The 26th Caretakers of

the Environment

International Conference

1–7 July 2012

Masstricht, The Netherlands

Theme: Sustainability in Cross-border Partnership

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Contents

About the Organizations

UNESCO Hong Kong Association p.3

Caretakers of the Environment International and Hong Kong Branch p.4

The 26th

Caretakers of the Environment International Conference

Learning Programmes & Past CEI Conferences p.5

Keynote Speech p.6

Participation Schools

Baptist Wing Lung Secondary School p.7-p.10

Ching Chung Hau Po Woon Secondary School p.11-p.15

Po Leung Kuk Laws Foundation College p.16-p.20

Queen Elizabeth School Old Students’ Association Secondary School p.21-p.25

Highlights p.26

Acknowledgement p.27

2013 Caretakers of the Environment International Conference p.28

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UNESCO HK is dedicated to facilitating and achieving UNESCO's mission, creating

dialogues among civilizations, cultures and peoples based upon respect for commonly

shared values for sustainable development.

UNESCO HK Mission:

“Promoting sustainable development and international exchanges through education,

sciences and culture”

UNESCO HK objectives：

Upholding the mission and objectives of UNESCO

Launching programmes and activities in accordance with UNESCO objectives

Leveraging Hong Kong's technology and talents to best support its long-term

development as well as that in Mainland China

Strengthening Hong Kong's role in international affairs and activities

UNESCO Hong Kong Association

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An international organization which aims to promote sustainable development

education for youth

A global network of secondary school teachers and students active in environmental

education

To develop a worldwide network of secondary school students and teachers who

share environmental concerns and who are proactive in environmental challenges.

To develop strategies which enable delegates to act as ambassadors for CEI in their

own countries.

CEI (Hong Kong) is a fully recognized regional branch of CEI. It is affiliated to

UNESCO Hong Kong Association.

It aims:

To promote sustainable development education for youth

To facilitate joint educational projects that encourage international exchange and

interdisciplinary activities

To promote environmental awareness and stimulate environmental education in

schools

To share successful and innovative environmental educational education

programmes

To develop local, regional, national and international environmental education

networks of teachers and pupils who share environmental concerns and who face

environmental challenges

Caretakers of the Environment International (CEI)

CEI Hong Kong Branch

Committee Members

Chairman Professor T. S. Chan BBS Vice President UNESCO Hong Kong Association

Vice Chairman Dr. H. S. Tsoi MH

Vice Chairman & Hon Treasurer

Ms. Karen Zhang Vice President & Secretary General

UNESCO Hong Kong Association

Mrs. Mitzi Leung Vice President UNESCO Hong Kong Association

Hon Secretary Mr. Leo CF Wong

Member Mr. Chan Wing Kwong, Daniel

Member Ms. Lau Sau Yin

Member Mr. Tam Yat Yuk

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Year Country2000 Sweden2001 South Africa2002 Italy2003 Kenya2004 Greece2005 United States2006 Poland2007 Hong Kong, China2008 Denmark2009 Scotland2010 Indonesia2011 Hungary2012 Holland

Year Country1987 Holland1988 Spain1989 United States1990 England1991 Peru1992 Portugal1993 Canada1994 Scotland1995 Russia1996 Holland1997 Israel1998 Republic of Ireland & Northern Ireland1999 Costa Rica

Ceremonies

Workshops

Learning Programmes

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Keynote Speech

Ignace Schops

The Goldman Environmental Prize

Grassroot Environmentalists

Countdown 2010 Ambassador

ASHOKA fellow

Think Globally, Act Locally, Change Personally

Think Globally

Young environmental leaders should

prepare themselves for a future world

with a forecasted population of about 9

billion by 2050

Every 13 minutes we are losing a specie

Human beings are responsible for

climate changes

Global awareness as this havoc cannot

go on forever

Sustainable development strategies to

revive the planet with healthy

ecosystems and enriched biodiversity

Act Locally

Projects can solve global

problems, for example, the

establishment of a large

local cycling network can

cut out expensive airfares

and less carbon emissions

Strategy—L.A.T.T.E.

L---LOCAL

A—AUTHENTIC

T—TRUSTWORTHY

T—TRACEABLE

E--ETHICAL

Change Personally

Our attitude towards nature protection and biodiversity should change from 'NIMBY'

which means' not in my backyard, please' to 'PIMBY', which means, 'please come to my

backyard', ie. from aloofness to participation and cooperation

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Group Presentation

Our Promotional Banner (simulation)

Our Promotional Banner (in real form)

Topic: The Use of leftover

What is zero waste?

