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In order to show support for Earth Hour 2012 and arouse the awareness of the general public regarding Earth Hour, Year 3 students of Tourism Event Management at the Institute for Tourism Studies (IFT) organised a flash mob on Saturday 31 March 2012at 8:30pm and 9:00pm at the Ruins of St. Paul's and St. Dominic's Church respectively. A Flash Mob is a pre-choreographed dance or movement that is performed as a large group in a predetermined public space. The 5-minute dance began with two dancers 'battling with' each other, then quickly spread and disappear among the crowd, bringing a dramatic dancing performance to the public. The dance and music attracted lots of tourists and citizens and they were excited to watch the performance. There are a series of events under "2012 Love Never Dies". "Love．Light Up", a photo competition to share and leave your fervent love in the dark. "Love． Experience" blind dinner, a dinner for you to experience what it is like to dine in the dark and live with blind eyes. For more information, please do not hesitate to contact Mr. Wong at 6623-8909 or Ms. Zhan at 6211-7153 and follow us on facebook: 2012 Love Never Dies. The proceeds of the event after administration cost will be donated to ORBIS Macau and Caritas Macau for charity.
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The third day of the 2012 Macao International Environmental Co-operation Forum and Exhibition (2012MIECF) was designated as Green Public Day. Four models of ecological cars were offered for test drive by the public. Said activity has attracted both local residents and tourists to experience for themselves the characteristics of those cars. Many feel that this is a rare opportunity to experience an innovative technology. Four models of ecological cars were offered for test drive, including, Mitsubishi´s MiEV and Minicab MiEV, 2 units of Segway´s 2-wheel electric car, and a pure aerodynamic experimental car. Mitsubishi´s Minicab MiEV is exhibiting for the first time outside Japan. Both Minicab MiEV and MiEV uses the same technology, engine and battery, but with different designs, in the form of commercial trucks and family cars, respectively. Their maximum speed is 130 km per hour, and both can use domestic power supply for charging, needing about 7 hours for a full charge. If combined with a fast charging system, only half an hour will be required to fill 80% of the required power. Miss Vong, who went for a test ride in a Minicab MiEV, said she was happy with the experience, as the inside is comfortable, the acceleration is stable, with little vibration and produces less noise than conventional cars. She said that she would consider using electric cars only if Macao had sufficient charging station and repair and maintenance technology, and stated that price is just a minor consideration. The advantage of Segway´s one-passenger standing electric vehicle is that it is able to save parking space and reduces carbon emissions. Maximum speed is about 20 km. Segway is also suitable for disabled people needing prostheses to walk. After testing the vehicle, Miss Fan said that she finds it interesting and that is easy to control. Another car offered for test ride is a pure aerodynamic experimental car, which uses compressed air as power source, requiring no fuel or battery to operate. After compressed, the air is store in a compressed air tank. Through compressed air power, the cylinder of the engine pushes the piston-driven engine to run. Inflating time is about 5 minutes, and 65 litres of high-pressure air can travel about 50 km. Respective running energy cost is similar to that electric cars. Mr. Chan, who has taken a test drive in the said car, thinks the, like conventional cars, the aerodynamic car also produces engine noise and vibration.
