“UNIfy: BYO” – Joint campaign by eight universities to reduce disposable waste

Abstract

“UNIfy: BYO” – Joint campaign by eight universities to reduce disposable waste 11-03-2019 (Issued on behalf of the Hong Kong Sustainable Campus Consortium)

With the success of the “UNIfy: Skip the Straw” campaign last year, eight UGC-funded universities will launch a “UNIfy:BYO” campaign on March 11, 2019 to reduce disposable waste.

The Campaign signifies the joint efforts of City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Baptist University, Lingnan University, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, The Education University of Hong Kong, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, and The University of Hong Kong to reduce disposable waste.

This year, the BYO campaign is focused on the concept of “bring your own” where students and staff at all universities are encouraged to bring their own reusable items, whether it’s a bag, bottle or container, when purchasing food and other items on campus. The campaign hopes to reduce the use of disposable items and create a culture of using reusables across Hong Kong campuses.

During the week of March 11-17, campus catering outlets and retailers will offer discounts of up to 50% for those who bring their own reusable containers to encourage the concept. Other activities include film screenings, photography exhibits, and markets all around the theme of bringing your own reusable items and reducing disposable waste.

Each university also nominated a student ambassador for the campaign to serve as a leader to their fellow students. The ambassadors will offer tips on how to easily BYO in daily student life and encourage their peers to join the campaign.

“Following the success of our “UNIfy: Skip the Straw” campaign last year, I am excited that we are again joining together to encourage our campus communities to bring their own reusable items” said Dr. Steven J Cannon, Executive Vice-President (Administration & Finance) at the University of Hong Kong, the Convenor of the 2019 Hong Kong Sustainable Campus Consortium. “Working together we can make a significant impact to reduce waste and create a culture of sustainability in the higher education sector.”

The campaign is supported and organised by the Hong Kong Sustainable Campus Consortium (HKSCC), a platform for higher education institutions in Hong Kong to promote knowledge exchange and discussion towards a sustainable future.

The group’s “UNIfy: Skip the Straw” campaign in 2018 focused on reducing single-use plastic straws, which led to an estimated over 76,000 disposable straws being saved from landfills during the week.

For more details about the 2019 campaign, please visit: http://www.hkscc.edu.hk/activities/byo2019

UNIfy: BYO Campaign’s promotional video: https://youtu.be/lwYiTFwKheU

UNIfy: BYO Campaign

UNIfy: BYO Campaign For media enquiries, please contact: Ms. Mei Chan Tel: 2616 7412 Email: meichan@ln.edu.hk Ms. Maegan Cowan Tel: 2219 4010 Email: mfcowan@hku.hk