Post Date: 22 January 2019

Winter Camp 2019 : Zero Waste

With our three landfills quickly running out of space, the waste disposal issue is at stake in Hong Kong. To arouse students’ awareness of environmental protection and the waste problem, this year’s Winter Camp offered students a chance to explore the local conservation and recycling actions from different angles through a few visits and a forum.

The Winter Camp started with some ice breaking games and a brief introduction of the rundown. Then, participants set off for Hoi Ha Wan Marine Park, a village in Sai Kung famous for its natural beauty and marine biodiversity. After a short hike, they took a boat trip in the sea where corals, sea cucumbers, and sea urchins live. They were given a bucket with a transparent bottom to view the seabed. Unlike in the Victoria Harbour, the water in this region is clean and has high visibility, so it was really a precious opportunity for students to see these rare animals with their own eyes. The tour guide also showed the group mangroves, which are valuable in big cities like Hong Kong.

On the second day, participants went to EcoPark, Hong Kong’s first recycling-business park which provides long term land at affordable costs and a whole package of amenities for use by the recycling and environmental industry. They got a chance to visit three recycling businesses, including WEEE.Park, and the EcoPark Visitor Centre to learn more about the current development of the recycling industry and the latest technologies to handle different kinds of waste. That night, participants engaged in a competitive team-based food chain simulation game, showing great team spirit by taking different mini-games where they were challenged to earn the components, like the ingredients and marketing strategies, of their restaurants. The designer of the game incorporated concepts of sustainable development, like green business strategies and carbon footprint, to enhance the participants understanding about sustainability.

Different from the previous experiences, day 3 was separated into two parts – a forum and HKUST wastes initiative. In order to relate the forum to “Zero waste” and the EcoPark visit, students participated in a heated debate concerning how different stakeholders can raise the recycling rate in Hong Kong independently and dependently via roleplay. Taking reading materials, visits and their experience as reference, participants had to come up with the solutions and assistance needed. In part 2, participants were required to propose ways to improve HKUST’s recycling facilities and services. The one with the highest vote would be the winner and rewarded with prizes. Lastly, the winter camp ended with a wrap-up video.

Throughout these 3 days, the Winter Camp provided an excellent platform for students from different schools to gather, learn and share their own views on the sustainable development of Hong Kong. We hope that students can make good use of the observations and lessons learnt from this Camp and carry on making a positive impact on our community.

Ice-Breaking Session

Hoi Ha Wan Marine Park

BBQ

EcoPark

Delta Game

Forum