HKUST(GZ) holds kick-off seminar for campus sustainability program
The kick-off seminar for HKUST(GZ)'s sustainability program was held on Dec 19, 2024. A total of over 100 people participated in this seminar, including Professor Lionel NI, President of HKUST(GZ), Professor Ting Chuen PONG, Vice-President (Administration & Business) and Chair of the Sustainability Steering Committee at HKUST(GZ), Professor Joseph Kai Cho KWAN, Associate Vice-President for Coordination and Laboratory Safety and Acting Director of Sustainability Office at HKUST(GZ), Professor Ye QI, Acting Dean of Social Hub and member of the Sustainability Steering Committee at HKUST(GZ), as well as other members of the Sustainability Steering Committee, relevant colleagues from the Sustainability/Net-Zero Office of HKUST, colleagues from relevant departments of HKUST(GZ), and representatives of both teachers and students.
The seminar introduced the newly established HKUST(GZ) Sustainability Steering Committee and featured keynotes by special guests and panel discussions, focusing on sharing expertise and innovative sustainability ideas. The seminar aimed to raise the awareness of both the teachers and students on the importance of campus sustainability, and encourage all participants to actively practice and jointly build a more sustainable HKUST(GZ).
Prof. Lionel NI emphasized in the opening remarks that confronted with many challenges nowadays, sustainable development has become an important topic of the State and even the globe. Playing a key role in developing future leaders, universities must integrate the concept of sustainable development into every aspect of education, scientific research, and campus operation. He hoped that the graduates from HKUST(GZ) could impact the community, the State, and even the globe with excellent academic achievements and the culture of sustainability, contributing their unique value and strength.
As the Vice-President (Administration & Business) and Chair of the Sustainability Steering Committee at HKUST(GZ), Prof. Ting Chuen PONG introduced the structure, objectives, and committee members. The committee is committed to integrating sustainable development practices into campus operations, education, research, and public services by developing strategies and policies. The committee has five working groups, focusing on data collection, education and teaching, green laboratories, living practices, and health, respectively, to promote sustainable development in an all-round way.
Two industrial experts were invited to give keynote speeches at this seminar, sharing their profound insights on sustainable development.
Calvin KWAN, Managing Director of Sustainability and Risk Governance of Link Asset Management Limited, emphasized the importance of academia-corporate cooperation in his speech Sustainability in Action: A Blueprint for Academia-Corporate Synergy and discussed how to overcome the gap between both sides and realize the docking from research to policy, and from concept to action.
Loretta LUK, manager of the Sustainability/Net-Zero Office of HKUST, shared the past, present, and future planning of HKUST in her speech on HKUST's Journey Towards Sustainability: Past, Present, Future. She specifically introduced how HKUST promoted sustainable development of the campus through campus operational transformation, educational engagement, research integration, and external collaboration.
Prof. Ye QI, Acting Dean of Social Hub and member of the Sustainability Steering Committee at HKUST(GZ), presided over panel discussions, making in-depth discussions with Prof. Ting Chuen PONG, Chair of the Sustainability Steering Committee, Calvin KWAN, the guest speaker and Loretta LUK on how to promote sustainable development of HKUST(GZ). The teachers and students actively participated in the seminar to jointly discuss the challenges faced by HKUST(GZ) as an emerging university and the coping strategies and directions for future cooperation.
In the summary speech, Prof. Joseph Kai Cho KWAN, Associate Vice-President for Coordination and Laboratory Safety and Acting Director of the Sustainability Office at HKUST(GZ), pointed out that the university's sustainable development required everyone to work together. He encouraged everyone to actively participate in creating a culture of sustainable development by integrating the principles and practices of sustainable development into the university's research, education, and operations. This approach empowers the students and faculties to become guardians of a sustainable future, driving broader positive changes.
With the successful conclusion of this launching seminar, HKUST(GZ) demonstrated its firm commitment and positive actions toward sustainable development. By bringing together the wisdom of experts and scholars on and off the campus and stimulating the enthusiasm of both the teachers and students, a solid foundation for the sustainable development of the campus will be laid, while also marking an essential step in cultivating leaders with a global vision and a sense of social responsibility.
HKUST(GZ) is set to continue to be devoted to making the concept of sustainable development deeply rooted in the campus culture and become a model of sustainable development education through collective efforts and wisdom, leading the new trend of future education.
