World Environment Day

Background

Commemorated on 5 June, the United Nations General Assembly established the World Environment Day (WED) in 1972 with a view to raising public awareness of environmental protection and encouraging political attention to anticipate environmental problems. Since its establishment in 1990, the Environmental Campaign Committee (ECC) has organised activities to mark the WED in Hong Kong.

Plastic-free Fun Fair

In 2019, funded by the Environment and Conservation Fund, the ECC held the “Plastic-free Fun Fair” at Tai Kwun in Central on 9 June with the Environmental Protection Department (EPD) to commemorate the WED and the World Oceans Day. The event, with the theme "Go Plastic-free", involved a variety of local communal activities related to the environment with around 30 government departments, non-government organisations, green groups, tertiary institutes and community groups to jointly promote the plastic-free message to members of the public through various activities. 

Officiating at the opening ceremony were the Secretary for the Environment, Mr Wong Kam-sing; the Chairman of the ECC, Professor Joseph Sung; the Permanent Secretary for the Environment/ Director of Environmental Protection, Ms Maisie Cheng; the Acting Director of Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation, Dr So Ping-man; and the Acting Director of the Hong Kong Observatory, Dr Cheng Cho-ming. With the "four plastic-free must-haves", namely reusable cutlery, food container, water bottle and eco-bag in hand, the officiating guests invited the audience to show their commitment to "Go Plastic-free" together.

The Fair comprised interactive educational booths, sharing sessions, upcycling workshops and music performances. Other activities included a story-telling corner and a pop-up library set up by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department to encourage the public to learn more about environmental protection. An artwork made from marine litter collected during shoreline clean-up activities was also displayed to further arouse public attention on plastic waste in the marine environment.

To engage the public in solving the issue of marine refuse, more than 110 local shoreline cleaning activities were held in May and June 2019. The EPD had also collaborated with Guangdong Province in carrying out clean-shoreline activities for the first time. "Clean Shorelines Heroes" were commended at the opening ceremony of the Fair for their selfless contributions in protecting the marine environment.

Meanwhile, the ECC had organised several local tours in coastal areas in May and June 2019 to give an opportunity for participants to appreciate the beauty of Hong Kong's shorelines and appeal for their support in protecting the marine ecosystem and the natural environment. All the Community Green Stations (CGS) in operation, namely, the Eastern CGS, Kwai Tsing CGS, Kwun Tong CGS, Sha Tin CGS, Sham Shui Po CGS, Tuen Mun CGS and Yuen Long CGS, had also run activities under the "Go Plastic-free" theme for residents of the respective districts.

Please visit Event Gallery for photos of the event.

Prizes were also presented at the event to the winners of "All Go Plastic-free" Poster Design Competition, co-organised by the ECC, the MTR Corporation and the Education Bureau.

Please click here for the winning entries.