HK Electric and the Conservancy Association (CA) joined hands to launch a new eco-heritage route in Wan Chai in the annual Green Hong Kong Green (GHKG) Eco-tour Day held today (19 November 2017). Eighteen public tours were organised to visit the new route, “Wan Chai Kaleidoscope", together with the other eight routes developed under the project, attracting more than 300 participants to explore and appreciate the hidden treasures of the city.
This is the second down-town route introduced following a similar one rolled out last year in Western District. Officiating at the launching ceremony, HK Electric's Managing Director, Mr. Wan Chi-tin, said:“HK Electric's first power station was located in Wan Chai and it was also the pioneer in providing electricity to the city. This part of history has been added to this route to bring a new dimension when looking at the area's history, culture and ecology.”
Mr. Wan pointed out that Wan Chai was not only rich in heritage but was also home to some precious trees and species of birds. “Featuring them in the new route will encourage more people to appreciate and protect these valuable resources close to the city centre," he said. To date, about 700 public tours involving nearly 10,000 participants have been organised along the GHKG routes.
Also officiating was Secretary for the Environment, Mr. Wong Kam-sing, who commended HK Electric for being keen in generating greener electricity as much as supporting environmental education and conservation. He called on the public to support this 12-year project by joining the eco-tours which were healthy, educational and low-carbon.“Hong Kong citizens should take a break from their busy schedules and enjoy more the beauty of our greenery," he appealed.
Mr. Wong added that the Government saw tackling climate change and improving air quality as top priorities, and the power companies were the key stakeholders. He said he was glad to see that HK Electric was committed to using cleaner energy by increasing the use of natural gas for power generation, harnessing renewable energy and implementing various emission reduction measures to help reduce its carbon footprint. He said he believed that HK Electric would continue to work with the Government to achieve the carbon reduction targets as set out in the Climate Action Plan 2030+.
Mr. Wan remarked that HK Electric was committed to meeting those targets. The company is presently building two gas turbines in its Lamma Power Station, with the first to be commissioned in 2020. By then, 50% of the electricity generated would be gas-fired, which would be further increased to 55% when the second one came into operation by 2022. He added that HK Electric was also conducting Environmental Impact Assessment studies for an offshore LNG receiving terminal based on Floating Storage and Re-gasification Unit technology. The study was expected to complete by the end of 2017 and would be submitted for Government approval.
A tour of the“Wan Chai Kaleidoscope" will take about 2.5 hours, departing from Dominion Garden and finishing off at Wan Chai Park, covering ten spots of interest including the historical site of the Wan Chai Power Station on Star Street; and the Hung Shing Temple, Woo Cheong Pawn Shop, Old Wan Chai Post Office, Old Wan Chai Market, Blue House, Pak Tai Temple as well as the Ruttonjee Hospital. A short video promoting the route has been produced and uploaded to the HK Electric Channel on YouTube today http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bf4CaBuPuBE.
Devising the route, CA's Chairman, Mr. Yan Wa-tat, said:“Wan Chai is one of the earliest developed districts on Hong Kong Island. During the early colonial times, Chinese and foreigners alike gathered in the district, making it a melting pot of diverse culture, architecture and religions across time and place. It is also an example of an urban forest, where one can find many ecological features of an urban habitat.”
He thanked HK Electric for supporting the GHKG project as it enabled CA to develop the 10 eco-heritage routes. He also expressed his gratitude to the dedicated eco-leaders who contributed their time and effort to promoting eco-tourism in Hong Kong. He pledged that CA would be committed to promoting eco-tourism so that the public could continue to enjoy the beautiful environment and the fruits of conservation work.
Since its inception in 2005, GHKG has come up with a total of 10 eco-heritage routes on Hong Kong and Lamma islands, with more than 200 eco-leaders trained to conduct monthly tours for local citizens. For details of the project and the tours, simply download the Green Hong Kong Green app, browse CA's website at http://www.cahk.org.hk/greenhkgreen or call 2728 6781.