Green Student Council(GSC)

Green Student Council

A registered environmental organization in Hong Kong. Founded by a group of enthusiastic secondary student

s, undergraduates and youth from the society since 1993 .

Green Student Council

The establishment of GSC is about: Bringing out the environmental problem in the societ

y. To monitor government’s environmental policy. To promote achievable environmental living and beh

avior. To increase the green sense in general public, in yo

ung generation especially.

Green Student Council

Activities held in the past years: Co-organized ‘Green Hope’ training camps with Friends of the

Earth (HK) for 8 years

Activities hold in the recent years: To promote achievable environmental living and behavior. To increase the green sense in general public, in young gener

ation especially. Organizing concern groups for ‘Nam Shan Wai’ issue and ‘Pri

mary School Lunch Arrangement’ issue. Organizing ‘No Foam Box’ campaign, ‘No Bags for Newspaper

’ campaign and ‘BYOB Reload’ campaign .

No Plastic Bags campaign

Objective To stop the overuse and over-packaging of plastic bags in super

market by education, publicity and better staff training.

To educate the general public reduce overuse of natural resources and change their wasteful habit into a habit of Bringing their own bags when shopping.

To urge the government to implement polluter pays principle by in

troduce plastic bag levy.

Activities

Past

1/1999 Announced a Public survey in a Press Conference (PC) Conduct 3 marches in different districts

7/1999 Newspaper advertisement with endorsement from Legislative cou

ncilors

Activities

3 marches were hold to promote use less plastic bags to wrap the newspapers

Activities

In 2003 Press conference on plastic bag usage in supermarket

To raise the awareness and the seriousness of the plastic bags problem, 75% public support $0.5 buy/sell for each bag.

Plastic bag X’mas Tree demonstration Present a X’mas Tree wrapped by plastic bags to Minster of Environme

nt. To urge their awareness on the issue.

Activities

Plastic bag X’mas Tree demonstration

ActivitiesIn 2004 Plastic Bag collection program in primary schools “Plastic Bag Mountain” street demonstration of all the co

llected plastic bags. World Earth Day 2003

A protest at the front door of a supermarket with presentation of plastic bag reduction proposal.

Plastic Bag Usage Survey PC A follow up survey on supermarket plastic bag usage found every 3 plas

tic bags issued, 1 of them are not necessary.

Signature Petition campaign A territory wide signature campaign held on every weekend on different

supermarkets in different district to appeal public support. To urge supermarket reduce plastic bag usage.

Activities

“Plastic Bag Mountain” street demonstration (left) Signature Petition campaign (right)

Activities

In 2005 3rd public survey PC

Another survey was done and found 92% of public agree with plastic bag levy, and we also announce 6 items should be exempted in plastic bag levy.

PC for the proposal of plastic bag levy Announced a plastic bag levy system proposed and lined up with politic

al parties and woman group.

A demonstration to government headquarter with “Plastic Bag Man” To urge government to implement plastic bag levy.

Activities

PC for the proposal of plastic bag levy (left) A demonstration to government headquarter with “Plastic Bag Man”

(right)

ActivitiesIn 2006 Opening ceremony of 1st No Plastic Bag Day (NPBD)

Lined up with 3 major supermarkets to hold a 1 off NPBD, a kick off ceremony with Minster of Env. attended.

NPBD ambassadors’ promotion in supermarkets Lined up 2 pop stars and help promote the plastic bag reduction message a

nd the coming NPBD.

Environmental cycling parade A parade to promote NPBD by using environmental friendly transport.

Student Street promotion day Primary students and Legislator distribute stickers to public. To promote NPBD.

ActivitiesIn 2006 NPBD, a survey conduct at NPBD, a tram parade with L

egislators, ambassadors To promote the message and distribute reusable bags in city centre.

Press Conference Announced 80% of public did not use or take plastic bag on NPBD, show the ove

rwhelming success of NPBD and plastic bag levy system.

Monthly NPBD Push the government and retail chains to support monthly NPBD, with more and

more new chains join in. Launch from 6/2006 to 12/2006

Activities

Opening ceremony of 1st No Plastic Bag Day (left) Minster of Environment Dr. Sarah Liao (right)

Activities

Environmental cycling parade (left) Student Street promotion day (right)

Activities

Tram parade with Legislators, ambassadors on 15/4/2006 (left) distribute reusable bags in city centre (right)

Activities

Others promotion in monthly No Plastic Bag Day

Results The fruitful result of ‘BYOB Reload’ campaign:

Successfully held the first “No Plastic Bag Day” in Hong Kong and turned into a monthly program which had 39 retail chains over 2400 shops joined.

Successfully lobbied the HK government to introduce plastic bag levy as the first Producer Responsibility Scheme legislation in HK.

Sustainability To monitor the long term effect of the voluntary NPBD in supermarkets. To monitor the government plastic bag levy and do further promotion an

d education for long run. To promote plastic bag reduction in other countries, line-up with other N

GO in different countries and promote the NPBD concept and finally the plastic bag levy.

