Environmental Policy

CityU is committed to the principles of sustainability and the continual improvement of its environmental performance, recognising its obligations both locally and globally, to the present and succeeding generations.

The University endeavours to exceed the requirements of environmental legislation and regulations in the Hong Kong SAR and to ensure that our operations are conducted in an environmentally responsible manner.

In achieving environmental performance improvement, the University will:

• Promote schemes for the collection of materials appropriate for recycling;
• Seek alternative ways of disposing of and reducing waste in environmentally acceptable ways;
• Re-use materials wherever practicable;
• Consider the "environmental-friendliness" of any item to be purchased;
• Distribute information in the most environmentally friendly manner possible and move towards a paperless office as far as possible;
• Maintain all existing plants and equipment to a high standard in order to maximise efficiency and reduce unnecessary energy consumption;
• Make provisions and improvements to the built environment in the University to facilitate the reduction of waste generation and water and energy consumption;
• Raise awareness among staff and students of the need for energy conservation, waste reduction, re-using and recycling through education, training and promotional campaigns; and
• Co-operate with the government and agencies to address environmental issues in general and improve the environment of the University, in particular.

Strategy Implementation

To implement the University's environmental policy, departments / centres / offices are encouraged to devise their own implementation strategy with reference to the following guidelines:

Guidelines on Environmental Good Practices for Departments/Centres/ Offices and Individuals at CityU

The 5Rs (Reuse, Rethink, Restore, Reduce, Recycle)

• Encourage 2-sided printing/photocopying;
• Re-use envelopes for internal mailing;
• Use electronic mail for communication and on-line electronic filing to reduce paper usage;
• Recycle waste where appropriate (e.g., paper/carton boxes, aluminum cans, plastic bottles and laser printer cartridges);
• Use small font size and spacing in typed paper communication as far as possible;
• Advertise transferable items on the University Network prior to disposal; and
• Check with Facilities Management Office for the availability of items before making any new purchase.

Energy Conservation

• Turn off lights when exiting;
• Switch off unnecessary lights;
• Align office partitioning and furnishing to take advantage of natural lighting;
• Install and activate energy-saving software in computers;
• Switch off computers, printers, photocopiers, lighting and air-conditioning when they are not in use;
• Procure and use equipment with energy efficient features; and
• Do NOT waste potable water.

Environmental Practice

• Consider the "environmental quality" of the services and goods in procurement;
• Monitor the volume and risk level of chemicals consumed in laboratories;
• Avoid the use of hazardous substances or materials wherever possible;
• Avoid the use of toxic substance or material that may create special waste treatment/disposal problems; and
• Use environmentally friendly modes of transport to and from the University.

Environmental Performance

The University is dedicated to providing a green campus and promoting environmentally friendly practices in its operations. In its latest report, the Facilities Management Office highlighted a series of successful initiatives for improving sustainability undertaken in the past year, including the continued recycling of grey water for watering plants and the staged replacement of the central chiller plant.

Other indicators of the University's strong performance in improving environmental protection on campus relates to the reduction and management of waste. By strongly advocating the 5 Rs across campus, the University saved more than 230 tonnes of solid waste through recycling in 2010.

Another success has been the treatment system put into operation last year to collect, filter and disinfect water from wash basins and discharged water from equipment cooling in laboratories. The system also condensates water from air-handling and fan coil units in offices. The treated water is then used for irrigation purposes. The system is the largest of its kind in Hong Kong, turning 70m3 of grey water into clean water every day. This equates to the daily water consumption of approximately 500 people. It is an interesting project which saves on our natural resources and our annual water bill.

Having gained experience and important advances in managing our impact on the environment, the University is well poised to move forward with better environmental management plans to set reduction targets on energy, waste, water and CO2 emissions (from energy use). To build a sustainable future, it is imperative that we continue to heighten awareness in the University community by integrating the ethos and practice of social responsibility into our work and studies, contributing to the wider community.