Green Sense
In Hong Kong, environmental issues are usually addressed at an individual level—the government tirelessly tells us to cut down water consumption, use less electricity and stop our engines when our cars are not in use. Of course, individuals should be responsible for protecting our environment and such habits ought to be encouraged. However, the government has shied away from painting a bigger, clearer picture to the public: our economic structure, which is dominated by property developers, plays a huge part in the environmental degradation of the city. Green Sense, a small environmental group, was established to get this message across the public, and aspires to drive bigger changes in Hong Kong.
Seven years ago, a group of university graduates who hoped to promote greener living in Hong Kong founded Green Sense together. In the early days, Green Sense focused on exposing environmentally harmful behavior in daily life. “Our first survey was about plastic bags in bakeries. At that time, many shops had started selling prepackaged bread and some bakeries used a lot of plastic bags,” says Gabrielle Ho, project manager at Green Sense. “We were aware of this problem and we wanted to remind the public about it.”
Then, a bigger and more complicated problem caught the attention of the young environmental activists, pushing the green group to do more—in particular, with urban planning and land policies. “While we were taking the ferry across the harbor, we found that there were more and more skyscrapers along the waterfront,” Ho says. Such towers create thick walls along the coast, blocking out sunlight and disrupting air flow. As such, Green Sense was inspired to coin the term “walled buildings” to describe such skyscrapers.
After detailed study and further investigation, Green Sense discovered that the problem of “walled buildings” stems from failures in government policies. “The government has granted a lot of concessions to property developers, and that’s why we now have so many ‘walled buildings’ in Hong Kong,” Ho explains. For instance, the government will make concessions for the calculation of gross floor area if the developers build green features and amenities, such as balconies, clubhouses and car parks. Originally, these policies were intended to encourage developers to introduce environmentally friendly features, but somehow, government officials failed to foresee that developers would manipulate such policies to their advantage—developers construct buildings with huge podiums, car parks and luxurious clubhouses to maximize their profits. “If the buildings are taller, the views will become better and developers can earn more,” Ho says.
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Not only are walled buildings eyesores, but they also create a lot of environmental problems. Due to the high density, sunlight cannot penetrate indoors and ventilation becomes poor. In turn, it forces people to switch on their lights and air conditioners, using more electricity. More carbon dioxide is emitted, and global warming intensifies. It is a strange cycle: the more electricity used, the better off the developers are, as developers also control the two electricity companies in Hong Kong. “When you look into it you realize that the money always flows in such a way. In the end, it’s always the developers that profit,” says Ho.
In the past, buildings were constructed in a more environmentally friendly way. They were more spread out, for one. New buildings may have air-conditioned clubhouses with luxurious decor, but does it mean that our quality of life has improved? “It has come into question whether property is for Hongkongers to purchase, or for mainlanders [to use] as a tool of speculation,” Ho says. “Property has now become a mere tool for investment, and it is no longer a space for people to settle down and live a good life.”
After facing severe criticism for its lenient policies towards developers, in April the government imposed an overall cap of 10 percent on “inflated areas” of buildings. However, the results of the more stringent controls won’t be realized till four to five years’ time, when new buildings are completed. In the meantime, Green Sense will continue to scrutinize developers and fend off unsustainable development in the city. It’s a tough war, they say, but the fight goes on.
Support Green Sense’s work by volunteering or making a donation. PO Box 454, Tsuen Wan Post Office, 8100-4877, greensense.org.hk.