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Macao International Environmental Co-operation Forum & Exhibition 2012 (2012MIECF) was satisfactorily concluded yesterday. The event has gathered about 400 enterprises in the environmental field. Most exhibitors feel that there is a huge potential market in Macao and that MIECF, while providing an opportunity for the participants to promote their innovative environment-friendly products, to explore business opportunities and develop new markets, is also an exchange platform for exhibitors to share their experiences and broaden their vision. Energy conservation is a global trend. MIECF displayed a wide range of environmental and energy saving products. Inflector (Asia) Ltd., which is participating for the first time, intends to introduce to the public its insulation curtain, with energy-saving features. Said curtain, which uses the same insulating material that is used by the U. S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in their spacecrafts, can effectively block out about 70% of solar heat, and also prevents cool air from air-conditioning from flowing outdoor, thus reducing domestic air-conditioning expenses. According to its business manager, Mr. Cheong Man Long, during the MIECF, several enterprises from Mainland China and abroad have already expressed their interest in that product, including investors from Egypt, and therefore he believes that there will be further room for cooperation. At the European Pavilion, Envac, from Sweden, exhibited an automatic garbage collection system. Said system uses the vacuum cleaner operation principle and technology to automatically convey garbage through the underground pipe network. This helps to improve the urban environment and reduce manpower and fuel costs required for garbage collection. At present, the system is being used for garbage collection in the Areia Preta District in Macao. Mr. Lei Iat Fai, business manager of Seng Yeong Ltd. said that he intends to use the MIECF to assist in the promotion of the said environmental technology, to increase public awareness and acceptance. Besides, he also hopes to use the MIECF´s professional platform to meet environmental enterprises engaged in the downstream waste disposal processing, and also to identify potential partners to jointly carry out research in garbage classification and recycling. Another exhibitor, Lifa Air Ltd., from the Netherlands, is optimistic about Macao´s market prospects for indoor air treatment technology and is looking for business opportunities at the MIECF. The company´s representative, Mr. Lei Siu Peng said that although the market in Macao is not big, but there are still many opportunities that are still untapped. In fact, he considers that the air treatment technology should be disseminated to the public. He said that there is a need to improve the quality of the air in Macao, and therefore he wishes to strengthen publicity through the MIECF. He also disclosed that that through the business matching arranged by the Host Co-ordinators, he has already contacted ten potential clients, and agrees that the results this year are better than the past editions of the MIECF.
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The third day of the 2012 Macao International Environmental Co-operation Forum & Exhibition (2012MIECF) was designated "Green Public Day", with free admission. A series of environmental and parent-child activities were arranged to promote environmental protection, featuring a number of exciting performances, to increase the festive atmosphere in the venue. The event received very enthusiastic response from the public and many parents brought along their children to avail of the opportunity to educate the next generation on the importance of environmental protection. This year´s theme for the Green Public Day is "Environmental Protection – A Way of Life and an Attitude". Several activities were held concurrently, including the parent-child game booths, entitled "Recycle – Better Later Than Never" and "Green Rotating Match", where people draw a list of items, divide them into different classifications and then point out whether they are suitable for recycling. If a wrong answer is given, the staff at the venue will assist in providing the right answer and explain the reason. The other game aims to explain to residents ways to reduce noise pollution and waste reduction at source, and also about green transport and eco-conservation methods. The Environmental Protection Workshop provided an opportunity for participants to personally hand-made environmental-friendly photo frames and pen holders, using materials recycled from the "Green Fun" recycling plan. Government departments have also installed a booth where residents could apply to become "Green Fun" members, to jointly support environmental protection. In addition, participants may also write their wishes on recycled bottles, and have them hung at Environmental Wishing Tree. On the other hand, the fuel-saving drivers´ activities explain to the public on how to save as much fuel as possible. In order to increase the excitement and festive atmosphere of the venue, a series of stage performances has been arranged, including singing and dancing, magic shows and inter-active games. The event attracted many visitors, who brought along their children. Besides, several schools also organized their students to visit the MIECF, to increase students´ environmental knowledge and awareness.
