Friends of the Earth (HK) Newsletter January | February e-Newsletter
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2017 Policy Address
The 2017 Policy Address was released on 18 January 2017. FoE (HK)’s recommendations were made for the government.

1. Green Economy - Green industry, green businesses and green employment should be supported.
2. Circular Economy - The recycling industry needs to be supported by economic instruments, infrastructural support and producer responsibility schemes.
3. Brownfield-first Policy - A brownfield-first policy should be adopted for long-term housing strategy.
4. Urban Greenery - An urban greenery plan (urban forestry and farming) should be established to provide economic, environmental, social and health benefits to citizens.
5. Carbon Tax / Trade - Carbon pricing should be implemented to reflect the true cost of carbon emissions and ensure emitters pay their fair share of the climate burden.
6. 80 x 50, 10% RE by 2030 Carbon reduction targets of 80% carbon reduction by 2050 and 10% renewable energy by 2030 should be enacted.

For more information, please refer to FoE (HK)’s Suggestion to Policy Address 2017 or Policy Advocacy – Brief.
FoE (HK)’s Submission for the Legislative Council Panel on Environmental Affairs Meeting to Promote Turning Waste into Resources
On 16 January 2017, Dr. Jeffrey Hung, RDS manager of FoE (HK), represented FoE (HK) at the Subcommittee on Refuse Collection and Resource Recovery, Legislative Council Panel on Environmental Affairs Meeting. He proposed the following 3 recommendations to turn waste into resources :

1.) Deposit-Refund System on Plastic Bottles
Those who produce waste should afford the cost of waste management. Developing a container deposit-refund system on plastic bottles can increase the recovery rate.

2.) Material Recovery Facilities in 18 Districts
To facilitate the sustainable development of the recycling industry, the government needs to develop Material Recovery facility (MRF) in each of the 18 districts to receive and sort recyclables for recycling.

3.) Enforce Landfill Ban
The government should take the lead to turn food and yard waste into compost and enact a landfill ban on food waste, yard waste and recyclables.

To view the meeting agenda, please click here.
To view the video of the meeting (Cantonese only), please click here.
Joint Petition Opposing Developing the Country Park Land
On 26 January 2017, FoE (HK) and other green groups signed a joint petition opposing Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying's proposal to build public housing on the edges of country parks with low ecological value. We urged the government to retrieve and develop the over 1,000 hectares of brownfield land in the New Territories first to solve the housing shortage problem. Suzanne Cheung, CEO of FoE (HK) spoke in the press conference and expressed FoE (HK)’s concern regarding the role conflict as Environmental Protection Department and Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department is responsible for studying housing projects in country parks while acting as approval agents for development projects fall under Environmental Impact Assessment Ordinance.
FoE (HK) x WPI on Sustainable Fashion
With the rise of Fast Fashion, the fashion industry today is the 2nd largest polluter after the oil industry. To understand the entire textile & apparel supply chain from upstream to downstream, starting from January 2017, FoE (HK) has been collaborated with students from the Worcester Polytechnic Institute, U.S. to conduct a survey to interview with industry experts on the impacts of fashion on our environment. We propose to review the industry’s environmental impacts and identify solutions and best practices to advance sustainable fashion.
Donate Used Clothes for Needy
On 15 January 2017, The Neighbourhood Advice-Action Council and Rotary Club of Causeway Bay co-organized the “Endless Love Project” for underprivileged families in Tung Chung and Shum Shui Po. Through this project, FoE (HK) donated over 200 used winter clothes and 33 households were benefited. For event photos, please click here.
Clean Recycling Fun Day
Clean Recycling Fun Day and seminars were successfully held at private estates (Tanner Garden, Tung Chun Court, Aldrich Garden, Pacific Palisades, Rhythm Garden and Lei King Wan) since December 2016 and received enthusiastic responses from residents. This programme is organized by Environmental Campaign Committee and co-organized by FoE (HK). Through this program, we hope the community can learn more about the importance of clean recycling and make practice into their everyday lives. Clean Recycling Fun Day and seminars will be held at different private estates in the coming months.

Stay tuned for more updates by visiting our website www.foe.org.hk or Facebook page.
Hong Kong Green Building Week 2017 – Green Ambassador Pitch
FoE (HK) is delighted to partner with the Construction Industry Council and Hong Kong Green Building Council to co-organize the ‘Hong Kong Green Building Week 2017 – Green Ambassador Pitch’. The Competition aims to enrich students’ understanding about climate change, and encourage them to take action. Participating teams (1-4 students per team) will devise a plan to get the people around them involved in combating climate change, and present their ideas in front of renowned judges and international delegates at the World Sustainable Built Environment Conference 2017 Hong Kong (WSBE17 Hong Kong). Please click here for details.
Volunteer Recruitment for ‘Suits For Success’
Friends of the Earth (HK) is co-organizing a used clothes redistribution event in March with Women in Finance Asia to spread the message of reducing waste by recycling. Professional clothing collected from business company will be redistributed to students in need. In this regard, we would like to seek 2 volunteers from the COOL Ambassador programme per timeslot to provide logistics support during the event. Details are as follow:

Date: 13th – 14th March, 2017 (Mon-Tue)
Time: 1. 9:30am-1:00pm
2. 2:00pm-5:30pm
Venue: FoE (HK) Office
Unit 1301-1302, 13/F, Block A, Sea View Estate, 2 Watson Road, Hong Kong
Duties: Reception and clothing arrangement

If you could come supporting us on the captioned event, please send your name, mobile number and preferred timeslot to ca@foe.org.hk . Should you have any enquiry, please contact Ms. Joyce Kiang at 2528 5588.

If you want to volunteer but have not yet registered as COOL Ambassador, please click here for to register .
Tree Planting Challenge
The COOL Ambassador Programme is a platform for leaders to explore, discuss and take action from the environmental perspective, to create positive impacts on the society.

Our COOL Ambassadors play an important role in promoting and establishing environmentally sustainable lifestyle in Hong Kong.

To encourage Hong Kong residents to join forces on carbon emission reduction and to cope with the impact of climate change, FoE (HK) will organize the ‘Tree Planting Challenge’ (TPC) in Tai Lam Country Park in 30 April 2017. A wide variety of local species of tree seedlings will be planted with the support of tree experts. For enquiries, please contact Ms Daphne Tang at 2528 5588.
“Death by Design” Contemporary Chinese Documentary Series: Meet the Director
We love – and live on – smartphones, tablets and laptops. But how much do you know the dark side behide the electronics industry? FoE (HK) recommends you the screening of ”Death by Design” and the meeting of the director Sue Williams on 22 March 2017, hosted by Hong Kong Institute for the Humanities and Social Sciences. Sue Williams investigates the underbelly of the international electronics industry and reveals how even the tiniest devices have deadly environmental and health costs, violate labour and human rights by designed to die.

Date: 22 March 2017 (Wednesday)
Time: 17:30 Reception
18:00 Film screening
19:15 Discussion with Director Sue Williams
Venue: Lecture Hall, G/F, May Hall, HKU
Language: English (with Chinese subtitle)

Seats are limited. First-come, first-served.
Click here for the poster of activity details.
If you have any question or comment, please write to join@foe.org.hk
Tel: (852) 2528-5588    Fax: (852) 2529-2777    Friends of the Earth (HK) www.foe.org.hk
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