Hosted by the Government of Macao Special Administrative Region, the 2014 Macao International Environmental Co-operation Forum and Exhibition (2014 MIECF) will be held at the Venetian Macao-Resort-Hotel from 27 to 29 March. The National Development and Reform Commission of the People's Republic of China, the Ministry of Science and Technology of the People's Republic of China and the Ministry of Environmental Protection of the People's Republic of China are the Special Supporting Organisations for this event, with Co-organisers including the governments of the provinces and regions in the Pan-Pearl River Delta. Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute (IPIM) and the Environmental Protection Bureau (DSPA) are the Official Host-Co-ordinators. The theme of this year´s MIECF is "Energising Green Business Growth". Through a series of activities, including business matching, technical visits and Green Public Day, MIECF aims to create green business opportunities for the business community and publicise the concept of "Thinking Green, Going Clean and Living Cool". Environmental Professions Participate in the Green Forum A series of green forums will be held again this year on 27 and 28 March. It will consist of nine brilliant presentations, including two keynote speeches and seven panel discussions, in addition to two seminars. It will be a gathering of pioneers and experts in the environmental field, leaders of multinational environmental companies from around the world, as well as policy-makers in the region, will share their valuable insights and explore the current hot topics related to the environmental sector and promote communication and exchanges between representatives of governments, business concerns and community groups. Keynote speakers this year include Professor Joseph Stiglitz, Professor at the University of Columbia (USA), Recipient of the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences, Former Chief Economist of the World Bank and Honorary Doctor of Social Sciences of the University of Macau, as well as Mr James Jao, President of Long On Group, Senior Expert on Planning, State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs of the People's Republic of China and Steering Member of the United Nations Human Settlement Programme (UN-HABITAT). The theme of their presentations will be, respectively, "A Future of Green Growth: Why Sustainability and Equity Are Crucial for Saving the Environment" and "The Past, Present and the Future of the Chinese Three Star Green Building Rating System". Additionally, for the first time, two green forums will be organised in collaboration with the Ministry of Environmental Protection of the People´s Republic of China and the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA). The topics for discussion are "Ecological Civilisation and the Development of Low-carbon Economy" and "Corporate Social Responsibility and the Visitor Economy". The other five sessions of the Green Forum will focus on the following themes: "Retrofitting for Industrial and Commercial Energy Efficiency – The Business Behind the Change", "Incentives and Innovation behind Sustainable Transportation", "The Future of Smart Building Design – Optimising your Investment", "Water and Wastewater Efficiency Strategies" and "Waste No More – Efficient Way Forward". In the Pan-Pearl River Delta Region Session, the round-table discussion will focus on "Converge of Advantages, Synergistic Development". Leaders of the provinces and regions in the Pan-PRDR will take the opportunity to introduce the environmental industrial parks in their locations and discuss regional co-operation. The theme of the Green Chemical Forum is "Environmental Protection Technology: The Driver for Green Chemical Industry". Representatives of the environmental industry, government agencies and research institutes will exchange their ideas on new environmental technologies, equipment and products, and jointly explore a path suitable for the sustainable development of the petrochemical industry in China. The Green Forum last year was participated by 2,700 visitors. Green Exhibition Offers Ample Business Opportunities The exhibition venue of this year's MIECF covers an area of over 16, 000 square metres comprising of six major areas, namely, energy efficiency, renewable energies, green building, green mobility, waste and water management solutions as well as environmental services, with the objective of creating unlimited business opportunities for the participants and promote green business and technology development. Pavilions in the venue include the Pan-Pearl River Delta Region Pavilion, Europe Pavilion, USA Pavilion, International Pavilion, Macao Pavilion and a Distinguished Exhibitors´ Area, to showcase the characteristics of some leading brands. Three more pavilions will debut this year, namely, the China Environmental Protection Industry Pavilion, Guangdong Municipal Waste Treatment Industry Association Pavilion, Foshan Pavilion and Hsinchu County (Taiwan) Pavilion, to show the environmental technology and products in these areas. Around 400 exhibitors from 20 different countries and regions will present their products and services, including many well-known multi-national enterprises, such as Nam Kwong Natural Gas, PV Vacuum Engineering (from Singapore), Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (from Japan), New Energy, Xin Kan Shun Motors Ltd (Renault Cars), BMW (Macao), Melco Crown Entertainment, Chain Wise (from Taiwan) and Koelnmesse Ptd Ltd. First-time exhibitors include Macao New Environment Research Centre (a subsidiary of Nam Yue Technology Group), Donasonic (from the UK) and the Uniseal Creative Solutions (from Singapore). Products and services to be shown at the exhibition include renewable energies, energy efficiency, energy-saving products, green building services, power management and electric vehicles. During MIECF visitors from the environmental industry as well as the general public will have the opportunity to have test rides on electric vehicle with vehicles provided by Renault Twizy and Zhuhai Guangtong Automobile Co Ltd. Free Wifi access is available in all exhibition area and forum venues. Series of activities to promote co-operation Building on the experience of previous MIECF's, the Organiser will continue with the following activities: (1) Green Matching, to assist enterprises from around the world to promote their products and services and seek business co-operation and opportunities, (2) Hosted Buyer Programme, under which, buyers recommended by the exhibitors, or key buyers or large project developers identified through different channels, are invited to visit MIECF and business matching sessions will be arranged for them. (3) Setting-up of a Green Hotel Procurement Area, which is available for on-site procurement by local large and renowned environmentally-friendly hotels. (4) Several government departments, public sectors and public schools will participate in procurement negotiations. (5) Seminars and presentations, where exhibitors will promote their products and services to trade visitors. (6) Green Business Networking Cocktail Receptions, to provide platforms for the chambers of commerce and business associations to interact with the trade promotion agencies and organisations. (7) Green Gala Dinner, offering plenty of opportunities for the guests to build their contact networks. In the 3-day event last year 41 co-operation agreements were signed, a demonstration that MIECF has become a successful green platform to promote the development of the green industry and technology. Many co-operation agreements previously signed have been implemented. Public Participation and the Sharing of the Living Cool Experience The last day of the 2014 MIECF (March 29) has been designated as the Green Public Day, under the theme: "Reduce the Use of Plastic Bags to Make Our City Greener". In addition to visiting the exhibition, visitors can learn about the latest trends in environmental protection and participate in a series of related parent-child activities, such as Green Workshop and games. The "Green Living Station" on Green Public Day will, for the first time, be open to companies outside Macao. Green lifestyle products, such as personal care products, energy saving electrical appliances and drinking water purification equipment will be available for sale. Green Public Day aims to spread the concept of green and low-carbon living and promote green consumption. The Green Public Day last year registered 34,000 visitors the exhibition, who also did some shopping and other related activities. According to statistics, since its inception in 2008, there has been constant rise in exhibition data and improvements in all areas, to fully reflect that MIECF has steadily developed into an important exchange platform between the environmental industry in the Pan-Pearl River Delta Region and their counterparts abroad, while carrying on its mission to promote the development of green economy and technology, in line with the positioning of Macao as a World Tourism and Leisure Centre.
