“Hang Lung Green LEEDers” Program
Hang Lung Properties Limited
More than 500 youngsters have participated in the program over the past 3 years. A total of more than 200 of Hang Lung’s volunteers have taken part as tutors throughout the learning process
INTRODUCTION
As a top-tier property developer operating in Hong Kong and mainland China, Hang Lung has a strategic business model, summed up as “building to own and building to last”, which encapsulates the ethos that the Company strictly adheres to as it designs, constructs and operates its properties. In living up to this model, it has been Hang Lung’s consistent aim to fully align the standards of its buildings with international best practices, and in particular to attain the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) gold certification, issued by the U.S. Green Building Council. In an initiative echoing the Company’s successes in attaining the LEED gold rating for all its new projects in mainland China, the “Hang Lung Green LEEDers” program was launched in 2012. With the goal of raising the environmental awareness of the younger generation, a series of environmental education activities was organized using the 4 letters in “LEED” to signify the four themes of the program, namely Low-carbon living, Eco-experience, Energy saving and Diversion of waste. This approach has shown to be an effective means of spreading the environmental message to youngsters in an interactive and innovative manner.
FRAMEWORK AND STRATEGY
By partnering with a broad range of green groups, a diversified variety of fun-filled and informative activities has been skilfully designed to enable young people to learn and understand more about the multiple environmental issues the world is facing. These activities include site visits, eco-outings, talks, games and competitions. The program’s participants should be prepared to attend all four green workshops over the year in order to acquire a comprehensive and fully up-to-date understanding of green topics. A specially-prepared booklet is distributed to every participant, complete with learning goals and tips as well as quizzes designed to stimulate their interest. A certificate is presented to all participants upon completion of the program as an acknowledgement of their efforts to understand and embrace the world of green living.Hang Lung fully lives up to its business philosophy – We Do It Right – and thus, as well as focusing on building world-class and sustainable properties, the Company is dedicated to fulfilling its corporate social responsibilities in the communities where it operates. With its more than 50 years of experience in the property development market, Hang Lung shares in the program its expertise in green building design and the green measures implemented in the daily operations of its projects. Staff volunteers are well qualified to serve as tutors in sharing with young people their on-the-job experiences and their personal experiences of green living.
ACHIEVEMENT AND IMPACT
In the past 3 years, the program has successfully educated over 500 youngsters in Hong Kong and mainland China on effective ways to help save the earth and also to influence their peers into adopting a green lifestyle. Since the launch of the program, more than 200 Hang Lung staff volunteers have been recruited who have contributed at least 3,000 service hours. They have played an important role in guiding, educating and assisting the younger generation in completing their tasks and their learning process. Volunteers have also acquired a wealth of useful advice on low-carbon living which they have passed on to the youngsters.The program has proved highly effective in nurturing young green leaders through its comprehensive structure and with the help of reputable green group partners. It has attracted an excellent response and positive feedback from various sectors of the community including not just youth and green groups but also schools and NGOs.
FUTURE DIRECTION
As a prominent property developer in Hong Kong and the Mainland, Hang Lung naturally takes very seriously its responsibilities, in particular those regarding the promotion of green living, through this annual signature sustainability initiative, the Green LEEDers program. The year 2015 is the fourth year of the program and Hang Lung is committed to designing additional in-depth and interactive activities in order to promote still more effectively to the younger generation the green messages as well as the latest information about environmental protection. Hang Lung will spare no effort in continuing to engage with more young people, green and NGO partners, increasing both the number of participants in the program and its scope, thereby maximizing its impact and enhancing the value it creates in the community at large.
Hang Lung Properties Limited, a constituent stock of the Hang Seng Index and Hang Seng Corporate Sustainability Indices, is a leading real estate developer in Hong Kong and mainland China. Boasting a diversified portfolio of investment properties, the Company has progressively branched out into the Mainland since the 1990s, building, owning and managing world-class commercial complexes in key cities that have earned international acclaim for exceptional quality of architectural design, services and sustainable features.