Eliminate all the waste coming from the consumption of resources and manage resources

so they do not end up in the garbage.

In order to achieve zero waste, we have to Reduce, Recycle and Reuse.

Sustainability of leadership

Develop and install a system of teaching students in leadership

Teach students positive leadership habits

Baptist Wing Lung Secondary School

Reduce

Encourage students to

choose the suitable

quantity of food to

cut down on kitchen

waste

Cut down on buffet

Re-cook leftover food

for consumption

Reduce the wastage

of food

Recycle

Turn leftover into

organic fertilizer by

using the Food Waste

Decomposer

Farming in our school

organic farmland

Reuse

Reuse used

cooking oil to

make organic

soap

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Group project summary

Our project is “The use of leftovers”. This project is to introduce the use of

leftovers. Nowadays, many restaurants and companies and even households leave

behind a large amount of kitchen waste in their everyday meal. We produced tons of

food waste in such a small place every day. Do you have any idea where the leftovers

will eventually end up? Landfills? The ocean? Yes, mostly. We saw on the news that the

landfills in Hong Kong are almost full. In a few more years, there will be no land to

hold our waste. That is actually terrifying news for us. This is a serious problem for all

Hong Kong people, and we have to find a solution. We can put that waste to good use.

We can turn our leftover food waste into products such as organic soap and organic

fertilizer. Organic soap cleans as well as most detergents. And for the organic fertilizer,

it is good news to the farmer because the leftover can actually be turned into

high-quality fertilizer. Organic fertilizer is used to improve soil quality, and helps to

grow organic fruit and vegetables. This can benefit everyone because we can have fresh

organic food. It also suits the principle of sustainable development. Reusing food waste

will relieve space in the landfills and release more land for environmentally friendly

projects. To cater the theme of the conference, we invited the delegation from USA to

work with us as a project partner. Their project is “ Is zero waste possible?”. They are

researching the reduction of waste and we are looking into the use of waste. Therefore,

our projects have a lot in common.

We followed the principle of the 3R's: Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. First, let's start

with Reduce. We know we can reduce and manage the amount of waste resulting from

the consumption of resources so that they do not end up in the garbage. That is why

we encourage students in our school to choose the quantity of food most suited to their

requirement so as to reduce the amount of kitchen waste. For the same reason we should

reduce having buffet and recook leftover food. We had produced a logo and related

slogan to promote this. We have also promoted the “Reduce” part of the programme and

the production of organic fertilizer in our school.

Eat less is safe,

use less is great

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Secondly, Reuse. We have turned used oil (especially cooked and fried) into organic

soap.

The following ingredients are necessary for the making of organic soap.

Ingredients:

145g sodium hydroxide

390ml water

1000ml used oil

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vinegar

Steps:

1. Filter the oil

2. Mix well together the water, sugar, salt and vinegar

3. Dissolve sodium hydroxide in water

!! CAUTION !!

During this process, chemical reaction will release severe heat(about 90℃) so we

need to be very careful

4. Mix the solution with the oil, stirring constantly for 12 minutes

5. Products should be kept for 2 months to ensure the soap is stiff enough and pH

value is appropriate for use

There are a lot of advantages of using organic soap. It cleans as well as any

detergent. It can also reduce the amount of rubbish, ease the water pollution problem

and cut down on environmental destruction because organic soap does not contain any

harmful chemical substance.

Thirdly, Recycle. We turned the leftover into organic fertilizer in the Food Waste

Decomposer and then used it on our school's farmland. On April 26, we collected

food waste from the students at lunch time. We put the leftover into the Food Waste

Decomposer for 24 hours and turned it into organic fertilizer. There are many

advantages to using organic fertilizer which can diminish the number of destructors

and cut down on the amount of rubbish.

We promoted organic soap in the Hong Kong

Baptist Convention Primary School. We held a

workshop there, introducing and teaching their

students and parents on the making of organic soap.

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Selected Individual Reflection

Lam Lai Ho, Andy

Actually, this trip is the first time that I travelled outside Hong Kong and I felt

anxious. Luckily, my friends kept me company, and I enjoyed the trip.

On the first day, when I arrived at Stayokay Hostel, I did not feel very

comfortable, as this is an unfamiliar place to me. I missed my home so much. Another

thing that shocked me shocked was that there was no meat for our meals. This was so

sudden for me.

