features
I
t’s a cool and damp Thursday
afternoon in Chai Wan, but to the
relief of teachers, staff and students
at the French International School,
the rain is holding off for now. From
the front playground to the basketball
court to the covered cafeteria area, the
primary campus buzzes with purpose.
Everyone’s preparing for the school’s
inaugural Sustainable Development Fair,
an evening of entertainment, activity
and information. There are student-run
booths to enlighten folks about Hong
Kong landfills, plastic rubbish in the
oceans and how to make ‘trashion’.
There are outside professionals to offer
tips on microgreens, endangered wildlife
and eco-conscious products. There are
student musicians warming up for the
talent show, and this being FIS, there are
crepes and raclette.
The gracious, refurbished setting is a
perfect backdrop for an evening devoted
to environmental awareness. Formerly
a monastery, the Chai Wan campus
of the French-stream primary school
opened in 2011, after an extensive and
carefully planned renovation. The thick
stone walls have been preserved and
the airy vaulted ceilings brought back
to life. The main entrance leads you
through what was formerly the chapel
where the clerestory windows have
even been saved. It’s a green-award-
winning, unique-for-Hong-Kong setting,
surrounded on all sides by the territory’s
pervasive and uninspiring housing
estates.
But in what might seem like a
privileged locale, students, teachers and
parents are learning about issues that
affect every level of society. And in spite
of the globe’s widespread environmental
problems, the mood here is positive,
encouraging and determined. By
focusing on everyday problems like food
waste and plastic rubbish, FIS students
are not only raising awareness but
producing concrete results.
On a larger scale, the territory as
a whole can also boast of some key
eco-accomplishments for 2018, most
notably the recent Legislative Council
vote to ban