features
by an eco-conscious school board
president, Leung has seen firsthand how
something as simple as a school garden
can change young people’s attitudes
about the environment.
“One time we were looking at worm
compost,” Leung explains, “and holding
some worms in hand. Some students
had never touched a worm, some are
really scared, but some are like, ‘Actually
it’s not that scary anymore, can I have
more?’ Also, by seeing how slowly food
grows, they realise, ‘Oh, maybe we
should appreciate food as a resource.’”
Leung said that beach clean-ups and
school talks about ocean plastics also
help students to visualise the severity of
the world’s rubbish problem. “In January,
we engaged the students in activities
and talks for one whole week, and I feel
that they were very struck by the plastic
pollution problem because they were
shown how plastic damages animals –
turtles eating straws, etc. The feedback
from kids and from parents was that the
kids were talking about plastic bottles
and saying, ‘Dad, we cannot buy plastic
bottles anymore or we should not be
using straws.’”
She explained that even though the
plastic problem appears enormous,
the students generally reacted with
positivity and purpose. “When we
do the beach clean-ups and sort the
rubbish, the students realise, ‘Oh, this
is all related to our daily lives.’ And so
they feel it’s not a problem that’s so
unmanageable if we all do something
– for example using reusable instead of
single-use. I think that empowers them
and gives them some hope.”
Awareness through hands-on
learning is also a core principle at the
World Wildlife Fund’s two Hong Kong
educational centres: the Mai Po Nature
Reserve and Hoi Ha Wan Marine Park.
“When we are designing a
programme one of the key parts is to
Hong Kong continues to benefit from its plastic
bag levy. An amazing statistic from the scheme’s
first year: a simple charge of 50c per plastic bag
reduced usage by 90 percent
let the kids have direct contact with
nature and wildlife because this really
affects them emotionally,” says Lily Lam,
WWF education officer and tour leader.
“It’s not just us telling them facts about
environmental problems. It’s always
fascinating when they can meet wildlife,
and they feel happy when they discover
new things.”
Like Julia Leung, Lam is an
open water diver whose interest in
the environment was sparked by a
snorkelling trip. She has plenty of stories
of seemingly apathetic youngsters
who’ve come to her for a nature tour
or bird-watching camp only to be
transformed by their experiences. One
of WWF’s current projects – Sea For
Future – brings together secondary
students with local fishermen. Lam said
the exchanges open students’ eyes
to the realities of life as a fisherman.
After learning more about each other,
the different groups can begin to work
together on conservation projects,
such as WWF’s goal of increasing the
percentage of Marine Protected Areas
(MPAs) in Hong Kong from 1.5 percent to
10 percent by 2020.
WWF HK calls their MPA plan a
‘smart investment in ocean health’. One
that will benefit commercial fishermen
April 2018
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