Primary School Lunch Box

Arrangement Campaign

Objective To encourage the primary schools adopt reusable lunch box and

cutlery instead of the disposable lunch box and cutlery. To encourage lunch box suppliers provide the reusable lunch box and

cutlery. To urge the government enact a strong ordinance on environmental

lunch arrangement for the school and lunch box supplier to follow.

Activities Past

12/1/2003 2002-2003 Press Conference on Primary School Lunch Box Arrangement Campaign

12/7/2004 2003-2004 Press Conference on Primary School Lunch Box Arrangement Campaign

2004-2005 Press Conference on Primary School Lunch Box Arrangement Campaign

30/4/2006 “Repel Disposable Lunch Box and Cutlery Action” 14/5/2006 2005-2006 Press Conference on Primary School

Lunch Box Arrangement Campaign28/5/2006 A press conference on the opinions of lunch box

arrangement from primary school students. 10/6/2006 “To Mr. Lee: Our disposable lunch box!”15/4/2007 2006-2007 Press Conference on Primary School

Lunch Box Arrangement Campaign.

Activities

Press Conference on Primary School Lunch Box Arrangement Campaign (left)

“To Mr. Lee: Our disposable lunch box!” (right)

Activities

“Repel Disposable Lunch Box and Cutlery Action”

Sustainability To investigate all lunch box suppliers if their procedures on providing

lunch box are environmentally friendly enough or not. To make an appointment with Professor Arthur K.C. Lee, secretary of

Education and Manpower Bureau to discuss what should the government do on this issue.

To monitor the lunch box arrangement in the coming every year.

Save Food Program

Objectives According to A Policy Framework for the Management of Municipal

Solid Waste (2005-2014), the government and the public has eventually come to the understanding of the seriousness of the problem of food wastage.

Take action to change the attitude and habit of the public.  To educate the public, preserve our Chinese save food heritage.

To introduce the incentives scheme, which provided the trial program for both merchants and public, to practice the 'save food' habit in daily life.

To lobby the hospitality association to form a save food guideline for their members.

To promote simple composting method which turn ‘useless leftover’ to ‘usable fertilizer’.

Activities Past

3/12/2006 Press Conference- Release the survey data to increase the public awareness

10/2/2007 Road Show- Demonstrate the leftover volume and encourage the

public not to waste food during Chinese New Year

13/3/2007 Present a petition and proposal to EPD- Push the government to take lead on the issue

Planning7-9/2007 Line-up key fast food chains and food courts to

promote ‘Save $1 for Less Rice’ Day7-12/2007 Road Show / School workshops and seminar8-9/2007 Line-up hotels, karaoke and canteens to promote

‘save food’ concept. And encourage them to donate the raw food to needy people.

4/2008 Organize a “Organic Healthy Meal for a Thousand People” to promote “Save food, Eat Green” concept.

Activities

Press conference

Activities

Demonstrate the leftover volume (left) Present a petition and proposal to EPD (right)

Sustainability To advocate the government to build a composting plant to follow the po

lluter-pays principle to charge the food wastage at source. A comprehensive legislation is a must to cover the education program, merchants and household food wastage logistics arrangement and subsidization on composting industry.

To promote food wastage reduction at source. Encourage the household to prepare what they can eat and separate the leftover from other solid waste.

Follow the polluter-pays principle to charge the merchants by food waste volume. In the meantime, encourage the merchants to provide “meals-by-portion” which is a bait for customers to select smaller size.

There is no way out for local food waste which we should learn from other countries on food waste solution. Eg, composting in Japan and Taiwan.

Recycle Your Own Printer Cartridge Program

Objective To gauge individual printer users’ understanding, their perception and

current practice of recycling and refilling printer cartridge.

To increase the general public’s industrial knowledge on the process of refilling and recycling printer cartridge.

To advocate government’s policy and technical support so as to enable printer cartridge recycling.

To promote public environmental awareness through wider application of recycling or refilling printer cartridge in the schools and community at large in Hong Kong.

Activities Past

10-11/2007 Public Survey about recycling Cartridge and Toner 11/2/2007 Press Conference

On going2-5/2007 Public, Corporate and Government survey27/5/2007 Press Conference4-6/2007 Recycling Cartridge and Toner Competition in

secondary school6/2007 Exhibition in shopping mall7/2007 Public Campaign and Prize Giving Ceremony7/2007 Study tour in mainland China for those winners in

competition

Activities

Press Conference

News

Sustainability To line-up universities and property management companies to set up

recycling boxes. To promote the recycling C&T program in schools through seminars

and workshops. To study the policy from other countries and push government make

changes under producer responsibility scheme.

GSC aims to protect our nature! We believe today’s effort for Hong Kong’s tomorrow.

Let’s work for a better world!

THE END