Director's message 2008 (English version)

25 years of Friends of the Earth (HK)

Friends of the Earth (HK) is dedicated to protecting the environment locally and regionally by engaging government, business, society in promoting solutions to create environmentally sustainable public policies, business practices and lifestyles.

How it started

Friends of the Earth (HK) was founded by Linda Siddall, a barrister by profession. Without even an office, volunteers met at the founder’s law chambers to discuss green ideas. However being a poor non-profit organization did not scare people off, instead it immediately attracted a growing group of dedicated supporters including Karen Barretto, FoE (HK)’s longest serving volunteer who continues today as a Board member.

The fledgling organisation’s first office was in Wyndham Street on the mezzanine floor with therefore a rather low ceiling, so all tall persons who came to the office had to bow to us. Every staff person and visitor was also reminded to walk lightly on the office’s wooden floor to avoid the vibrations that could shock the hard disks of our computers to delete all our hard work. Within 7 years growth forced the organization to move to an office three times larger. The staff found it very spacious 18 years ago, but now we are dreadfully cramped again as our team has grown from five to 17. A larger office is urgently needed.

Think globally act locally

FoE (HK) chose anti-nuclear issues as its first environmental topic, followed on the international front by campaigns for saving the ozone layer and protecting rainforests to make local people aware of important global issues. Local issues were also embraced, the first being a campaign highlighting lead poisoning in children, which led to the phasing out of leaded petrol all over Hong Kong in the early 90s. Campaigns on pesticide use, country park protection, air pollution, save our harbour, and waste issues followed. With the success of our government lobbying and public education work, FoE (HK) enhanced its credibility and earned ever greater support from key stakeholders in the community, as a result of which some members of the board and staff were appointed by government to sit on important councils and committees to give advice on environmental policies.

In those early days FoE (HK) also became the first green NGO to bring an environmental court case against the government, to prevent it allowing private encroachment into country park lands. Winning built up the group’s credentials and confidence to embark on other new challenges such as studying Hong Kong’s ecological footprint; exploring Hong Kong’s wind energy intensity; halting the demolition of seven brand new 40-storey residential blocks; and advocating the first waste sorting and recycling programme. [You can read about it all in more detail on our website http://www.foe.org.hk/]

As local environmental awareness grew and Hong Kong’s environment got worse in many respects (especially air quality and waste), FoE (HK) put more resources into the most pressing local environmental issues with the long term aim of behavioural change to shrink our ecological footprint and make this city and planet sustainable.

Our range of actions

In a quarter of a century, FoE (HK) has embarked on a huge range of issues and activities from government policy lobbying and community tree planting to speaking at international forums and providing green education in school classrooms. Below, highlights of some of the main areas:

Air pollution has stayed high on the list of priorities, still lacking proper legislation and policies to deal with high emissions from transport and energy sectors, and suffering from low public awareness of energy conservation. Campaign Highlights:
- Lead-free Campaign to lobby the phasing out leaded petrol
- Clean Air Campaign to get rid of smoky vehicles
- Thermal Crime Campaign to urge the operators of public venues to adjust their over-cooled indoor environment
- Power Smart Campaign to encourage the business sector and households to conserve energy
- Dim it Lights Out Campaign to address the excessive use of lighting in the city that has exacerbated air pollution

Waste The vast waste Hong Kong produces urgently requires legislation on Producer Responsibility. Government tries to address the problem via incineration, an end-of-pipe solution, with little emphasis on waste avoidance measures to tackle the problem at source. Campaign Highlights:
- Waste paper recycling for schools to facilitate students to recycle their used paper
- Sort and Recycle programme - an innovative system for residents to recycle their household recyclables
- Adopt a Housing Estate - motivating public housing residents to live with a green lifestyle
- Moon-kick Action - facilitating moon cake boxes recycling, as well as lobbying moon cake producers to reduce packaging waste and government to develop legislation on Producer Responsibility
- Green Delights in Estates to establish waste separation systems on every floor of public housing estates and encourage residents to establish the habit of waste separation for recycling
- Disposable Chopsticks Campaign to address the disposable culture prevailing in Hong Kong
- Our regular recycling programmes to facilitate the public to reuse or recycle used clothes, foam (expanded polystyrene), printer cartridges, and CDs
Community programmes aimed at networking with the business sector and school students to integrate environmental practices into everyday life. Highlights:
- To green our environment: Plant for the Earth, Corporate Afforestation Scheme, Tree Planting Challenge
- To educate students through an outreach exploring programme: Eco-explorer
- To facilitate the business sector: Earth Partner, Green Christmas Campaign