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Hosted by the Government of the Macao Special Administrative Region, the 2012 Macao International Environmental Co-operation Forum & Exhibition (2012MIECF) was satisfactory concluded today (March 31). Total number of visitors to the 3-day event exceeded 8500, of which 6400 were professional visitors. Today is designated as "Green Public Day" and over 2000 persons visited the venue. A total of 35 cooperation documents were signed, to further reinforce MIECF´s role as a green platform to boost green business and technology development. Macao Trade and Investment and Promotion Institute (IPIM) and Environmental Protection Bureau (DSPA) are the Host Co-ordinators for the event. This year´s edition of the MIECF adopted the theme "Green Economy – New Engine New Growth", to promote the "Thinking Green, Going Clean, Living Cool" spirit. A total of 703 environmental projects from more than twenty countries and regions were received, up 13% from last year. 702 business matching sessions were held, an 22.3% increase when compared with last year, including 362 sessions relating to green hotel procurement, as well as 92 business matching sessions participated by government agencies, with 9 local government departments participating in procurement matchings. During the 3-day event, 35 cooperation documents were signed, up 13.0% from last year. 62% of the signing parties were from Macau, and the rest from Mainland China, Hong Kong, the Netherlands, Brazil and various countries and regions, involving products and services such as cooperation in environmental technology, waste recovery and recycling, manufacture and sale of environmental products, energy conservation projects, transformation of electric vehicles, eco-tourism, education and training, as well as other sectors and fields. This demonstrates the effective role played by the MIECF as a platform for the promotion of exchanges between companies in the environmental field, not only from the neighbouring regions, but from other parts of the world as well. The Executive Director of Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute(IPIM), Mrs. Irene K. V. Lau said that, in view of the current world´s focus regarding environmental issues, after five years of continuously development, MIECF has reached a new level, both in scale and influence. She added that various countries and regions around the globe participate in this edition of the MIECF, and this will be positive for the projection of the international status of Macao in the field of environmental protection. Besides, Host Co-ordinators have endeavoured to improve the quality of the event, especially in the business matching aspect and many exhibitors have reflected their positive feedbacks on those improvements, namely the business matching with the right counter-parties, as well as in efficiency and quality. The international level of this edition of the MIECF has also been improved, with the participation of 398 companies and organizations, from 28 countries and regions as exhibitors, a 20% increase in relation to the past edition. Enterprises from Thailand, Cambodia and Nigeria participated in the MIECF for the first time. Also, many internationally renowned enterprises displayed their latest products and advanced technology giving the environmental industry operators an opportunity to avail of the MIECF platform to explore the latest trends of the environmental protection industry in the world market.
In addition to the exhibition and business matching activities, a series of green forums were held concurrently, having invited a number of international pioneers in the environmental field as keynote speakers, including Mr. Andrew Bowerbank, Council Member of GMF of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, who was the keynote speaker at the opening ceremony. In his speech, Mr. Bowerbank stressed that architecture and climate change are closely related and that it would be necessary for our generation to make changes, by improving and making good use of green building. Mr. Bowerbank also introduced some new concepts, including bionics, "vertical farms" and synthetic biology, among others.
Another keynote speaker, Mr. Chris Zijdeveld, President of "Dutch Passive Housing Foundation", stressed in his keynote speech that, as far as environmental protection is concerned, transportation and constructions are two large areas for which we should pay special attention to. He made an appeal for the public to use collective low-carbon means of transport, such as the tram and rail systems, and reduce the use of private cars, and also to use environmentally friendly design and construction materials to improve ventilation and heating and thus reduce the use of air-conditioning and heater so as to save in oil and electricity consumption. The Deputy Director of Environmental Protection Bureau of Macao SAR Governemnt, Ms. Vong Man Hung said a total of six sessions were held under the MIECF Forum, as follows: "Green Business Forum", "Why Green Buildings is the Key Player in Developing Sustainable Environments", "Green Finance and Green Investment / Risk Management", "Environmental Policy and Low Carbon Economic Development", "Techniques and Equipments for Environmental Industry: Business Opportunigies" and "Green Chemical Forum", having invited 55 speakers from 14 countries and regions, namely, Mainland China, Canada, the Netherlands, Germany, Portugal, Chile, the United Kingdom, Australia, Brazil, Hong Kong and Macao to deliver their speeches and share with audience their insights and vision in the environmental field. She said that, starting with green economy, in-depth discussions were held in the areas of green building, green finance, investment, risk management and environmental policy, and that such discussions is particularly useful for the participants to get an in-depth understanding of the latest technology in environmental protection and to provide to the companies with new ideas for the development of the green industry. The number of participants for all the different sessions of the Forum this year reached 1,200. On the other hand, over 2000 visitors joined the MIECF to participate in the Green Public Day activities. As in the past, parent-child activities were programmed, such as environmental workshop, green art, parent-child games booth and educational electronic screen games, to interact in an interesting way, as a means to encourage the public to make good use of resources, and to convey the message that environmental protection is part of our way of living. As part of the Green Public Day activity, guided tours were on hand to explain the concept of the MIECF, division of the venue by zones and other characteristics. This year, about 260 teachers and students from seven green schools were invited to visit the MIECF. At the Green Public Day, test drive in electric cars was arranged, in order to give the public an opportunity to experience electric vehicle in actual road conditions. In addition, the Environment Protection Bureau has set-up a "Green Fun" application booth, to encourage local residents to join in this points accumulation program. About 150 visitors applied to become member today. Since its inception in 2008, five editions of the MIECF were successfully organized. The quality of the event has since continuously improved, to fully demonstrate that MIECF has become an important platform for the development of green industries in the Pan-PRD Region and Southern China as a whole. The next edition of the MIECF is scheduled for March 21-23, 2013.
