In support of the annual ‘International Museum Day’, the Jockey Club Museum of Climate Change of The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) is holding ‘JC–CUHK Climate Action: Green Family Day 2019’ today and tomorrow (25–26 May) at MOSTown in Ma On Shan to promote knowledge of climate change and green messages to the local community.

The Launch Ceremony for Green Family Day 2019 was held today (25 May). Officiating at the ceremony were Mr Wong Kam-sing, Secretary for the Environment of the Government of the HKSAR, Professor Fok Tai-fai, Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President of CUHK, Miss Donna Tang, Executive Manager, Charities (Grant Making – Sports and Environment) of The Hong Kong Jockey Club, and Dr Rebecca Lee, Founder of the Polar Museum Foundation.

Professor Fok said in his welcome address, ‘CUHK has been collaborating closely with The Hong Kong Jockey Club to promote green education in the local community. We are truly grateful for the generous support of The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust, which has made possible the establishment of the Jockey Club Museum of Climate Change, the first museum of its kind in the world. Last year, with the Jockey Club’s support, the Museum launched “Action Monitor”, an online tool to encourage the public to take action to combat climate change. Over 2,000 people have registered as members of “Action Monitor” in the past 12 months.’ He also expressed his gratitude to the Environment Bureau and the Environmental Protection Department of the Government of the HKSAR and all the participating schools and organisations for making the event a success.

The Hong Kong Jockey Club is dedicated to protecting the environment and has long been working hand-in-hand with CUHK. Apart from establishing the Jockey Club Museum of Climate Change together, The Hong Kong Jockey Club supported the Museum to launch ‘JC–CUHK Climate Action’ in 2017 to raise public awareness on climate change in different districts through a wide range of educational activities. The Hong Kong Jockey Club also supported the launch of the Hong Kong Chapter of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN Hong Kong) last year. SDSN Hong Kong, co-hosted by the Jockey Club and CUHK, aims to encourage cross-sectoral collaborations to promote the 17 ‘Sustainable Development Goals’ in Hong Kong.

Mr Wong said, ‘The theme of Green Family Day revolves around the 17 “Sustainable Development Goals”. Taking immediate action to combat climate change and its impact is one of the Goals. The climate action is a major priority of the HKSAR Government, including the release of Hong Kong’s Climate Action Plan 2030+ in 2017, which sets out Hong Kong’s new carbon intensity reduction target for 2030 and the concerted plans for meeting it. The Action Plan, formulating by a high-level Steering Committee on Climate Change chaired by the Chief Secretary for Administration, represents the collaborative outcome of 16 bureaux and departments in the Steering Committee. Last year, we invited the Council for Sustainable Development to convene a public engagement exercise to gauge the views of the community on the long-term decarbonisation strategy for the HKSAR up to 2050 and to make suggestions to the Government. In addition, making the transition to a low-carbon future is everyone’s responsibility and it should start with the basic necessities of daily life. The Council will explain the impact of carbon emissions on society and everyday lives to the public through a wide range of educational activities and public engagement events. The public engagement exercise will commence soon. We encourage all sectors of the community to actively participate in the exercise and express their views. Action should also be taken to support energy conservation, waste reduction and carbon reduction. Last year, the Environment Bureau launched the “Low Carbon Living Calculator” to help members of the public to assess their carbon emissions in respect of clothing, food, living and travel. Low-carbon living tips are also provided to help the public to practise low-carbon living.’

The ‘Action Monitor’ Award Ceremony 2018/19 was held in conjunction with the Launch Ceremony of Green Family Day 2019 to recognise the outstanding achievements of the winning ‘Green Buddies’ and ‘Green Teams’. ‘Action Monitor’ is now recruiting new members. For more information, please visit the ‘Action Monitor’ webpage: https://action-monitor.mocc.cuhk.edu.hk/.

The two-day Green Family Day is supported by the government, various schools and organisations, including the Environment Bureau and the Environmental Protection Department of the Government of the HKSAR, Bye Bye Plastic Bags, Friends of the Earth (HK), Kowloon City Baptist Church Hay Nien Primary School, Lensational, Pui Ching Middle School, Rooftop Republic, Ukulele Federation Hong Kong, the United College Ecology Club of CUHK, and The Warehouse Teenage Club.