Environmental Policy and Objectives

The Department recognises the significance of environmental protection and sustainable development of Hong Kong. We are committed to ensuring that all the services delivered to the public and our internal operations are conducted in an environmentally responsible manner. In particular, we strictly comply with the environmental protection principles and practices according to the requirements under the environmental legislation, codes of practices and the Clean Air Charter as appropriate. For the betterment of the environment, we encourage the active participation of staff members in adopting green practices in both the workplace and their personal lives.

Environmental Management

The Departmental Secretary is appointed as the Green Manager of the Department. He is responsible for overseeing the environmental protection measures, reviewing the existing energy saving practices and formulating the green initiatives in the Department. Division Heads are assigned to assist in identifying other green measures and monitoring the energy conservation measures to be broadly implemented in offices under their purview. Energy Wardens are appointed at sub-divisional level and they are tasked to ensure that the green housekeeping measures have been taken effectively by conducting regular inspections in office premises and reminding colleagues of the importance to conform to the ongoing housekeeping measures. Review and audit of green management practices focusing mainly on energy saving have been conducted by Energy Wardens on a quarterly basis.

The paper and electricity consumption are closely monitored in the monthly meeting of the Resources Management Committee which is personally chaired by the Deputy Director and consisted of members of senior management. The consumption records are updated and uploaded onto our intranet portal on a routine basis so that management at all levels could have a comprehensive view on the resources used.

Environmental Performance

Energy Conservation

The Department is proactive in energy conservation and has implemented a number of energy saving measures to reduce energy consumption. In 2012, despite substantial increase in operational activities in the Department such as the extended e-Channel service to enrolled visitors at control points and the growth in passenger traffic at control points, the power consumption of the Department was about 42 million kWh, representing a slight increase of 3.2 per cent when compared to 2011.

The Department would continue to adopt the following green measures to reduce the energy consumption level as far as practicable with a view to offsetting the unavoidable increase in energy consumption arising from more departmental activities:

Green Measures Taken

• Lighting : Switch off lighting that are not in use.
• Air-conditioning : Adjust indoor temperature to the recommended 25.5 °C level during summer months. Lower window blinds or curtains before leaving office to reduce direct sunlight on the following day.
• Office Equipment : Switch off computers, photocopiers and other office equipment that are not in use to avoid leaving them in standby mode. Replace the office equipment with models of lower energy consumption, such as 'Energy Star' when needs arise.
• Others : Arrange the 'last-man-out' to check and turn off all lighting and office equipment. Encourage staff to use staircases instead of lifts for inter-floor traffic as far as possible.

Minimisation of Paper Consumption

Continuous efforts have been made on minimising paper consumption. The paper consumption of the Department was 59 338 reams in 2012, indicating a decrease of usage by 1.7 per cent when compared to 60 352 reams in 2011.

To further promote the reduction of paper consumption, we have adopted a diversified range of measures to save the use of paper both externally and internally:

External

• Share information with members of the public via the electronic platform in the departmental website for paperless access of information.
• Provide members of the public with a number of e-Services such as online application, online appointment booking, online reporting of immigration offences, registration of outbound travel information, etc. The e-Services serve as a convenient means for the public to attain our services and help conserve the use of paper.

Internal

• Communicate and disseminate information extensively by electronic means, such as communication by e-mail and use of intranet portal as an information sharing platform.
• Distribute the internal circulars and notices as well as posting orders through electronic means.
• Avoid printing or photocopying documents unless hard copies are absolutely necessary.
• Use both sides of paper and greater use of the blank side of used paper for drafting, faxing, printing and photocopying documents.
• Implement the web-based Electronic Leave Application and Processing System for leave applications and approvals as well as the e-Procurement System for processing the procurement procedures.
• Send out electronic seasonal greeting cards during festive seasons.
Electronic seasonal greeting cards
are used during festive seasons to
help conserve the use of paper.

The green measures listed above are widely accepted by both members of the public and internal staff. The Department would continue to adopt information technology as far as practicable to create a paperless working environment.

Recycling of Waste and Recovery of Resources

In order to raise the awareness of staff and public on the benefits of recycling of waste to the environment, the Immigration Tower has participated in the 'Programme on Source Separation of Commercial and Industrial Waste' initiated by the Environmental Protection Department since 2008. The quantity of waste paper, aluminum cans and plastic bottles collected in 2012 is compared to the figure in 2011 in the table below:

Type of recyclable waste collected	Year 2011 (kg)	Year 2012 (kg)	Percentage change (%)
Paper	61 723	53 244	-14
Aluminum cans	67.54	83.40	23
Plastic bottles	281.76	276.39	-2

In 2012, the recyclable waste paper collected had dropped due to a reduction of paper consumption in the Department. Other recyclable wastes including rechargeable batteries and fluorescent lamps are also collected through the collection boxes on top of the traditional wastes. Through reuse and recycling of solid waste, we believe that both staff and the public would join hands to make our home more livable and sustainable.