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Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute (IPIM), the Hengqin New Area Management Committee and the Zhuhai Investment Promotion Bureau, jointly organize a seminar on the "Development of the Ecological Industry and Business Environment in Hengqin Island", which included a general presentation on the investment environment in Hengqin and a special briefing on its ecological industry. The event is aimed to use the MIECF platform to promote Hengqin, so as to accelerate the Macao-Guangdong co-operation and also the development of that island. Ms. Echo Chan, Executive Director of IPIM and Mr. Li Dongpeng, Deputy Director of the the Zhuhai Investment Promotion Bureau delivered speeches at the seminar. Ms. Echo Chan said that under the current trend of green economic development, Macao and Hengqin should mutually complete each other in the advantages and target for common development. Mr. Ren Zhiguo, Associate Consultant of the Hengqin New Area made a presentation on the development of the ecological industry and also the investment environment in Hengqin. The seminar also introduced two documents, namely the "Opinions of the Acceleration of the Development and Construction of Hengqin", issued by the Government of Guangdong Province, and the "Rules and Regulations Governing Hengqin New Area of Zhuhai Special Economic Zone", promulgated by the Zhuhai Municipal People´s Congress, which involve the "Granting to Hengqin of Provincial-Level Economic Administration". The seminar attracted local enterprises as well as foreign visitors of the 2012MIECF.
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A Green Forum was held on the second day (March 30) of the 2012 Macao International Environmental Co-operation Forum & Exhibition (2012 MIECF). The two sessions in the morning discussed about green construction and finance to the environmental industry. At the first session, with the following topic: "Why Green Buildings is the Key Player in Developing Sustainable Environments", Prof. Bernd Kroplin, from the University of Stuttgart, Germany, shared with the audience the importance of energy storage. He said that people can store energy and reduce energy consumption through innovative buildings design. At present, one of the more effective ways is through solar power generation, but this method can only store about 15% of the energy, wasting the remaining 85%. He added that, in fact, there is still a lot of energy on earth that can be effectively store and used, such as the installation of solar panels in the roof of buildings, and that there is a new type of solar panels that automatically moves in line with the direction of the sun, and that such method can more efficiently store energy. Mr. Julian Bott, Principal of Cundall Hong Kong Ltd., made a presentation on the development of low water consumption buildings in Australia, explaining that these buildings are equipped with a system that widely gather, collect and recycle water. He pointed that that because water is becoming scarce and there are shortages in many places, water conservation is an important environmental issue. He gave the example of Australia, where some cities faces long-term season water shortages while there are recurrent floods in other cities. In view of this, the Australian Government is actively looking for solutions, by exploring new ways to more efficiently use water resources, such as additional storage of rain water or river water, for potable use, and also on effective ways to recycle water, and eventually move towards materializing the concept of zero consumption buildings. Dr. Ken Yeang, Chairman & Design Director, Llewelyn Davies Yeang, from the United Kingdom, introduced several of his ecological buildings projects. In his opinion, a "green design" should have all the following four factors, namely, engineering considerations, water resource management, nature conservation and human behaviour. Another speaker, Mr. Lin Xuefeng, Vice Chairman of Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-city Administration Committee, briefed the participants on the Sino-Singapore Eco-city project in Tianjin, including environmental protection, energy conservation, national-level environmental education and research, exchange exhibition centre and eco-type industrial base. The topic of the second session was "Green Finance and Green Investment/Risk Management", where issues such as renewable energy and other environmental projects and finance were discussed. Mr. Yi Zhongge, Vice Secretary-General of China Association for Small & Medium Commercial Enterprises said that the environmental industry in general is faced with financial difficulties, given the special assets, technology, operational model and market operation characteristics of the said industry. He said that, unlike traditional SMEs, operators of that industry have difficulty in obtaining loans from financial institutions. He pointed out that, at present, banks in China over pursuit commercial interests, losing their function of promoting and nurturing the industries. He suggested the restructuring of the