We had two rounds of presentations and a

Cultural Night on the third day. I felt uneasy with

the audience when I was giving my presentation

because I have never met so many foreigners at the

same time. Fortunately, the whole process went very

smoothly. Cultural night was another highlight of the

trip. All the countries showed their talents during the

events, including singing, dancing and other special

performances. The atmosphere was electric!

The activity that impressed me most was the field trip. I went to St. Peter’s Hill.

Our group first went up hill. Along the path, I saw such beautiful views of the

countryside. Then, we went to an underground cave, which was used during the

Second World War. Inside, there were 6000 passageways! What a big cave! As the

structure was so complicated one could easily get lost if he did not follow the tour

guide. Therefore, everyone followed the guide carefully. Also, it was extremely cold

there. I felt like I was the North Pole! At dinner time, all the participants went to

three-country’s point—Vaals, to have dinner together. I still remember the food was a

bit spicy.

In this trip, the most important lesson was not how many friends you made or

how much you learned. It was the process of discovering and experiencing. You have

to enjoy the whole event to gain new knowledge, not on the materialistic level but on

the spiritual level. Your attitude determines your altitude.

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Group presentation

Hong Kong is situated on the southeast coast of China at the mouth of the Pearl

River facing the South China Sea. Covering an area of 1,104 square kilometers, Hong

Kong is just a tiny city next to Mainland China. In this project, we introduce the

treasure at the border of Hong Kong, The Hong Kong National Geo Park.

Hong Kong Geopark is a unique natural areas with special geological

significance, natural and cultural landscapes. It was officially nominated as the

member of the National Geopark of China in November 2009. Then, it was accepted

as a member of the Global Geopark Network , which is supported by the UNESCO,

and renamed as Hong Kong Global Geopark of China in September 2011.

As we needed to find out more information about the Hong Kong National

Geopark, we joined a local field trip to Tung Ping Chau and Kat O in May, 2012.

Tung Ping Chau and Kat O are two distinctive places among the eight areas of the

Hong Kong Geopark. They are close to the border of Hong Kong, so we can find

many economic, social and environmental issues taking place between Hong Kong

and the Mainland.

Tung Ping Chau is famous for its’ youngest rock sedimentary strata. There are a

lot of unique coastal landscapes formed by wave abrasion. Kat O used to be a

crowded fishing village in the past, but many people had left the island already.

However, the quiet fishermen village turns into a popular tourist spot. Every weekend

many visitors will visit the place and enjoy the natural environment there. There are

restaurants, shops and teahouses along the Kat O Main Street. There is also a

Geoheritage Centre, where different rock specimens are displayed together with the

information about the history and culture of Kat O.

Kat O is a unique island as it is at the border of

Hong Kong, so we can see the Yantian International

Container Terminals in China clearly. The island is so

close to Shenzhen of China and there are many cargo

ships passing through the sea between Hong Kong and

the Mainland China every day.

Ching Chung Hau Po Woon Secondary School

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Although we have such beautiful islands in the

Geopark at the border of Hong Kong, people are not

cherishing these precious treasures on our earth. Our

national Geopark is facing threats from various kinds of

pollution created by human activities.

As mentioned earlier, both Tung Ping Chau and Kat O island attracted

numerous tourists to visit the island every weekend. Increased visitation to the

geological sites could pose potential threats on significant geological features. It

creates a large amount of solid waste both in the sea and along the trail. The

accumulation of waste not only spoils the beautiful environment, it also threatens the

health of people living in nearby village. The pollution may even kill off the habitats

of land animals as well as aquatic life. Apart from the land and water pollution, the

huge cargo ships from Yantian International Container Terminal have produced a lot

of exhausted gas which accounts for serious air pollution. This also affects the air

quality in the northern district of Hong Kong border. Last but not least, the Daya Bay

Nuclear Plant just opposite Tung Ping Chau may even cause potential nuclear

pollution. The nuclear waste will cause one of the most dangerous and harmful effects

on both the human beings and the environment.

During our field trip, we invited about forty eco-tourists to fill in a questionnaire

about the threats that our Geopark is facing. We received a great deal of suggestions

from them. The majority of the respondents felt that the most important issue was

good public education. Thus, we deeply believe that public education is the most

important way to raise public awareness in protecting our nature. By setting up more

signs or putting up more posters, we can help to remind visitors to conserve our

Geopark. We can also hold regular seminars and workshops, or even setting up

information counters in public areas to educate our citizens to protect our precious

treasure.

