The Management Company of EcoPark, has been joining the Environmental Label, one of the award schemes under the Hong Kong Awards for Environmental Excellence (HKAEE) since 2008, and has been awarded "Class of Excellence" of Wastewi$e Label for 5 consecutive years.

The HKAEE is launched by the Environmental Campaign Committee alongside with the Environmental Protection Department and other 9 organizations. It aims to encourage different sectors to adopt sustainable green management practices and to credit them for their accomplishment in waste reduction.

Over the past 5 years, the Management Company of EcoPark has been adhering to the objective of "Reduce, Reuse and Recycle". Besides adopting proper waste management practices and supporting green procurement in our daily operation, we also organized and supported various promotional activities for recycling, including waste management seminars for trade associations and the territory-wide Peach Blossom Tree Recycling Campaign, fostering the development of recycling industries in Hong Kong.

The Administration Building of EcoPark has attained the Indoor Air Quality Certificate (Excellent Class) of the Indoor Air Quality Certification Scheme for 3 consecutive years.

The Scheme is launched by the Indoor Air Quality Information Centre, which is set up, operated and maintained by Hong Kong Productivity Council for the Environmental Protection Department. It aims to commend and promote the adoption of proper indoor air quality management practices.

Being the Management Company of EcoPark, we have been dedicated to providing the best service in facility management, and improving indoor air quality is one of the most important scopes of facility management. Besides working closely with the excellent ventilation system and extensive green area in the Administration Building of EcoPark, we also arrange regular cleaning, inspection and maintenance for the air-conditioning system, and uses office equipment with low pollutant emission, providing a fresh and comfortable indoor environment for the staff and visitors.

The Community Relations Unit of EcoPark visited the South East New Territories (SENT) Landfill located at Tai Chik Sha, Tseung Kwan O recently, to deepen their understanding of this waste management facility.

Being one of the three strategic landfills in Hong Kong, the SENT Landfill, which accepts about 4,800 tonnes of solid waste acceptance per day, has been operating since 1994. Its lifespan is estimated to be completed by the end of 2015. To minimize the nuisance to residents nearby, the SENT Landfill implemented a wide range of management and control measures, including the adoption of high standard secure containment design, as well as the installation of additional landfill gas extraction pipes and flaring units.

Looking for a solution to get rid of the items stocked at home? Have you ever thought about bartering these unwanted items for desired items?

Metro City Plaza III in Tseung Kwan O will be holding a local creative bazaar every Saturdays and Sundays from 22 March 2014 to 20 April 2014 (excluding 5-6 April 2014), and will invite an online exchange platform, "GoodSwap", to hold a barter exchange activity (Chinese version only) at the venue. Public can bring items that they no longer need for bartering desired items in return, giving these items a second chance to shine.

Public can also make use of their online exchange platform or their mobile application of "Swwwap" to engage in bartering conveniently at anytime, anywhere simply by uploading the photos of the unwanted items and then finding new owners for these items.

Beverage cartons with plastic or aluminum interior coatings cannot be recycled. In this issue of Lessons to Green, we are going to demonstrate an easy way to turn waste into treasure by upcycling a beverage carton into a coin bag.

Materials:	A cleaned 1-Litre beverage carton, hook and loop fastener tape, double-sided adhesive tape, silver-colour adhesive tape
Tool:	A pair of scissors

Step 1:
Flatten and cut off the top and bottom parts of the beverage carton. Fold the carton into three equal portions, and cut off the top 1/3 of the front side as the lid of the coin bag. After that, wrap all edges of the carton with silver-colour adhesive tape.

Step 2:
Stick double-sided tape on either side of the folded parts, and press hard after folding.

Step 3:
Stick hook and loop fastener tape on the inner lid of the coin bag. The upcycling coin bag is now ready for use!

Did you know forests where human being, indigenous animals and plants depend on for their livelihood are diminishing due to over-logging, urbanization, and over-development of livestock farming and agriculture? The United Nations reported that over 1.3 million hectares of forests are destroyed annually. In view of this, the United Nations General Assembly has declared 21 March as the International Day of Forests to raise public awareness on the importance of forest conservation.

We can make every effort on our daily life to help conserve forests, for example, using less paper cups and plates with reusable utensils, using tissue paper instead of handkerchiefs or towels as well as using recycled paper.

Let's go green to conserve forests! Useful paper saving tips are shared at World Wide Fund for Nature website for public information.