letters

Help preserve HK's street food

After seeing a television programme highlighting food stalls and portable food carts in the US, I think we could introduce a similar concept in Hong Kong.

Hong Kong is known as a food paradise around the world.

But rising rents are hurting many restaurants, so many establishments serving traditional food are slowly disappearing.

It would be great if the government could grant more licences to street food vendors because this is a much cheaper option than renting a shop and would help preserve one of our most valued traditions.

Some day, I hope to buy fish balls from a cart on a street corner.

Tsang Hoi-kee

Don't ignore sports and PE lessons

How many physical education periods do you have in a week? Most local secondary schools just have one or two PE lessons.

PE and sports are not considered as important as other subjects in Hong Kong schools. Both students and parents usually concentrate on academic results.

In addition, many local students have a wide range of entertainment to choose from.

They prefer to play computer games or surf the internet instead of playing outdoors.

Today, memorising facts and attending tutorial courses is often considered the only way to attain excellent grades. This makes students neglect health education.

More PE lessons should be made compulsory, and those lessons should cover a wide range of activities to cater to the needs of different students.

Tam Siu-ting, POCA Wong Siu Ching Secondary School

The pros and cons of nuclear power

Some people argue that building more nuclear power stations is the only way to meet the rising demand for electricity around the world.

At the moment, a majority of power plants burn millions of tonnes of crude oil and coal to produce electricity. But these are non-renewable energy sources.

In addition, nuclear plants emit very little pollutants and greenhouse gases, unlike traditional power stations that use fossil fuels.

However, nuclear power has its drawbacks, too.

Nuclear plants can produce harmful radioactive waste, which has to be properly disposed.

Also, the March 11 earthquake and tsunami that crippled the Fukushima Daiichi plant in Japan has raised concerns about the safety of nuclear power. Workers there are still battling with radioactive leaks and contamination.

Although nuclear power seems an attractive choice, I think we should allocate more resources to developing other forms of renewable energy, such as solar and wind power.

Tsui Tsz-chun, Po Leung Kuk Ma Kam Ming College

Think before you use plastic bags

There has been a huge increase in the number of plastic bags used by local bakeries. This is because various kinds of bread - all individually wrapped - are flooding the market.

This is an issue that deserves our serious attention. Plastic bags take a long time to decompose and are one of the largest contributors to landfills.

The government should impose a tax on consumers who get more than one plastic bag from bakeries and do more to promote the importance of environmental protection.

Leung Wai-man

Questioning the nature of ambition

'Be aggressive and ambitious,' our principal reminded us on the first day of school.

His remark got me thinking. 'What should I be ambitious for?'

You might think this is a foolish question since we should all know that we have to work hard to try to enter university.

But some of us are joining different clubs and other extra-curricular services not because we like them, but because we want to boost our report cards.

It would be great if I could spend a day watching the sky and appreciating God's creations instead of thinking about my future all the time.

Joyce Tam, Christian Alliance S. C. Chan Memorial College