Industry Council (CIC), Business Environment Council (BEC), the BEAM Society Limited (BSL) and the Professional Green Building Council (PGBC). Its mission is to lead the market transformation to a sustainable built environment in Hong Kong by guiding the development of industry standards, best practices, education, and research in Green building. 

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

About BEAM Plus
Dedicated to Hong Kong, BEAM Plus offers a comprehensive set of performance criteria for a wide range of sustainability issues relating to the planning, design, construction, commissioning, fitting out, management, operation and maintenance of a building. By providing a fair and objective assessment of a building’s overall performance throughout its life cycle, BEAM Plus enables organisations and companies of all sizes to demonstrate their commitment to sustainable development.

To learn more about BEAM Plus, please visit www.hkgbc.org.hk/eng/beam-plus/introduction.