Eight UGC-funded universities will launch a joint environmental campaign “UNIfy: Skip the Straw” on March 12 to reduce single-use plastic straws.

The Campaign signifies the joint efforts of City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Baptist University, Lingnan University, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, The Education University of Hong Kong, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, and The University of Hong Kong to reduce plastic waste.

The universities will hold a “No Straw Week” or “No Straw Day” on their campuses during the week of March 12-16, where campus catering outlets will only offer straws when requested. Other activities include film screenings, zero waste markets and reusable straw giveaways.

The universities have also pledged to introduce long-term measures including regular awareness campaigns and no straw days, or a campus-wide ban of plastic straws.

The aim of the campaign is to reduce disposable plastic waste and raise awareness in the higher education sector and beyond in Hong Kong. The campaign builds on the idea that eight universities together will generate a greater impact, building on the effort by individual institutions on campus plastic waste reduction.

The pioneering No Straw University initiative at Hong Kong Baptist University and an earlier No Straw Week at The University of Hong Kong resulted in the reduction of plastic straws by 90 - 95%.

“I am pleased to see eight Hong Kong universities join together in the UNIfy: Skip the Straw campaign” said Prof Mark McGinley, Director of Core Curriculum and General Education and Professor & Head of the Science Unit at Lingnan University, the Convenor of the 2018 Hong Kong Sustainable Campus Consortium.  “Working together we can gain inspiration and ideas for best practices from our partner universities and can act as a significant catalyst for change.”  

The campaign is supported and organized by the Hong Kong Sustainable Campus Consortium (HKSCC), a platform for higher education institutions in Hong Kong to promote knowledge exchange and discussion towards a sustainable future. 

For more details about the campaign, please visit: http://www.hkscc.edu.hk/activities/skip-the-straw 

Media enquiries:
Ms Bernice Wong
Office of Communications and Public Affairs
Lingnan University
Tel: 2616 8988
Email: bernicewong@ln.edu.hk

Maegan Cowan
Sustainability Officer
Sustainability Office, HKU
Tel: (852) 2219 4010
Email: mfcowan@hku.hk