Event: Hong Kong Association of Property Management Companies Seminar 2013 (17 Oct 2013)

Event Date: 17 Oct 2013 
Venue: Theatre 2, Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, 1 Expo Drive, Wanchai, Hong Kong 
Contact: Ms Crystal Lee Email: crystal.lee@creativegp.com 
Telephone: 3159 2900 Website: http://www.hkapmc.org.hk/hkapmc_seminar2013/web/b5/index.html

Business Environment Council is pleased to be a supporting organisation of Hong Kong Association of Property Management Companies Seminar (HKAPMC) 2013 which is organised by Hong Kong Association of Property Management Companies.
About the Seminar
HKAPMC Seminar is one of the significant events of the year. The seminar aims to provide a valuable opportunity for the professionals and the public to learn about the property management in different aspects and also to serve as a platform for industry stakeholders to exchange views. The organiser invites prominent speakers come from Hong Kong, Guangzhou, Fujian, Taiwan and Macau of different professions to deliver their speech at the seminar.
For the details of the seminar, please visit here (Chinese version only).

- See more at: http://bec.org.hk/events-current/hong-kong-association-of-property-management-companies-seminar-hkapmc-2013#sthash.JvvyuURH.dpuf

more information: http://bec.org.hk/events-current/hong-kong-association-of-property-management-companies-seminar-hkapmc-2013

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Chinese update: Ecological safety urged for sustainable development (2 Oct 2013)

Ecological safety urged for sustainable development

Xinhua, October 2, 2013 (China.org.cn)

Legislation, innovation and cooperation are needed to ensure environmental protection and sustainable development in the current environmental crisis, according to analysts.

Climate change, deforestation, maritime pollution, desertification, extreme weather, and human economic activities pose serious threats to human survival, aggravate regional poverty and can result in social instability, said Jiang Mingjun, president of the International Ecological Safety Collaborative Organization.

It is necessary to push forward environmental protection legislation to crack down on illegal pollution and integrate "ecological safety" into the long-term development strategy of the country, said Jiang at a recent international forum on ecological safety in Xi'an, capital of northwest China's Shaanxi Province.

He suggested a special committee be set up to lead ecological safety efforts and that the public be more active in participating in eco-friendly activities, such as choosing public transit over cars.

As air and water pollution have become top concerns for the public, increased attention has been given to environmental protection worldwide.

China's Ministry of Environmental Protection said last month that it will finish designating the country's ecologically sensitive and vulnerable areas and protected zones before the end of next year in order to promote the sustainable development of the economy and society.

China has strengthened its efforts in protecting bio-diversity and treating pollution in recent years, according to Li Ganjie, vice minister of environmental protection.

To achieve an advanced eco-friendly economy, low-carbon and recycling industries should occupy a large share of total economic activities, said the official.

Recycling industries should be adopted to transform traditional industries, said Wu Jisong, director of the China Recycling Economy Research Center. The green economy should be supported by knowledge and technology, he added.

Enterprises should play a major role in innovation and fulfill their social responsibilities in building an ecologically sound economy, said Zhang Baoxin, a senior official with the Office of the Three Gorges Project Construction Committee of China's State Council.

Some companies seek profits while damaging the local environment. Lessons should be drawn from the past model of growth, in which the economy grew at the expense of environmental protection, and strict legal mechanisms should be established to force enterprises to carry out their social responsibilities, according to Zhang.

Trans-regional pollution, such as pollution that travels from the upper reaches of a river to affect residents downstream, has become common in many areas in the wake of economic development.

An eco-compensation mechanism should be promoted to handle the trans-regional pollution problem, said analysts.

Eco-compensation systems should be improved through regulations, laws, the role of the market and participation of the public, said Zhang Huiyua, a researcher with Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences.

source: http://www.china.org.cn/environment/2013-10/02/content_30189255.htm

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Chinese Update: China to issue air pollution warnings in Beijing, Tianjin (2 Oct 2013)

China to issue air pollution warnings in Beijing, Tianjin

Xinhua, October 2, 2013 (China.org.cn)

China plans to pilot an air quality warning system in the heavily-polluted cities of Beijing, Tianjin and surrounding areas next month amid the country's increasing efforts to tackle the much-concerned problem.

