Jockey Club staff hope "Green Christmas" will set an example for Hong Kong

16/12/2010

Staff of The Hong Kong Jockey Club pledged to make it a Green Christmas rather than a white one this year when they gathered at Happy Valley Racecourse today (16 December) to celebrate the success of a two-month "Green Action Programme".  Special attractions at the Green Action Carnival included green-themed games and DIY activities, a sale of recycled books for purchasing carbon credits, and a Sustainability and Green Action Exhibition.

The Green Action Programme was launched by the Club on 11 October with the aim of raising awareness of environmental and sustainability issues among the organisation's 26,000-strong workforce, and encouraging them to make a real difference by pooling their efforts.  The programme has included seminars, competitions, tours, recycling schemes and other activities that highlight the importance of living green - producing a a veritable "Santa's List of Good Deeds" for the festive season.

Chief Executive Officer Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges explained that it had always been the Club's mission to contribute to Hong Kong's development by channelling gaming demand into community benefits through its not-for-profit business model.  This enabled the Club to generate tax revenue of HK$14 billion a year, donate a further HK$1.5 billion to charitable projects and host world-class events like last Sunday's Cathay Pacific Hong Kong International Races, which promoted the Hong Kong brand all over the world.

But this mission also included "setting good examples to the community in everything that we do," Mr Engelbrecht-Bresges observed.  "Therefore we feel we can and should take a lead in building a sustainable business."

At an operational level, he noted, the Club had already put in place a whole array of green measures over the past few years, including the installation of more efficient air-conditioning systems and energy-saving lighting.  "But where we can really make a difference is by harnessing the combined power of our 26,000 full- and part-time staff and working together as One Club, One Team, One Vision.  If you look at what we've achieved in just the past two months of this Green Action Programme, I think the point is well demonstrated," he said, highlighting some of the programme's many successes.

Legislator The Hon Audrey Eu congratulated the Club on the success of its various green initatives, borrowing a catchphrase of former US president Bill Clinton to call on Hong Kong people to be more conscious of their health instead of focusing on the fast-growing economy.

"It's great to be here as I sit among friends who are conscious about our environment, and every bit of the work you do contributes and helps our world to change gradually," Eu told the audience, who included Club management and staff as well as green group representatives.  "But we really need a mass revolution, in a way, for everybody to become involved, and in fact these efforts have to come from the top.  You've got to have the Government and administration changing their mentality from economy to health," she commented, citing measures like greener buses, congestion charges and more waste recycling.

"Instead of saying 'It's the economy, stupid!', please switch to thinking 'It’s our health, stupid!'," Eu urged.  "And it's not only our health, it’s also the health of the next generation.  We can't simply carry on business as usual."

Eu earlier joined food columnist Eric Wong and the Club's Executive Director of Corporate Affairs Kim Mak for the final judging of a Green Cooking Competition, which proved to be one of Green Action Programme's most popular activities.  Competitors were invited to come up with original dishes using low-carbon ingredients and energy-efficient cooking methods.

Other activities staged during the two-month campaign included four "Carbon Care: Lasting Care" talks, at which more than 400 Club staff learned how they could lead a more sustainable, low carbon lifestyle.  Participants enjoyed low carbon lunch boxes and were encouraged to bring their own cutlery and water bottles.

At the end of October, 34 Club employees joined the Hong Kong International Coastal Clean-up and collected 11 bagfuls of waste from local beaches, weighing some 275 kg.

The programme also featured Green Tours to Mai Po Nature Reserve and Kau Sai Chau Public Golf Course, where staff and their families were able to see the Club's eco-friendly solar-powered ferries and golf carts in action.

During a very successful recycling campaign, some 250 electronic appliances, 1,000 books and nearly a tonne of clothes and miscellaneous items were collected for redistribution.  Some of the books were resold at today's event to raise funds for purchasing carbon credits.

A number of individual Club departments have also embraced the programme by launching their own green initiatives; for example the Club has stopped distributing disposable cutlery in its canteens, saving around 5,000 plastic items in a single month.

"What is most important about all these activities is not just their immediate results, but the fact that they've encouraged our staff to think green and be more appreciative of our natural environment," Mr Engelbrecht-Bresges observed.  "We hope they will now spread the same messages to their families and friends across Hong Kong.  If we can achieve all this by connecting together in just two months, there's really no limit to what we can achieve in the future."

The Hong Kong Jockey Club

Founded in 1884, The Hong Kong Jockey Club has become one of Hong Kong's best known and respected organisations, providing the public with world-class sporting entertainment as well as being the city's major non-Government community benefactor, now donating more than HK$1 billion a year to charitable and community projects.  It has been a part of Hong Kong through good times and bad, sharing the city's growth and development with its people, and is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for future generations.