Newsletter No. 128

Information in this section can only  be accessed with CWEM password .   若要瀏覽本部分的資料， 請須輸 入 中大校園電子郵件密碼 。 CUHK Newsletter No. 128 4th June 1998 3 Guardians of the Campus Environment Prof. Lam Kin-che, chairman of the monitoring group Mr. Jonathan Amies, secretary of the monitoring group Monitoring Group Set Up The Environmental Protection Monitoring Group was officially formed in March this year by the Administrative Affairs Committee (AAC) to oversee environmental matters on campus. Its three subgroups are responsible for: promoting awareness on campus of environmental protection and campus ecology; finding out what the current situation is and advising the AAC on matters pertaining to environmental protection on campus; and overseeing canteen and kitchen operations on campus and ensuring their compliance w i t h hyg i en ic and s t a t u t o ry requirements. The Need for Overall Monitoring Why is there need for such a group? Mr. Jon Amies, the group's secretary, said, 'We have a very beautiful campus and we have to make sure it remains so. We need t o enhance the campus environment for its occupants and to forestall possibilities of unsafe discharge of wastes that can be disastrous to the campus community and damaging to the name of the University.' As the campus is an integrated system, the inappropriate use of insecticide up in the New Asia College area, for instance, can have serious repurcussions at a convergent point like the lake in Chung Chi College, where fish may be killed. A major drain corroded by excessive caustic or acid compounds poured into i t can inconvenience the whole University. Overall monitoring is thus essential. Prof. Lam Kin-che, the group's chairman, also pointed out that as an educational institution, the University has the obligation to take the lead in caring for the environment. 'Besides, environmental issues can be safety and economic issues. Good environmental practices can save money. By caring for the environment, we are also safeguarding our own interests and upholding the good name o f the University,' he said. Problem Tackled on Various Fronts A top priority issue on the group's agenda is setting up a postbox and requesting members of the University community to write to it to voice their environmental concerns and suggestions on improving the environment. All such correspondence can be addressed to Prof. Lam or Mr. Amies. 'We realize there are a lot of concerns and expertise among people not on our group's committee and that the committee cannot know and see everything happening on campus,' Mr. Amies explained. Another issue at hand is finding measures to minimize the impact of nearby infrastructural projects on the University's environment, projects which include Pak Shek Kok reclamation and the widening of Tolo Highway. The projects of the Campus Development and Estates Management Offices are also capable of producing large amounts of waste on campus each day. A major headache is how to get rid of the waste properly. The liquid waste leaving the construction sites, for example, has to be strained by a sort of trap to make sure the solids do not clog drains later on. The group is currently advising the offices on how to upgrade its waste discharge, and reviewing the current environmental practices on campus— the ways, for example, liquid waste, chemicals, and noise are handled, and whether they comply with regulations in Hong Kong. The subgroup on canteen and kitchen hygiene, as its name suggests, keeps an eye on things such as the level of gas discharged from kitchen stoves, as well as the volume of waste going down the drain and food being thrown away. Food handlers at the campus canteens were recently given voluntary tests by relevant laboratories for infectious diseases. Future Direction In the near future the group hopes to extend environmental review to issues such as building design and energy conservation, whichmay have economic implications. Mr. Amies believes that indoor air quality is an issue that deserves attention on campus and one which will eventually gain importance in Hong Kong as a whole. He explained, 'When designing air-conditioning systems for buildings, there should be a balance between saving money and having safe air. Being economical does not simply mean having less replacement air. It may lead to health problems and incur much higher costs in the long run.' Mr. Amies further pointed out that the group may also coordinate efforts at recycling on campus, which have so far been 'ad hoc' . Is there a link between the work of the group and that of the Lab Safety Office? 'There is a link in that some principles practised by the Lab Safety Office are being applied to environmental protection but the group has much wider scope. There is, to give you a simple example, much more waste disposed outside of laboratories than laboratory waste,' said Mr. Amies. Piera Chen Servic e t oth eCommunit y an d Internationa l Organization s • Prof. Leslie Lo, professor in the Department of Educational Administration and Policy, has been appointed by the Chief Executive of the HKSAR as a member of the Advisory Committee on Teacher Education and Qualifications for two years from 1st May 1988. • Prof. Chan Kai-ming, professor of orthopaedics and traumatology, has been appointed by the Chief Executive of the HKSAR both as chairman of the Hong Kong Sports Institute Management Committee of the Hong Kong Sports Institute and member of the Hong Kong Sports Development Board for two years f r om 1st A p r il 1998. He has also been appointed by 中國醫學會 as a member o f the editorial board o f 《中華創傷雜誌》 f r o m 16th February 1998 to 15th February 2000. • Prof. L iu Pak-wai, pro-vice-chancellor, has been appointed by the Financial Secretary of the HKSAR as a member of the Task Force on Employment from May 1998. • Prof. Rance P.L. Lee, head of Chung Chi College, has been re-appointed by the Chief Justice of the HKSAR as a member of the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal Panel for five years from 3rd May 1998. • Prof. Yeung Yue-man, head of Shaw College, has been re-appointed by the Chief Justice of the HKSAR as a member of the Barristers Disciplinary Tribunal Panel for five years from 3rd May 1998. • Prof. Ignatius Yu, associate professor i n the Department of Community and Family Medicine, has been re-appointed by the Secretary for Education and Manpower as a member of the Occupational Deafness Medical Committee for three years from 1st June 1998. • Prof. Kenneth Young, pro-vice-chancellor, has been appointed as a Trustee of the Croucher Foundation from 2nd April 1998. • Dr. Stanislaus Hu, director of the Computer Services Centre and Information Technology Service Unit, has been invited to be an honorary information technology adviser of the Provisional Urban Council for two years from 1st May 1998. • Prof. Helen Chiu, chair o f the Department o f Psychiatry, has been invited to be the assistant editor for Hong Kong of the IPA Bulletin from January 1998. Prof. Chiu has also been invited to join the Task Force on Dementia Care of the Services for the Elderly Division of The Hong Kong Council of Social Service from 9th March 1998. • Prof. Anthony Yim, associate professor in the Department of Surgery, has been appointed to the editorial board of The Annals of Thoracic Surgery from 26th January 1998. • Dr. Tso Wung-wai, senior lecturer in the Department of Biochemistry, has been re-nominated as the University's representative to the Honorary Advisers Panel of Science and Space Museums from 1st May 1998 to 14th January 2000. • Prof. Gabor S. Ungvari, associate professor in the Department of Psychiatry, has been elected member of the Section on Interdisciplinary Collaboration of the World Psychiatric Association. ( I n f o r m a t i o n in this section is provided by the Information and Public Relations Office. Contributions should be sent direct to that office for registration and verification before publication.) P e r s o n a l i a 人事動態• P e r s o n a l i a 人事動態• P e r s o n a l i a 人事動態• P e r s o n a l i a 人事動態• P e r s o n a l i a ‧ 人事動態