The project has provided us with a valuable and

unforgettable experience to explore two incredible

islands in Hong Kong. As caretakers, we hope our

study can give inspirations to all nature lovers to put

more effort into protecting all our natural beauties.

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Group Summary

CEI 2012 was certainly a joyful and meaningful trip, leaving us with many

wonderful memories. We, the caretakers, learned how to conserve our beautiful planet, of

different ways of protecting the eco-system and most importantly, we made lots of friends

from all around the world and learned more about each country's culture. Let us take a

glimpse at what we did in the days during the conference.

On the first day of our trip, apart from registration, we had many things to do. First

of all, we had to prepare our poster exhibition. We went to an old factory and set up our

poster so that everybody could read about our project. Not only our school, but all the

participation schools from different countries were hanging up their posters. Most of

them were very interesting and had many things we could learn from. I was looking

forward to their presentations! After setting up our posters, we had our first lunch in

Maastricht. Although I was not used to the Dutch food, I thought it was a chance for me

to learn about the food culture in the Netherlands. The first day was a busy day. Along

with the registration and setting up of posters, we had a few icebreaking activities. One

of the activities was forming a circle and then asking each other about their names,

where they were from and their hobbies as well as about their personalities. I could not

have imagined that I could have made so many new friends on the very first day! After

that, we had a football match. Some of the students played extremely well. Although we

were from different countries, we all enjoyed the football games as buddies! It was so

much fun that we were still playing after the official icebreaking time. Since some people,

including me, were football fans, we stayed for a few more hours and kept on playing!

The first day was a wonderful day.

On Wednesday, we had our presentation sharing and

cultural night. We gained a valuable lesson during our trip as we

learned a lot from our personal experience. First, we had to

present our project to all our fellow caretakers. Our preparations

for this included a field trip to the Hong Kong Geopark. We were

well aware that our environment is being damaged by human

activities, and that we were losing our beautiful nature. Some

creatures are disappearing and their habitats are vanishing. We

hoped that people all over the world will take action to protect

our earth and help with sustainable development. Meanwhile, we learned a great deal

from the other presentations and I learned that in this instance “one small step for man

would mean one giant leap for the earth”. Actually, we can do so many things to help the

environment, depending on whether you are willing to take action or not.

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Secondly, we prepared a performance for the cultural night. Since the caretakers

came from different countries, this was an opportunity to learn more about their

cultures. We got along with the other caretakers easily although we were of different

nationalities. No matter where we came from, we need to take responsibility to protect

and love our earth! All in all, we had a great time and we want to participate again

next year!!!

On the fourth day, there was a field trip day. We needed

to join the field trip “River Muse”. Unfortunately, we got on

the wrong bus and went on a field trip to Belgium instead.

First, we played a game that taught us about the plants and

animals which had lived in the past. Nowadays, while the

cities are developing, many species of animals are disappearing. It led me to think

about the importance of protecting the natural environment. We cannot focus on

developing the cities only. The lives of animals and plants are getting much harder,

and we must protect them from danger and damage. Then we went into a forest to

pick up fallen branches and tie them up. It was the first time I had been in a forest to

pick up branches. In Hong Kong, we will never get a chance such as that. After that,

we went to an art museum which used to be a factory. It is good to reuse old buildings

as it can reduce building materials and other resources. I realized that everything is

usable. Next, we went to an area where the borders of three countries, Germany, the

Netherlands and Belgium come together. According to the objective of our conference,

it showed us that countries should work together to protect the environment!

During the exhibition, I had an opportunity to take photos with other caretakers.

I made a lot of friends from other countries. After that, the closing ceremony started

with the alumni at the conference. Finally, next year’s location of the conference was

revealed: Chicago. I hope I will be chosen again next year. After the exhibition and

the closing ceremony ended, there was a relaxing party for all the caretakers. On this

joyful note the conference ended.

Taking part in the conference, we not only

learned about sustainable development and culture

in the Netherlands, but also how to give a hand to

interact with other people. Unity is strength; only

through our combined efforts can we provide the

next generation with the same habitat!

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Reflections

We had so many events to take part in, such as the opening and closing ceremonies,

presenting our project, and a flash mob dance performance and also a farewell party.

They all impressed me, especially the cultural night performance. Since all the

caretakers came from different countries, we learned about different cultures through

this event. Moreover, it was the first time I joined a flash mob! We danced together on

the street. We had fun doing it and I met a lot of new friends!