China
Since 1992 under the leadership of Board of Governor and former Director Mrs. Mei Ng, FoE (HK) embarked on its Green Long March in China. In the early phase of China’s green awakening, Mrs. Ng spread the green message to 16 provinces and cities in China, reaching out to nearly a million people. From organizing the training of grassroot women and speaking at village school environmental education workshops to engaging China’s senior officials, Mei Ng succeeded in transferring NGO culture and advocacy skills to budding green leaders and aspiring green youth. Since 2003, the Sunflower Project, in partnership with Shaanxi Green Mother Volunteers, has empowered thousands of village women to install village household biogas on the arid Yellow Plateau. The Green Pathfinders Forum, launched in Guangzhou in 2008, aims to inspire Pearl River Delta youth to pursue green careers and environmental community service. Recently, FoE (HK) launched the River Partners (Hong Kong Forest) Project to rally upstream downstream partnership and enhance water catchment at the source of the Dongjiang River, which supplies drinking water for over 40 million people living in downstream Guangdong and Hong Kong.

Looking ahead

FoE (HK) will continue to turn the spotlight on one issue after another, to keep our many pressing environmental problems high on the agenda of this city, and to reach every sector of society.

We will continue seeking opportunities to partner with tertiary institutions and professional bodies to deal effectively with issues which are getting more and more complex in today’s society. We will keep integrating an element of “Rethink” into our campaigns and projects to catalyze change in the mindset of individuals, government officials and business leaders.

Air and Climate, as well as Resource Management will still be our key focus areas. However our overall goal is to help more and more people accept the rationale that by adopting a simpler lifestyle they can have a positive impact on the environment and even on the survival of humankind.

Friends of the Earth (HK)’s footprint has left green marks in many areas of Hong Kong and the Mainland in the quarter of a century since 1983. We will remain a green catalyst, a watchdog and a friendly earth partner for all in our society. We have already held the hands of many people making their first steps on the bumpy path to a sustainable planet, and stand ready to help many more. To all of you we say: Join us! Keep walking this path to sustainability with us! The easy road of complacency and greed does not lead to any good outcome!

2009 is the beginning of another 25 years of FoE (HK). Environmental protection is indeed part of our daily life. We sincerely invite you to take part. Please act now!

Thank you

The organisation that grew from a lone environmental voice 25 years ago to today’s mature campaigning success story owes many a big “thank you” to those who made it possible, including to all our volunteers, members, donors, supporters and sponsoring organizations.We would like to give our particular thanks to the following:

Founder: Ms Linda Siddall

President: Late Dr Ding Lik-kiu

Patron: Mr John Strickland

Board of Governors: Prof Michael Anson, Prof Bryan Bachner, Mrs Karen Barretto*, Dr James Buchanan, Dr Chan Kwong-yu, Mr Daniel Cheng*, Ms Mary Cheung, Mr Steve Chik, Ms Cindy Chiang*, Ms Mary Chiu, Ms Wailee Chow, Mr George Coombs*, Mr Raymond Fung, Mr Fred Ho*, Prof Ho Kin-chung, Dr Tao Ho, Ms Sandy Hung, Mr Kwok Kam-hon, Dr Lam Ching-choi, Prof Alexis K H Lau*, Mr Jean-marie Leclercq, Prof Lee Shun-cheng, Prof Dennis Leung, Mr Leung Wai-on, Mr Bill Leverett, Dr Sarah Liao, Mr Henry Litton, Prof Carlos Lo*, Ms Christine Loh, Mr James Lu, Mr Fred Luk, Dr John Mackay, Ms Terri Mottershead, Dr Daniel Y C Ng, Mrs Mei Ng*, Mr Adrian Norris, Mr Ross Penlington, Dr Petzinna-gilster Sabine, Mr Otto Poon, Ms Mary Riley, Ms Linda Siddall, Prof Nora Tam Fung-yee, Mr Marcus Tancock, Mrs Ella To, Mr Andrew Tsui, Mr Douglas Van, Mr Nury Vittachi, Mr Peter H Y Wong, Mr Stanley Wong*, Dr Vivian Wong*, Mr Robert Young*, Prof Jimmy C Yu*