banking system and to establish environmental industry banks, and introduce legislation to regulate the private finance, so as to optimize the financing to the environment industry. Mr. Yi also advocated the setting-up of an energy conservation and environmental protection development fund, to encourage non-governmental research and development of new environmental technologies and assist the industry to train professionals. Mr. Jan Napiorowski, Senior Risk Analyst of MunichRE, from Hong Kong, suggested that insurance companies develop an insurance solution which backs up technological risk and together with manufacturers´ balance sheets and liquidity, provide its financial rating and technological expertise. Mr. Sean Kidney, Co-Funder of Climate Bonds Initiative, from the United Kingdom, proposed a Global Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Fund concept. Said fund would co-invest with public/private investors in private equity funds to finance energy efficiency and renewable energy projects in development countries. Ms. Pauline Chong, Associate Director, Clean Energy Project & Export Finance of Standard Chartered Bank and Dr. Tao Reng, of European Investment Bank Group, Global Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Fund, based in Luxembourg introduced how banks could arrange financing for Chinese renewable energy projects.
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At the afternoon session of the Green Forum, held in connection with the 2012 Macao International Environmental Co-operation Forum & Exhibition (2012MIECF), government officials, experts, scholars and environmental industry representatives from various regions discussed about promotion of the low carbon development and coordination of the environmental protection with the economy, so as to ensure sustainable economic growth, besides other issues, such as energy conservation and new energy. At the "Environmental Policy and Low Carbon Economic Development Forum", Mr. José Luís de Sales Marques, President of Institute of European Studies in Macao, said that the Macao Government has the responsibility to promote environmental protection in order to ensure sustainable development, namely by introducing improvements to the public transport service and to encourage low-carbon transportation with a view of enhancing the air quality in the city. Mr. Zhou Guoying, Head of the Planning and Finance Division of Environmental Protection of Guangdong Province introduced the goals set under the 12th 5-Year Plan of the PRC and the strategy to implement such goals. In turn, Mrs. Sandra Herrera Flores, Vice-Minister of Promotion and Environmental Law, Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources of Mexico, Mr. Cassio Marx Rabello da Costa, Industrial Policy Specialist, Brazilian Industrial Development Agency and Mr. Paulo Lemos, Deputy Director-General of the Portuguese Environment Agency, introduced the environmental policy of their own countries and shared with the audience their experience in the course of developing a green economy. At the "Techniques and Equipments for Environmental Industry: Business Opportunities", the Secretary-General and representatives of the environmental industry business associations in the Pan-PRD Region introduced the planning and development direction of the environmental industry in the course of the 12th 5-Year Plan of the PRC, which is to gather the advantages of each province to promote the enhancement of the industry to eventually achieve a sustainable development. Mr. Fred Ma, President of Macao Association of Environmental Protection Industry suggested the Macao SAR Government to expeditiously enact laws to regulate construction projects and the use of water by the local enterprises, and also to train professionals in the environmental technology, to promote the development of the local environmental industry. Mr. Ou Jun, Acting Secretary-General of the Environmental Protection Industry Association of Guangdong Province affirmed MIECF´s role as a platform for the environmental industry in the Pan-PRD Region to exchange and cooperate with the international market. In turn, the Green Chemical Forum discussed about Energy Conservation and Efficiency, having invited a number of experts and industrialists to explore green ideas for the sustainable development of China´s petrochemical enterprises. Mr. Yang Tiesheng, Deputy Director General of the Department of Energy Conservation and Resources Utilization of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of the PRC, stressed the importance of green development and the promotion of energy saving and carbon reduction. He said that industry plays an important part in the development of the country and that people should also be aware of the important role assumed by the industrial sector in promoting a green development. Mr. Sun Weishan, Deputy Secretary-General of China Petroleum and Chemical Industry Federation and Mr. Fang Xiahua, Vice Chairman of China Chemical Energy Conservation Technology Association gave their respective opinions on how to strengthen the energy industry saving system and the capacity building.