Zoey So

During the conference, I learned a lot of things which I could not learn from books. I

am glad that I was a caretaker and met so many caretakers from different countries. I

hope I can keep in touch with them and we can become good friends. I also wish I

could have a chance to join the conference next year and meet them again.

Carol Lei

Sustainability is the oil lubricating the wheels of society development. If we want to

conserve our earth, we must reflect on our behaviour. Are we doing things that are

harmful to the world? Will this action affect future society? Can I do this in a more

eco-friendly way? These are the questions we need to ask ourselves repeatedly. CEI

2012 is unquestionably a happy and meaningful opportunity to learn more about

sustainable development.

Mark Tse

Finally, the conference was over. At the end of the conference, I saw some caretakers

hugging and crying. At the same time, they exchanged their Facebook or Twitter

accounts. The emotional reaction of the caretakers touched my heart. When the bus

arrived at Amsterdam Airport, the sunny blue sky suddenly became brighter. Maybe it

signaled that our journey eventually ended with a bright future. Goodbye, our fellow

caretakers. Goodbye, Maastricht. Goodbye, the Netherlands …….

Kevin Sin

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Projects

Effectiveness of Greening on Urban Heat Island Effect

Jason LAM, Matthew SHIU

Urban heat island refers to the phenomenon that

urban temperatures are higher than the surrounding

countryside. According to a research conducted by

the Hong Kong Observatory (2008), during the

period 1989 – 2006, there was an average of 0.8oC

divergence between urban and rural air temperatures

in Hong Kong, with an absolute maximum daily

temperature difference of 11.5oC.

Urban heat island does not only upset the ecology, but also creates other

environmental problems in urban areas. Some studies have shown that urban greening

can help lower the temperature and reduce the heat-island effect. The effect of large

urban parks is particularly effective and significant. However, with limited land in

urban areas, roof-top greening would be a feasible way to green urban areas in Hong

Kong.

The present study aims to investigate the effect of

materials on air temperature. The air temperatures of sites in

the campus with the following different environment in the

campus are compared: (1) green-shaded area; (2) green-roof;

and (3) un-shaded concrete areas. Through comparing the

air temperatures at different sites, the effectiveness and

significance of the green-roof can be seen.

Urban heat island is not a local problem. We are determined to join hands with the

Cita Hati Christian School in Jakarta, Indonesia to rise to this challenge. With

different modes of urban development, we can learn how foreign countries combat

urban heat island, and finally suggest the most effective way to solve this problem

locally in Hong Kong.

Po Leung Kuk Laws Foundation College

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Cooperation between School and NGOs - Plastic Bottles Recycling Program

Sing Yung CHU, Sam Yin WONG, Tin Long YU

In Hong Kong, plastic products accounted for 21% of the

domestic waste sent to landfills. Plastic products are not

biodegradable and therefore take up a great deal of valuable

landfill capacity.

Every day, a lot of bottled water is consumed by students

in our school. Most students dispose the empty plastic bottles

into trash bins and add pressure to the trash-treatment system.

Plastic bottles can be recycled into other products which are

full of economic and environmental values.

In this project, we have cooperated with two organizations: (1) EcoPark, a

government-run waste treatment facility; and

(2) the Plastic Resources Recycling Centre operated by a

local non-governmental charitable group named Yan Oi

Tong. With the help of these two bodies, a small scale

campaign was carried out in the school to educate

students of the importance of recycling plastic bottles.

Students were encouraged to recycle plastic bottles and

Yan Oi Tong was responsible for collecting the bottles

regularly from the campus for recycling purposes.

Recycling helps reduce energy consumption and waste. This assists us in becoming

a sustainable campus. Recycling can also promote green economy through offering

job and business opportunities in the recycling industry.

Apart from the school-based campaign, we have visited the recycling facilities and

education centres in the EcoPark and the Plastic Resources Recycling Centre. We

hope to raise the awareness of students on environmental protection and also to

cultivate their habit of recycling.

Urban Renewal in Hong Kong:

Cooperation Between Local Community, Social Workers and the Government

Christopher LUEY, King-hang MAN, Vincent TSE

More than 110,000 families in Hong Kong live in

substandard housing environment. Life in these

inner city areas (districts with long history of

development) is made miserable by the dirt, decay

and deprivation of amenities. Indeed, urban decay is

a root cause of the most critical problems of city life

in Hong Kong. Urban renewal is undeniably one of

the core tasks of the Government.

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In February 2011, a new Urban Renewal Strategy was suggested by the

Government. The new strategy placed greater emphasis on community involvement,

adopting the ‘People First, District-Based and Public Participatory’ approach in its

work.