Directors: Mr Peter Illig, Mrs Mei Ng, Mr John Parker, Ms Linda Siddall

Staff: Ms Maria Z Arnold, Ms Michelle Au#, Ms Karin Bergen, Miss Chan Lan-kam, Ms Phyllis Chan, Mr Jones Chan, Mr Wing Chan, Ms Mamie Chan, Ms Christina Chan, Mr Man Chan, Mr William Che, Ms Agnes Chen, Ms Chen Ying#, Dr Cheng Luk-ki, Ms Vivien Cheng#, Mr Delvin Cheng#, Mr Steven Cheng, Ms Cheng Sze-ling#, Mr Calvin Cheung, Ms Kiki Cheung#, Mr Robert Cheung, Ms Mandy Chiu, Ms Amy Chong, Ms Hilda Chow, Mr Anthony Chu, Mr Hahn Chu#, Ms Chung Pui-kwan, Mr Alex Chung, Mr Stephen Chung, Ms Amanda Clow, Ms Shirley Co, Ms Janet Fok#, Ms Janice Fong, Mr Irwin Fung, Ms Kathy Griffin, Mr Henry Ho, Ms Lisa Hopkinson, Ms Julie Hume, Mr Jasper Ip, Mr Ed Joyce, Ms Miranda Kam, Mrs Julie Kay-Russell, Ms Carol Kwan#, Ms Esther Kwok, Ms Denise Kwok#, Dr I Lai, Ms Karen Lam, Ms Ann Lam, Ms Jacqueline Lam, Dr Catherine Lau#, Ms Doris Lau, Mr Edwin Lau#, Ms Flora Lau, Mr Lau Ying-kit, Ms Christina Lee, Ms Eve Lee, Ms Lydia Lee, Ms Maria Lee, Ms Chris Lee, Ms Jane Lee, Mr Lee Heung-yeung, Ms Caroline Legge, Mr Frederick Leong, Mr Bill Leverett, Miss Li Suen, Ms Dorothy K S Li, Ms Lily Li, Ms Sian Li, Mr Liu Yuk-wah, Ms Pauline Liu, Mr Eric Liu, Ms Peggi Liu#, Ms Sonia Lo, Ms Elsa Lo, Mr Luk Mo-ping, Mr Kalmond Ma, Ms Daphne Mah, Ms Yvonne Mok, Mr Henry Morritt, Ms Angel Ng, Mrs Mei Ng, Mr Ng Tat-ming, Ms Norris Ng, Ms Emily Ngai, Mr Adrian Norris, Ms Helen Przygodzki, Mr Michael Quinn, Ms Elsie Sairojpand, Ms Madeleine Slavick, Mrs Cathy Summer, Ms Fanny Sze, Mr Henry Tam, Mrs Helen Tang, Mr Gordon Tang, Ms Diana Tsang, Ms Maria Z Villamil, Mr Eric Walker, Ms Jennifer Wang Yuzhen, Mr Tom Wang, Mr Wen Wei#, Mr Timothy Wong, Mr Wong Wing-yip, Ms Millie Wong, Ms Ivy Wong, Ms Maggie Wong, Mr Kenneth Wong, Mr Sam Wong, Mr Eric Wong, Mr Simon Wong, Ms Carrie Wong#, Mr Angus Wong#, Mr Leo Wong#, Mr Dennis Woo, Ms Helen Wu, Ms Elly Yeung, Mr Raymond Yip, Mr Plato Yip, Ms Yuan Shu-wen#, Mr Billy Yuen, Ms Elsie Yuen, Ms Janet Yuen#, Ms Nellie Yuen, Mr Phyllis Yuen, Mr Zhang Yi-ping#

* Board of Governors (June 2008 – June 2009)
# Current staff members




Mr. Edwin Lau
Director, Friends of the Earth (HK)