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In his keynote address delivered today (March 30) at the 2012 Macao International Environmental Co-operation Forum & Exhibition (2012MIECF), Mr. Chris Zijdeveld, President of Dutch Passive Housing Foundation, said that transport and construction are the two major factors in environmental protection. The speaker called on the public to reduce the use of vehicles, and instead, travel by low-carbon transport systems, such as tram and train. Mr. Zijdeveld added that, through green design and the use of construction materials, ventilation in the green buildings is improved, resulting in better use of the air-conditioned and heating systems, thereby reducing the consumption of petroleum and electricity. Mr. Zijdeveld has been a Board Member of the Municipality of Schiedan in the Netherlands for 20 years. During his tenure, he strived to turn Schiedam Municipality more environmentally-friendly. In this regard, he promoted and constructed 6000 passive and low energy houses and apartments, as well as improved thousands of existing houses to reduce their energy consumption level. Solar water heaters became a standard addition to the houses. He also strongly advocated the use of bicycles and other more environmentally-friendly public transport system, so as to reduce environmental pollution brought about by the traffic. During his tenure as the Board Member, Schiedam has received national awards on energy conservation and traffic safety. Personally, Mr. Zijdeveld has received the First National Solar Energy Award and awards from various international environmental organizations. The topic of Mr. Zjidevelf´s keynote speech at this year´s MIECF is "A Reachable Sustainable Future and Lessons from Developed Countries". He said that countries around the world should be aware of the need for environmental protection, and that energy conservation and the efficient use of energy is a matter of great urgency. Looking at the global situation, many developed countries are not consuming energy in the right manner therefore resulting in a lot of pollution. Ships and cars using fossil fuels emit large amounts of carbon dioxide that seriously pollutes the environment. He also pointed out that it is worrying that while the formation of fossil fuels takes millions of years, mankind quickly consume the reserves within a few decades. He said that everyone should firstly improve their own energy consumption habits, and then extend such habits to the whole community. Some people think that green living means sacrificing the comfort in life, but that is not necessarily true. He quoted the example of the Netherlands, which in the past consumed a lot of energy for heating. The country worked hard to improve in housing design and selection of building materials, so that the houses are kept warm while maintaining adequate air circulation, as a result, energy consumption has substantially declined when compared with past decades. On the other hand, thicker windows were installed in old buildings to make the house warmer. He said that these facts prove that these methods are indeed effective, but the success very much depends on government and individuals´ determination. In addition, Mr. Zijdevelt also pointed out that energy consumption varies from different modes of transportation, for instance, collective means of transport is more energy efficient than private cars, and that consumption also varies from different car models. He stressed that everyone can help in conserving energy and reducing emission, and by adjusting the habits of using electrical appliances, transport, heating and air conditioning systems, a lot of energy could be saved. For enquiries about the content of this press release, please contact the 2012MIECF Secretariat at tel. (853) 8798-9675, fax (853) 2872-3332, e-mail: miecf@koelnmesse.com.hk or visit the official website of the event: www.macaomiecf.com
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Up to 6:00 p.m. on the second day (30 March) of the 2012 Macao International Environmental Co-operation Exhibition and Forum (2012 MIECF), the Organisers have arranged 332 business matching and negotiation sessions, which resulted in the signing of 14 co-operation projects. Agreements signed involved co-operation in eco-tourism, air purification, sewage treatment and gas saving technology, sales of solar photoelectricity, and greeen construction projects. Most of the protocols were signed by Macao, Hong Kong and Mainland China companies or institutions. The exhibition will be opened to the public tomorrow from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
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