Recently, urban renewal projects were initially carried out in Hong Kong in two

inner city areas, Kwun Tong and Wan Chai. These two sites were replanned and

rebuilt to achieve greater environmental and social benefits, such as the provision of

more open space and community facilities.

The present study aims to investigate how

urban renewal can help the sustainability in

the city environment, which in turn can

improve the living standard of the community.

Urban renewal often results in disapproval

from local residents due to the need of home

relocation. This study also aims to investigate

the role of social workers in acting as the

middlemen between the Government and

local residents. Through the efforts of social workers, local residents are more willing

to accept relocation and facilitate the overall development of urban sustainability in

Hong Kong.

Students Reflections

Day 1 (1st July)

國際環境守護者青年會議中，有來自不同國家的同學進

行匯報，我希望能夠增進自己一些關於可持續發展的知

識。因為每一個地區也會有它獨特的地理位置和文化背

景，所以也會有很多不同的發展模式。藉著國際環境守

護者青年會議，我可以了解不同國家對可持續發展的看

法，無疑是一個不可錯失的良機。在這一次的旅程，我

會保持我的自信和熱誠，來達成我對自己的期望。

(Shiu Hin Sing—Matthew)

Day 2 (2nd

July)

We cooperated with the groups from Turkey and America in the

presentation. Instead of presenting one by one, we tried to mix our

presentations together. This was something new that we have not

tried before. We spent an evening after the dinner to discuss our

approach and the atmosphere was great. Tonight, eventually I can

see the night of the Netherlands.(**Kathleen’s note: not sure aboiut

the meaning and relativity of this sentence.) Hope we have a good

presentation tomorrow.

(Chu Sing Yung—Nath)

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Day 3 (3rd

July)

今天起來，我的身沉重到不行，眼睛也差點睜不開。但是

只要聽到外面的吵鬧聲，我又自然興奮起來。我是多麼期

望和一群新朋友交流、談天。今天我和我的組員很成功地

報告了我們的研究成果。我們組的報告也算是很順利，只

有一些技術問題。我也從各國學生的表現當中發現了一些

特色。西方人通常喜歡「兩袖清風」地報告，東方人則很

習慣直唸預備好的稿子。

(Vincent Tse)

我們在一個充滿藝術品的舊工廠裏進行今年度的文化表

演，我覺得有一點緊張，因為我是第一次參加文化表演。

我很高興可以看到不同國家的文化表演，每個表演都包含

著那個國家的一些獨特的風土人情。我也覺得我們這次表

演很成功，因為我們在跳舞的時候，得到了很多觀眾的掌

聲和尖叫。

(Yu Tin Long—Sunny)

Day 4 (4th

July)

After the presentation and cultural

performance yesterday, we went on

different field trips. I visited St.

Petersburg Hill. During the trip, we

went to a cave in St. Petersburg Hill.

This caves was not formed naturally but

was created by human hand during the

Second World War as a hideout. The

limestone in the area made the creation

of the cave easy: limestone is soft and easy to excavate. This underground safe-house

had 20,000 passageways but currently only 6,000 passageways are left. From the

caves, I can imagine how the people lived in the cave and how they designed and built

the caves carefully.

(Wong Sum Yin—Sammi)

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Day 5 (5th

July)

In the morning, we were divided into different

groups and held a discussion on the field trips and

other arrangements. Each group also wrote a letter

to Joshua and Samuel from South Africa. They were

supposed to join us in the Netherlands but

unfortunately they were badly hurt in a car accident

while traveling to the airport. I was touched by how

CEI gathered as a family, caring for each of the

members.

In the evening, we had a karaoke party. The room was filled with excitement. I sang

along with them and I would never forget the joy I felt. I was surprised that even some

of the teachers joined us!

(Lam Yik Hang—Jason)

Day 6 (6th

July)

Today is the very last day of the conference, I went to the

park and did some morning exercises. It was a very

interesting yet bizarre experience because I learned some

Chinese traditional Kung Fu in a foreign country so far

away from home. But still I found a partner to exercise with

me and I took some hilarious photos with different poses. It

was a memorable morning where I experienced how

cultures can spread and comes back to us.

(Luey Kwan Ho—Christopher)

Today is last day of CEI, I took the final opportunity to

meet friends, get their Facebook and take pictures with

them because there isn’t much time left. I wanted to keep in

touch with everybody.

I know I would be constantly asked on what have I learned.