Apart from encouraging recycling of waste, the Department has also made great efforts to reduce the use of consumable items. The quantity of items procured in 2012 is compared to the figure in 2011 in the table below:

Items procured	Year 2011	Year 2012	Percentage change (%)
Pencils made from recycled paper	2 400	2 340	-3
Clutch pencils	960	228	-76
Lead refill packs for clutch pencils	1 596	1 000	-38

The items procured in 2012 marked a substantial decrease when compared to 2011. The Department would strive to sustain our efforts by reinforcing the current procurement measures.

To fulfill the target of further minimising solid waste, used printer cartridges have been returned to suppliers by means of trade-in. The Department has also included green specifications for stock items so that products that cause minimal adverse environmental impacts would be purchased.

Support on Clean Air Charter

To achieve the commitments of the Clean Air Charter which aims at improving the air quality of Hong Kong, the Department has taken the following measures in our daily operations to reduce the adverse impact of vehicles and vessels on the environment:

• Encourage staff members to share the pool car and combine their trips as far as practicable to fully utilise the vehicles and reduce mileage.
• Plan routes when using departmental vehicles to minimise the journey distance and travel time.
• Encourage the use of public transport whenever possible.
• Ensure the compliance with the requirement set out in the Motor Vehicle Idling (Fixed Penalty) Ordinance (Cap. 611) by switching off the vehicle engines whilst waiting to reduce exhaust emissions and achieve fuel saving.
• Ensure proper maintenance of our departmental vehicles and vessels to minimise the production of pollutants and nuisance caused by exhaust emissions.

In 2012, the total fuel consumption in diesel and oil of the vehicle team of the Department was 62 663 litres, representing a decrease of 6 per cent when compared to 2011. On the other hand, the consumption of a cleaner source of fuel, liquefied petroleum gas, was 57 340 litres, which had increased 4 per cent when compared to 2011. The gradual switch from diesel and oil to liquefied petroleum gas could help minimise the air and noise pollution to the environment. The consumption of fuel by our fleet of seven vessels was 1 141 600 litres, indicating a decrease of about 0.4 per cent when compared to the usage of 1 146 200 litres in 2011.

The Department endeavors to provide a better working environment for our staff members. In this connection, the Department has participated in the Indoor Air Quality Certificate Scheme to ensure good indoor air quality that safeguards the health of staff members. In 2012, the indoor air quality of Immigration Tower was awarded 'Good Class'.

Promotion of Staff Awareness

To foster a green culture among staff members, the Department has continued its practice of disseminating latest news and useful information to staff through e-mails and intranet portal. Same as previous years, staff members were encouraged to participate in environmental protection campaigns arranged by other organisations, such as the 'Community Chest Green Day' organised by The Community Chest which encouraged participants to take public transport for the sake of reducing carbon dioxide emission, and the 'Mooncake Tin Collection Campaign' and 'Red Pocket Recycling Campaign' organised by the Building Management Office of the Immigration Tower.

To further cultivate the environmental awareness among staff members, the Department has extended the green initiatives to Prosperity Villa, the new rank and file staff quarters at Wo Yi Hop Road, Kwai Chung, which was completed for occupation in 2012.

The concept of greening has been applied extensively in the quarters. A diversified range of trees, plants and flowers are sophisticatedly displayed at the communal areas which serve to enhance the quality of the living environment of staff members. Green roofs are designed to create an aesthetic appeal as well as to improve the water and heat resistance features of the roofs.

Multiple energy saving systems have also been introduced in the quarters, namely:

• The photovoltaic installation which converts solar energy to supplement the electricity supply of the communal areas of the building.
• The rainwater recycling system which treats the rainwater for irrigating the trees, plants and flowers at the communal areas.
• The occupancy sensor and light sensor system which automatically switches off the lighting when it is not needed.

The energy saving systems could not only increase the energy efficiency of the quarters, but also encourage staff members to conserve energy in their personal lives.

The Way Forward

The Department would continue to reinforce and expand the current housekeeping measures, adopt green management principles in all activities and take forward new green initiatives and targets in the Department as appropriate. The effectiveness of the green measures would be reviewed constantly with a view to seeking continuous improvement in the efficient use of energy and resources.