HONG KONG, April 22, 2013 -- InterContinental Hong Kong is internationally acclaimed for its panoramic views of Victoria Harbour and Hong Kong Island. However there are more and more days each year when the spectacular view is covered in haze, due in great part, to the high air pollution levels.

 

To draw awareness to the air quality issues in our beloved city, InterContinental Hong Kong is partnering with Clean Air Network (CAN) and EarthCheck, with the support of the School of Journalism and Communication of Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) to organise the “BREATHING HONG KONG” VIDEO CONTEST.

 

The Breathing Hong Kong Video Contest launched today, EARTH DAY, at the hotel’s GREEN DAY Event. Video entries are accepted now through June 7th. For details, visit www.breathinghongkong.com

 

As per Jean-Jacques Reibel, Managing Director, InterContinental Hong Kong, “Our hotel has made great strides in our environmental initiatives over the past several years, but there is still more to be accomplished.  As a globally responsible business, we want to promote Green Living not just for our hotel guests and employees, but also within the local community.”

 

At the hotel’s GREEN DAY Event, hotel employees learned more about the hotel’s initiatives and achievements in Green Purchasing, Energy Conservation, Waste Management, Chemical Handling, Sustainable Food & Beverage and Corporate Social Responsibility.

 

Some of the hotel’s community partners also took part, including the New Life Psychiatric Rehabilitation Centre, Clean Air Network (CAN) and Hong Kong Honey.

 

Guest speakers at InterContinental Hong Kong’s Green Day included:

- New Life Psychiatric Rehabilitation Centre CEO Sania Yau spoke about the hotel’s partnership with New Life on food waste  recycling in Hong Kong.

- Hong Kong Honey Founder Michael Leung, Founder, who has helped the hotel set up its unique rooftop beehive,spoke on Urban Bee-keeping in Hong Kong.

- Clean Air Network (CAN) CEO Kwong Sum Yin discussed Hong Kong’s air pollution.

- School of Journalism and Communication, Chinese University of Hong Kong Lecturer

  Chow Pui Ha Carol introduced micro-films produced in association with Clean Air Network to

  launch the hotel’s “Breathing Hong Kong” video contest.

                    

About the “Breathing Hong Kong” video contest:

 

Hong Kong residents can help to promote Clean Air in the city by participating in the “Breathing Hong Kong” video contest. Video submissions can range from 1-3 minutes and can be submitted now through June 7th.

 

The video contest judging criteria are originality, creativity and relevance.  

There is no age limit; however entrants must be HK residents.

Winners of the best videos will receive fabulous InterContinental Hong Kong prizes.

 

For the “Breathing Hong Kong” contest details, please visit: www.breathinghongkong.com

 

The prizes for the top videos:

§    Winner: A 1-night stay in a Junior Harbourview Suite plus a HK$2,500 dining voucher at InterContinental Hong Kong (Total prize value: HK$12,400.)

 

§    1st-runner up: a 1-hour Aroma Massage with 30 minutes’ use of a private spa suite at I-Spa  plus a HK$2,500 InterContinental Hong Kong dining voucher (Total prize value: HK$3,880)

 

§    2nd runner-up: a HK$2,500 InterContinental Hong Kong dining voucher

 

§    Prize for the video with most Facebook “Likes”: HK$1000 InterContinental Hong Kong Dining Voucher                                                                           

 

Winning videos will be aired on the websites and YouTube Channels of CAN, EarthCheck and InterContinental Hong Kong.

 

The winners will be announced on June 24th, with a prize presentation in July. (The exact date will be advised at a later date).

 

Why is InterContinental Hong Kong committed to promoting Green Living in Hong Kong?

 

As a globally responsible business, InterContinental Hong Kong wants to promote Green Living not just for its hotel guests and employees, but also within the local community.

 

InterContinental Hong Kong was one of the first hotels in Hong Kong to participate in the EarthCheck Programme, the world's leading environmental certification and benchmarking platform for the travel and tourism sector.  In 2009, it was the first hotel in Hong Kong to achieve Silver Certification with its environmental management system fully in place. Following five years with Silver Certification, the hotel hopes to achieve Gold Certification this year.

 

Under the guidance of the hotel’s Green Committee, InterContinental Hong Kong focuses on Waste Recycling & Reduction, Energy Savings, Green Purchasing and Environmental Activities.

 

Visit  www.hongkong-ic.intercontinental.com for further information on  InterContinental Hong Kong’s Green Initiatives.

 

About Clean Air Network:

 

Clean Air Network (CAN) is an independent NGO, founded in July 2009, which aims to educate the public about the health impacts of air pollution. CAN serves as a network that brings together and amplifies the voices of individuals, groups and organizations to urge the Hong Kong government to take immediate action to clean our air.  It has become the principal voice for clean air and local media now turns to CAN first when reporting on the city’s chronic air pollution.

www.hongkongcan.org / info@hongkongcan.org

Why is air pollution so dangerous?

Air pollution causes 3,200 premature deaths in average in Hong Kong each year and costs 40 billion in economic losses, according to Hong Kong University’s Hedley Environmental Index.

Roadside pollution poses the biggest threat to human health due to its close proximity to us.         A recent study in Boston found that, on days when concentrations of traffic pollutants went up, a person’s risk of stroke climbed by more than 30 percent. Air pollution can also have chronic, adverse effects on lung development in children from the age of 10 to 18 years, leading to clinically significant deficits in lung function as children reach adulthood.

 

What is the EarthCheck Programme?

 

The EarthCheck programme is an environmental benchmarking and certification programme designed to address the challenges of climate change and improve the environmental performance of both business and community groups. The EarthCheck programme is underpinned by the science and systems developed by the Co-operative Research Centre for Sustainable Tourism in Australia. The EarthCheck company standard is built on the environmental and social principals first developed at the United Nations Rio Earth summit in 1992.  Using a science-based approach, EarthCheck helps the world’s leading companies to address risk, deliver bottom line efficiencies, maximise guest experience and minimise their environmental footprints.  Visit: http://www.earthcheck.org/

 

EC3 Global owns and manages the EarthCheck programme which is now the world's leading environmental certification and benchmarking platform for the travel and tourism sector. EC3 Global is an international, environmental management group with a portfolio of over 1,300 hospitality and travel clients in 73 countries. Visit:http://www.ec3global.com.au/

 

EC3 Global works with its clients to:

• Plan, manage and achieve business, development and marketing objectives;
• Set and achieve sustainability goals with a triple bottom line focus; and
• Implement programmes to achieve these objectives.

 

InterContinental Hong Kong, 18 Salisbury Road, Kowloon, Hong Kong

Tel: + 852 2721 1211 / Fax: +852 2739-4546 / E-mail: hongkong@interconti.com /

Website: www.hongkong-ic.intercontinental.com / www.intercontinental.com

 
 

For a selection of images of the hotel’s harbourview (both with clear and hazy skies), please click here.

 

For further press information, please contact:

Carole L Klein

Director of PR & Communications

InterContinental Hong Kong

Tel: (852) 2313-2335 / Fax: (852) 2721-5964 

E-mail: carole.klein@ihg.com