Environmental protection has been higher on public agenda in Hong Kong. It is exciting to see more information exchanges and community campaigns on pressing issues like greenhouse gases, wastes and habitat degradation. But what about air pollution?

Compared to the extreme hot days, odor nuisances or loss of endangered species, smog might seem to be a less worrying phenomenon. Air pollution, however, can be harming our health at different stages slowly yet severely. Air pollution deserves our attention.

Sharing the same mission that we need more conversations and actions on air pollution, ZeShan Foundation has collaborated with Clean Air Networks (“CAN”) in 2022 to carry out a 2-year school-based project on air monitoring and education. The pilot will support 8 primary and secondary schools in Sham Shui Po and Tuen Mun to gather real-time data on air quality via monitor installation. This is one of our first attempts to develop more community-led initiatives to address our environmental issues. With the available data and technical support from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, the participating school management, teaching staff and students will be guided by CAN to develop and test out their adaptation measures to address air pollution in schools.

Sowing the seeds of raising awareness and knowledge, ZeShan hopes to see more behavioral changes around air pollution on a school level, and ultimately a cleaner and healthier learning environment for nurturing young minds.

Alexa Li
Assistant Program Manager
ZeShan Foundation

In recent years, a growing number of recycling stations has been noticed in many urban communities, housing unwanted household items. Recyclables in the rural side, however, do not share the same story – valuable recyclables are often turned into mismanaged waste or even pollution menace, where recycling facilities or services are lacked or limited.

Hoping to change the narrative in the rural setting, ZeShan Foundation has partnered with A Plastic Ocean Foundation (“APO”) to develop a community-led waste management model in rural villages. In this one-year pilot project, two cohorts of passionate young adults will be equipped with professional training on recycling operation. Guided by APO’s recycling partners, the trained green collars will then take the lead on running a series of community recycling drives for people residing in villages located in the New Territories West. These range from collecting household plastic waste to processing them into quality recycling materials that can be repurposed for a second life.

Through mainstreaming the green practices in rural neighbourhood and cultivating a pool of green talents, ZeShan hopes to test and demonstrate this alternative model in strategically addressing the growing waste problem and rivitalising the recycling industry in Hong Kong.

Alexa Li
Assistant Program Manager
ZeShan Foundation

APO’s Education Team is introducing rural green facility and the natural habitats of Ha Tsuen to university students

APO’s Education Team has been invited to offer a career talk on Green Opportunity and Employment for IVE (Shatin)

APO’s Education Team’s mobile clean recycling station where our officer is introducing the concept of clean recycling to rural residents

The Blue Sky Project aims to reduce energy usage and enhance indoor air quality (IAQ) in the NGO sector, as well as facilitate behavioural change among this target population through the transparent availability of energy data and user-centric engagement. The project partners with 4 non-governmental organizations, including Hong Kong Christian Service, Hong Kong Playground Association, Hong Kong Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA), and Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui Welfare Council. ZeShan Foundation and Lee Hysan Foundation are the strategic partners and sponsors of the project, which has the full support of the Hong Kong Council of Social Service.

Service Scope

• 51 service locations with different facilities such as offices, campsites, and stadiums, which collectively provide diverse services ranging from youth service, education, social service, elderly care, rehabilitation, etc.
• 1,500+ staff engagement
• 290+ smart energy meters and 100+ IAQ sensors installation
• Secure log-in account for web dashboard and mobile app
• Data granularity of each centre, separated into air conditioning, light, and socket load
• Notification and alerts which prompt energy and IAQ abnormality investigation
• Weekly consumption report for energy and IAQ review
• Energy usage comparison against other locations and benchmarks

Blue Sky SAVE Model

In order to make energy saving and IAQ enhancement transparent and actionable, the Blue Sky SAVE Model is applied:

Signal – Smart sensors collects data and processes in server

Action – Experimental energy saving actions are encouraged by centre managers and Blue Sky engagement programs

Verification & Reward – Weekly summaries are analysed by Blue Sky AI and emailed to centres

Evaluation – Quarterly evaluation on engagement level

Digital Engagement

Users receive weekly summary emails of their energy and IAQ performance, accompanied by notifications and recommended actions to enhance their performance. The Blue Sky AI model determines a daily energy budget, which is informed by past energy usage patterns and real-time environmental factors. Paired with real-time analytics, the AI model triggers a notification to users when their actual energy usage is higher than that which was budgeted. In another element of performance feedback, users are also provided with visualizations of their energy usage and IAQ compared to external benchmarks, along with targeted areas of improvement and action tips to reach these goals.

Offline Engagement

Staff members at each service location can volunteer to be Blue Sky Ambassadors, and would receive in-depth training and attend workshops to establish a deep understanding of the energy usage and IAQ patterns of their premises. With this foundation of knowledge, Ambassadors are encouraged to derive action plans to facilitate behavioural change around energy usage. To aid this effort, collateral materials such as reusable cutlery, posters, and upcycled gadget stands are made available at all service locations to nudge users towards sustainable choices and energy conservation in their daily operations.

Energy visits are regularly carried out by Blue Sky energy experts at every service location to investigate the sites’ energy usage and IAQ patterns. In collaboration with Blue Sky Ambassadors, this initiative can facilitate the discussion and discovery of creative and user-centric ways to reduce energy usage and improve indoor air quality across the NGO sector. 

Blue Sky staff and NGO partners

Monitoring devices installed at NGO premises

Visit Electrical and Mechanical Services Department