Bulletin No. 1, 2016

What a University Can Do about Climate Change 19 ast year, two students of Wu Yee Sun College of CUHK, Arthur Yeung (below middle) and Natalie Chung (below left) teamed up with a student from another university and joined the Hong Kong Tertiary Schools COP21 Challenge. Competitors were requested to present a proposal with a solution to one of the environmental issues related to climate change. The team then came up with the idea of hosting an online platform to promote local travel. ‘The name of our online platform “V’air” suggests its objective—to promote a greener alternative for frequent air-travelers, as “V” stands for “vert”, which means “green” in French,’ said Arthur, a Geography and Resource Management (GRM) major. The ‘V’air’ website encourages everyone to post local tour itineraries and photos of hidden gems in Hong Kong. ‘Travel lovers may come to understand they could enjoy the best vacation experience without flying abroad’, Natalie, also a GRM major, remarked. Their creative idea was awarded the first prize at the competition. But in what ways is travelling locally ‘greener’ than overseas trips? Here comes the data—The amount of CO 2 emission for a returned flight from Hong Kong to Japan is about 0.5 tonne, the same amount of emission for leaving a light bulb on for six months. Air travels can take up to more than half (55.4%) of the annual carbon emissions of an average Hong Kong resident, according to a survey of the World Wild Fund for Nature (WWF). To make local travel more appealing, the V’air team has designed and posted many exciting eco-travel itineraries on their website for travelers of all ages. If you don’t want to spend hours sitting on the bus just to end up at one spot, try their one-day or overnight tour suggestions. ‘We’ll tell you where to stop by a local cafe or restaurant before reaching your final destination. In doing so, you’d also be supporting the sustainable development of local communities’, said Arthur. Their story has been widely covered by the media. Lui Wai-shan (below right), from the same College and a student of Chinese Language and Literature, decided to become part of this meaningful project after watching a TV programme about the team. She is now editor and travel writer for V’air, and at the same time, learning more about the eco- values of places she visits. The team has also been receiving phone-calls and e-mails from NGOs and individuals, eager to offer them more information on ecotourism. ‘We hope that in the future, our website will become a popular and resourceful online platform to facilitate eco-travel in Hong Kong’, said Arthur. Perhaps it wouldn’t take too long for frequent flyers to realize that the grass is not necessarily greener on the other side—travelling green and locally may become the next ‘cool’ trend for all adventure- seeking inhabitants on our warming planet. We hope that our website will become a popular and resourceful online platform to facilitate eco-travel in Hong Kong. L