A man walks on a smog-shrouded road in Beijing on Sept. 29. [Photo/Xinhua]

China Meteorological Administration and the Ministry of Environmental Protection has jointly released the plan that put the alert system at three levels -- I being the highest and III the lowest.

When the air quality index is set to go beyond 500, a level I warning will issued, and level II and III are for the index to be at between 300 to 500, 200 to 300, respectively, for three consecutive days.

The plan came as China has been under growing pressure to address the causes of air pollution after heavy smog smothered large swathes of the country early this year.

The government aims to cut the density of inhalable particulate matter by at least 10 percent in major cities nationwide by 2017.

PM 2.5, a key indicator of air pollution, should fall by about 25 percent from 2012 levels in Beijing and surrounding provincial areas by 2017, according to a recent government plan.

source: http://www.china.org.cn/environment/2013-10/02/content_30188790.htm

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Chinese Update: 5 cities barred from water-polluting projects (1 Oct 2013)

5 cities barred from water-polluting projects

Xinhua, October 1, 2013 (China.org.cn)

New projects that risk causing water pollution will not be approved in counties and districts of five Chinese cities after they failed to meet pollution control targets, a spokesman with the Ministry of Environmental Protection said on Monday.

The districts and counties of cities of Siping, Hefei, Liu'an, and Kunming as well as Enshi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture have failed to meet the standards set in a five-year water pollution control guideline released in 2012.

The decision to call off such projects was made after the ministry evaluated the implementation of two water pollution control guidelines that cover China's major drainage areas including the Yangtze River and Yellow River.

Under the plans, the Chinese government will allocate 500 billion yuan (82 billion U.S. dollars) for prevention and control of water pollution in major drainage areas from 2011 to 2015, up from 300 billion yuan for the previous five-year period.

The water pollution situation remains "grave," the ministry spokesman said, adding that the implementation of some pollution control projects was not efficient enough and there was widespread pollution in rural areas.

Cities' pollution control efforts are hampered by the shortage and poor use of wastewater treatment facilities, he added.

China unveiled the 2011-2015 guideline on fighting water pollution in 2012, setting the goal that 60 percent of the country's major rivers and lakes should be clean enough to be sources of drinking water supply by the end of 2015.

source: http://www.china.org.cn/environment/2013-10/01/content_30183780.htm

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HK's Updates: Landfill leak data to go online (2 Oc 2013)

Landfill leak data to go online

October 02, 2013

The Government will post information on the Kong Yiu River's water quality on a website starting from October 4, following a leachate lagoon leak at the North East New Territories Landfill in Ta Kwu Ling, Secretary for the Environment KS Wong says.

He told reporters the Government hopes the move will increase transparency, strengthen communication with the local community, and ease public worries.

He said the Government is concerned about the leak, and is monitoring the situation around the landfill. The river's water quality has been improving, he added.

The Environmental Protection Department is now considering legal action against the contractor.

source: http://www.news.gov.hk/en/categories/environment/html/2013/10/20131002_140938.shtml

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Hk's Updates: Converter subsidy to end ( 1 Oct 2013)

Converter subsidy to end

October 01, 2013

The Environmental Protection Department has urged owners of Toyota LPG taxis manufactured in 2002 or before, and minibuses manufactured in 2007 or before, to apply for the subsidy to replace catalytic converters and oxygen sensors of petrol and liquefied petroleum gas taxis and minibuses before October 14.

Applications should be submitted at designated vehicle repair workshops.

More than 60% of the vehicles' owners have applied for the subsidy. Part replacement started today and will be completed by December 31.

At present, 80% and 45% of LPG taxi and minibus catalytic converters have worn out, causing excessive emissions. Replacement of these converters can reduce vehicle emissions by 90%.

To improve roadside air quality, starting from next April, the department will use roadside remote sensing equipment to monitor excessive emissions of petrol and LPG vehicles.

Vehicles found with excessive emissions will be required to pass an advanced emissions test with the aid of a chassis dynamometer, or the vehicle licence will be cancelled.

source: http://www.news.gov.hk/en/categories/environment/html/2013/10/20131002_140938.shtml

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