Page 11 - Sphere No.18 (Feb 2007)

SPHERE 9
Newtrends
The green hotel
How to apply the 3R principles - Reduce, Recycle and Re-use
IF YOU ARE looking for a sign of the times
then go no further than Harbour Plaza Re-
sort City in Tin Shui Wai. At a time of in-
creasing awareness about the environment,
the staff of the resort hotel are setting an ex-
ample that Hong Kong can be proud of.
They have set up an environmental club that
has grown more than 1,000 lbs of organic veg-
etables since it was started in February 2006.
Even better, the hotel chef serves delicious
dishes made from the
fruits of their labour in
the staff canteen.
“We started by recy-
cling glass bottles from
our food and beverage
outlets and then re-
alised we could do more
for the environment,”
explained Stephen H.
Chu, General Manag-
er of the hotel in the
northwest of the New
Territories. “We are lo-
cated close to the Hong
Kong Wetland Park and the Mai
Po Marshes so it is natural for us
to be a green hotel.”
The club now has more than
50 members, about a quarter of
the total staff, who meet twice a
month after working hours on the
hotel podium where the organic
garden is located. With guidance
from the hotel gardener, they
groweverything fromChinese kale,
winter melon and choi sum to to-
matoes, pumpkins and chilies. Out-
door recycling bins are used to turn
guests’ vegetable and fruit waste
into compost, while custom-made
water tanks provide irrigation.
“It all begins with a small step. If everyone helps the en-
vironment, it can make a major difference in the future,”
said Mr Chu. “It is a good chance for the hotel staff to
get in touch with nature. The plants generate oxygen
so it is good for everybody as well.”
But the hotel’s environmental initiatives do not
end there. Newspapers, plastic bottles and alumin-
ium are all recycled and the 1,100-room hotel also
has collection bins for glass bottles, mobile phone
batteries and CDs/DVDs. Some of the environmental
ideas came from the hotel’s overseas guests.
What’s more, all serviced suites are equipped with
energy-saving bulbs that use 80 per
cent less energy than traditional in-
candescent light bulbs. In the staff
areas, motion sensors ensure that
lights are only on when someone
is in the vicinity and hotel windows
are tinted to reduce the greenhouse
effect from sunlight; in summer, the
air conditioning in every room is set
to 24.5 degree Celsius.
These efforts not only help the
hotel save money, but also set an ex-
ample to hotel staff and guests to be
more environmentally
aware.Mr Chu said, “The
team has been working
on environmental ini-
tiatives since the hotel
opened in 1999. We’ll
continue to adopt the
3R principles – Reduce,
Recycle and Re-use.”
Back at the podium,
Ms Hing Chiu-ha from house-
keeping is busy in the garden.
“The company has given us the
opportunity to enjoy a new
hobby and learn at the same
time,” she said. “It is great to
see the plants grow. Of course,
we all love it when it is time
to pick the vegetables and the
chef cooks them. They really
are delicious.”
Food for thought:
Harbour Plaza
Resort City’s
organic garden
has produced
over 1,000 lbs
of vegetables.
PHOTOS: COURTESY OF ORIENTAL DAILY NEWS; CENTRE PHOTOS: DEBBY HUNG