Government committed to promoting sustainable built environment in Hong Kong (with photos)

The Government is committed to working closely with the private sector in pursuit of the common goal of promoting green and sustainable buildings in Hong Kong, the Secretary for Development, Mrs Carrie Lam, said in Melbourne, Australia, today (September 22).

Mrs Carrie Lam was leading a Hong Kong delegation to attend the World Sustainable Building Conference 2008, held in Melbourne from September 21 to 23. She gave an opening address at the conference's Regional Policy Review Panel this morning.

Mrs Lam said that to meet rising aspirations for quality living, the Government was pursuing a "progressive development" model – development which is sustainable, balanced and diversified; development which brings overall progress rather than economic development alone; and development which also benefits culture, society and the environment.

"In the next few years, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government will press ahead with 10 major infrastructure projects that include a number of rail projects, cross-boundary infrastructure, a cultural district and the construction of new development areas. All these aim to enhance Hong Kong's living environment and make our development more sustainable.

"These mega-projects will provide us with golden opportunities to further explore and adopt sustainable and environmentally friendly practices from initial planning to building design and throughout the life cycle of the development," Mrs Lam said.  

At today's conference, Mrs Lam also officiated at the opening of the Hong Kong exhibition booth. The booth showcased Government and private sector initiatives in sustainable construction and building in Hong Kong by showing various Government and private buildings which incorporate sustainability as their core objective.

The Hong Kong delegation, coordinated by the Professional Green Building Council in Hong Kong, comprised more than 60 professionals and practitioners from Government departments, universities, estate developers and the construction industry.   

The World Sustainable Building Conference is held every three years to provide a platform for governments and industry to exchange views with conference participants on the latest developments in green building technology and sustainable built environments.

Mrs Lam today also visited an office building in Melbourne to learn about the city's latest green building technology. The building was highly graded by the Australia Green Building Council for its achievements in environmental protection, such as the reduction of energy consumption, improvement of air quality and recycling of waste.

Mrs Lam arrived in Melbourne yesterday (September 21) to begin her four-day official visit to Australia. She visited Federation Square and Melbourne Central yesterday to better understand how historic places are preserved and revitalised.

Ends/Monday, September 22, 2008
Issued at HKT 17:12

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Accompanied by the Director of Buildings, Mr Cheung Hau-wai, and the Director of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Affairs in Sydney, Ms Lorna Wong, the Secretary for Development, Mrs Carrie Lam, visits Federation Square in Melbourne, Australia, on September 21 and tours the BMW Edge building, which houses a 450-person amphitheatre. The Secretary for Development, Mrs Carrie Lam, speaking at the opening ceremony of the Hong Kong exhibition booth at the World Sustainable Building Conference 2008 in Melbourne, Australia, today (September 22).

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