What did I gain? Besides the obvious presentation skills,

social skills and being a leader, I think the skills of

self-management. We are caretakers of the environment,

and we are also a caretaker of ourselves. When a person

can manage himself well, he can definitely succeed in

facing many challenges. Problem solving and being

sociable are both very important things we need in our life.

At the end of the day, if you asked me how I felt, I would

say: ‘I am a caretaker, and I am proud of it’.

(Man King Hang—Man)

21

Conservation of Flying Butter (Butterfly)

Members: Stephanie POON, Tiffany POON, Jessie YEUNG, Nick CHOI

Objective

Nowadays, the idea of environment protection has spread around the world and

seems to have gained more significance. However, the conservation of the butterfly

has not gained sufficient recognition. Thus, our project goal is to draw the public

attention to the importance of butterflies and to promote

their conservation.

Introduction

To start with, we will briefly introduce what is a

butterfly, for example its life cycle, living habitat,

distribution in the world and their classification.

Hong Kong, a bustling built-up international city, may not appear to be a haven

for butterflies. But the surprising truth is that we have a rich diversity and distribution

of butterflies rarely seen elsewhere. For instance, more than 10% (over 250 species)

of the entire butterfly species recorded in China can be found in Hong Kong.

Reasons of conservation

Butterflies play an important role in nature

1. Butterflies are an important media for

pollination. If there are no butterfies, some

flower species will not be able to effloresce and bear fruit.

2. They serve as important biological indicators.

3. With their colorful bodies, they have ornamental and recreational value.

4. Butterflies have pharmaceutical applications. For example, the caterpillar of the

Swallowtail can be used to produce a medicine to cure stomach disorder.

The Butterflies’ life in Hong Kong is becoming harder and harder

1. The threat of global warming has caused the flowering plants to bloom earlier

and earlier. Butterflies feed on nectar, thus they need to change their feeding

habits.

2. Some of the butterfly hotspots in Hong Kong are located outside country parks

and they are not adequately protected.

3. With its beauty, butterflies are often turned into various forms of fine

craftsmanship and decorations for profit making.

Queen Elizabeth School Old Students’ Association Secondary School

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Conservation Work

The following are the four phases of how our school initiated conservation activities:

1. Recruitment:

A butterfly watching team was set up and students were recruited to the team.

2. Training

To equip and train students with the

knowledge of butterflies, we took part in

different workshops and lectures held by

different organizations. We also

connected with a Japanese butterfly

specialist and started our cross country

butterfly conservation sharing.

3. Enhancement

To consolidate what we have learned, we

took part in BEST, a monthly butterfly survey so as to enhance our enthusiasm

and devotion to butterfly conservation.

have joined the Butterfly Watching Contest since 2008 to practise and share our

observations with other butterfly lovers.

joined the UNDESD & HK Award Scheme held by UNESCO Hong Kong

Association with the theme “Butterfly Garden’ to promote butterfly

conservation in schools.

4. Promotion

After training up and enhancing our knowledge, skills and enthusiasm, we started

to promote the importance of butterflies and butterfly conservation by:

organizing talks to senior citizens of the Elderly Academy, students of primary

schools and our fellow students,

organizing butterfly question-and-answer competitions in our school,

organizing butterfly watching tours for senior citizens of the Elderly Academy,

and students of nearby primary schools and their parents,

designing display boards to introduce butterflies,

setting up a butterfly garden on our school campus to attract butterflies,

giving feedback to various consultations concerned with butterfly conservation,

Conclusion

We believe that butterflies contributed a great deal to our environment and it is

important for us to contribute to protect their habitat and their right to live.

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Group Summary and Reflection

Nick Choi

The 26th

of CEI conference was held in

Maastricht, a small town in the southern part of

the Netherlands. During the conference, I found

that the life styles of Maastricht citizens are quite

different from that of Hong Kong citizens. For

examples, Maastricht citizens’ enjoy the nature in

a relaxed and leisurely manner. But in Hong Kong,

most people are more concerned with efficiency

and getting things done quickly.

Just in front of the conference hostel, there

is a large lawn and many local people will go to

the lawn to sun bath and relax. Although there

are many people, the lawn remains intact. What I

found is whenever the local people need to pass

through the lawn, they walk on the path next to

the lawn instead of the lawn itself. They will

avoid any unnecessary damage to the lawn. In

Hong Kong, it is difficult to see a large and intact lawn anywhere in the public area.

