Club supports inter-schools event to promote environment-friendly cooking

19 April 2008

When students from all over Hong Kong gathered at the Lung Cheung Mall in Wong Tai Sin for a cooking competition today (19 April), the challenge was not so much about creating five-star cuisine as preparing and serving a meal in the most environmentally friendly way. The contest was part of the Be a Green Cook campaign, organised by The Conservancy Association with sponsorship from The Hong Kong Jockey Club to encourage members of society to play their part in achieving a greener Hong Kong.

Today's cooking competition was the second stage of the campaign, following the earlier launch in February of a seminar and teachers!| workshops aimed at raising awareness of environment-friendly ways of cooking among primary and secondary school teachers and their students. The contest was divided into parent-child and secondary school divisions, challenging the participants to prepare menus that promoted an environment-friendly lifestyle in terms of creative recipes and selection of ingredients, cooking methods, choice of tableware and disposal of kitchen waste.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, the Club's Executive Director of Corporate Development Kim Mak encouraged people to adopt an environmentally friendly way of life for themselves and their families. "This competition is only a means to an end," he noted. "Getting our message heard is more important. It will take more than a few organisations to spread the message of green lifestyle. The general public, as well as local institutions, should jump at every chance to get on board, and try to make a difference by adopting a greener lifestyle. The more people who start the ball rolling, the better."

The Hong Kong Jockey Club has always sought to benefit society as a whole and enhance the quality of life of the local community. To raise the public!|s awareness of environmental protection, the Club has in recent years supported a number of different various kinds of environmental programmes including the HKJC Green Child Campaign, which reached over 100,000 primary schoolchildren and their families in 2001 with the message of reducing reliance on plastic bags. In 2006, the Club sponsored the launch of a two-year Rehabilitation Planting Project, with some 390,000 seedlings being planted in Hong Kong's country parks by the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department.

The Club has also sponsored the Air Pollution Index and Forecast System of the Environmental Protection Department, and the "Colours on Wings !V Hong Kong Wild Birds Photo Contest 2006" organised by the Hong Kong Bird Watching Society. In both 2006 and 2007 it was sponsor of the Eco Race and Dance with Birds, organised by The Conservancy Association to help raise awareness of heritage and nature protection in Hong Kong.