Dr. Cheng Luk Ki encourages the public to use ‘fold-in’ type of red packets which can be reused. Dr. Cheng suggests using non-woven gift wrapping papers that are more easily reusable. Hongkong Electric’s Green Ambassador Catherine So and her daughter call on the public not to eat endangered species. Another Green Ambassador CK Lau and his son demonstrating how they can replace gift wrapping with a used paper bag at home. Dr. Cheng and two Hongkong Electric Green Families urge the public to give up or change some festive habits for a greener CNY.

Dr. Cheng Luk Ki encourages the public to use ‘fold-in’ type of red packets which can be reused. Dr. Cheng suggests using non-woven gift wrapping papers that are more easily reusable. Hongkong Electric’s Green Ambassador Catherine So and her daughter call on the public not to eat endangered species. Another Green Ambassador CK Lau and his son demonstrating how they can replace gift wrapping with a used paper bag at home. Dr. Cheng and two Hongkong Electric Green Families urge the public to give up or change some festive habits for a greener CNY.

With Chinese New Year just round the corner, Green Power and Hongkong Electric have joined forces to call on the public to give up some festive habits that threaten the environment. These include using self-adhesive red packets instead of reusable ones and new banknotes for Lai See; using more gift wrapping than is needed, discarding too many things during the traditional ‘spring-cleaning’ ritual and eating endangered species such as reef fish and shark fins.

Green Power says people should use the ‘fold-in’ type of red packets and banknotes that look new instead of brand new notes. The use of wrapping paper for gifts should be reduced to a minimum, and old home items should be handed in for recycling or donated to charity instead of dumped as rubbish.

In support of this, Hongkong Electric staff are also separately carrying out a recycling programme, while two of the company’s “Green Families” are giving out tips on how to enjoy a green Chinese New Year.

Dr. Cheng Luk Ki, Green Power’s Division Head of Scientific Research & Conservation Department, points out that most of the red packets distributed free of charge are of the self-adhesive kind, which can be used only once. “The ‘Fold-in’ type of red packets can, however, be reused and are therefore more environmentally-friendly,” Dr. Cheng says. He adds that each year at least 70 million red packets are discarded, equivalent to logging down 3,600 trees. He reminds that people should avoid using red packets with names or Chinese zodiac animals printed on them, because they can be used only in the year they represent.

Dr. Cheng supports the idea of using banknotes that look new rather than the freshly printed ones. “Every year, banks print about 230 million new banknotes just for Lai Sees, enough to fill 12 Victoria Parks,” he says.

Catherine So, a member of one of Hongkong Electric’s Green Families says she never uses new banknotes for red packets. She offers a tip to those who do so: “When children receive red packets containing new banknotes, do a swap with them. Give them old notes in exchange for the new ones, so that the new notes can be used again next year.”

Catherine also shares another tip to save red packets. For families with more than one child, instead of giving out separate red packets, she would only give a communal one that holds all the lucky money.

Another practice that is unfriendly to the environment is the excessive use of paper to wrap presents. The amount of paper used every Chinese New Year for wrapping presents requires up to 1,600 trees to be chopped down and 170,000 litres of petrol to be burned. Dr. Cheng suggests replacing gift wrapping with recycled bags, paper bags or non-woven wrapping papers that are more easily reusable.

CK Lau from another Hongkong Electric Green Family says: “Most people think that it is more polite to use wrapping paper for gifts. If they really want to do so, I would suggest using recycled bags instead. In fact, whenever I receive a wrapped present, I will unpack it very carefully, so that the paper can be used again.”

According to government statistics, the amount of rubbish collected during each of the past three Chinese New Years amounted to 300 tonnes more than that collected in any month during those three years. This requires about 200 5.5-tonne lorries to transport.

Dr. Cheng calls on people to be more conscientious when discarding furniture, electrical appliances or clothing. Items that are in good condition can be given to charity, while other items can be recycled, he says.

“Ordering costly dishes such as shark fins or reef fish is another common practice during Chinese New Year. These are endangered species,” Dr. Cheng points out. “Fish such as Humphead Wrasse, Giant Grouper and some sharks (for their fins only) are facing extinction due to over-consumption by man [1]. ”

He calls on people to eat less of these fishes, or eat reared ones instead. He also urges the government to let the public know where the source of reef fish being sold on the market is, so that consumers can differentiate between wild and reared ones.

The “Greener Festivals Campaign” is organised by Green Power and sponsored by Hongkong Electric. It is held to remind the public not to be wasteful during festivals. For more environmentally-friendly ways to celebrate Chinese New Year and other festivals, people are invited to access Green Power’s website:
http://www.greenpower.org.hk/new/activities/2006_cleanhk/home.html

Note:
[1] Wild Humphead Wrasse and Giant Grouper had been listed as “vulnerable” in the IUCN (The World Conservation Union) Red List of Threatened Species. Humphead Wrasse is also listed in Appendix II of CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora), so the trade is limited by permits. Currently, 3 species of sharks have been listed as protected species in CITES.