Lawns become a part of the walking area and people will simply step on the lawns

when they want to. The lawns will be damage and finally we will have lost a chance

to enjoy nature. This reminds me of the necessity to conserve the nature of Hong

Kong.

Tiffany Poon

After the conference, the most unforgettable experience is

learning about the different characteristics between Hong Kong

people and Europeans, two of which impressed me most.

First and foremost, the way we work is tremendously

different. To my point of view, Hong Kong people placed

emphasis on preciseness. We needed to prepare a consummate

schedule for the, and after I took part in the event I realized that

the Europeans worked in a more flexible way. For instance, after

they performed their traditional dance during the cultural night

they invited other delegates on stage and danced together. If I performed like them,

24

I would be worried that no one would dance with me and I would be embarrassed.

Therefore, in our team performance, we only performed by ourselves instead of

inviting anyone to perform with us.

Besides, the personality between us and other delegates are different too. The

Europeans are more active and talkative than Hong Kong delegates, and they were

eager to make friends with others. I think we are not active enough as we always

played among ourselves.

During the conference, I experienced the diversified cultures of various

countries and gained more understanding of their traditional food, dance, dress and

teaching system which had broadened my horizon. All in all, I learned a lot and it is a

fabulous experience for me!

Stephanie Poon

During CEI conference, I was most

impressed with the vegetarian meals. On the

first day, I could remember distinctly what

we ate at the dinner, a rice which I did not

like.

The style of cooking rice differs from Hong

Kong, and it was damp and served with some minced

vegetables. The core of the rice is still hard which it

seemed it was not properly cooked. At that moment, I

hoped that the meals in the following days would be

thoroughly different.

On the other hand, eating vegetarian was not

only beneficial to our health, but also the environment

because the meat production industry is one of the

largest producers of greenhouse gases which

contributed to global warming.

25

Before this trip, I believed that being a

vegetarian was difficult. After this CEI

conference, I not only understood more

knowledge related to different cultures, but also

learnt the attitude towards new things. For

example, we need to have an appreciated attitude

to adopt it so that we can learn more and have a

nice trip!

Jessie Yeung

During this conference, there

were two main activities, group

activities and field trip.

The topic of the group activities

is to develop a new “kingdom”. In the

“kingdom”, everybody had a specific

role, for example the king, the

committees etc.

First, I was very shy and did not express my ideas, as I thought other

committees could finish all the discussion and requirements without me. However, no

matter which roles you acted in, they were all very important. If we lost one character,

the kingdom could not function effectively. Say, if we do not have researchers, how

can new technology be invented? Besides, I realized that an intelligent and serious

leader was essential. If a king did not work hard, his kingdom could not become

strong.

I participated in a debate during the field trip. We argued about the needs and

the possibility of cross-border partnership. This raised my awareness to reflect the

situation of international cooperation. It could bring benefits and also disadvantages,

e.g. Maastricht got help from Belgium to solve the flood problem of the river as the

Maastricht government could not tackle it by herself. However, the conflicts of the

members in EU reflected international partnership would not easily gain consensus. It

was a controversial issue and needed to be solved as soon as possible since more

global problems are aggravating.

26

Cultural Night

Workshop

Opening Ceremony

Project Presentation

Kick Off Ceremony

27

Special thanks to

Mr David Harilela, District Governor (2011-2012)

Rotary International District 3450

Guest of Honour at Kick Off

Mr Peter Wong, Past District Governor

Rotary International District 3450

for sponsorship

Consulate General of Kingdom of Netherlands;

Rotary International District 3450

for supporting the event

Mr David Man

Workshop speaker

Faculty of Education

The University of Hong Kong

Mr Eugene Fong, District Governor-Elect (2012-2013)

Rotary International District 3450

Guest of Honour at Closing Ceremony

香港可持續發展教育學院

Hong Kong Institute of Education for Sustainable Development

Acknowledgement

秘書處 Secretariat

香港九龍塘達之路 77 號賽馬會環保樓 1 樓 109 室

Rm109, 1/F, Jockey Club Environmental Bldg.

77 Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong

電話 Tel : (852) 2312 7696

傳真 Fax : (852) 2312 1515

電郵 Email: info@unesco.hk

網址 Website: www.unesco.hk

Copyright © 201208 UNESCO Hong Kong AssociationAll rights reserved.

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The 2013 CEI youth conference will be held in July in Chicago, Illinois, USA.

The topic of the 2013 conference is “Design for the Environment; Nature within the

Sustainable City”.

Chicago