Green WALK Hong Kong 2022 City Orienteering Competition cum Carnival organised by World Green Organisation and Proudly Presented by Dah Sing Bank

Event Advocates Low-Carbon Living
Encourages Public to Travel by Foot Instead of Car

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(Hong Kong, 17 January 2023) Organised by World Green Organisation (“WGO”) and proudly presented by Dah Sing Bank (the “Bank”), the Green WALK Hong Kong Campaign, with the theme “Walk for Our Climate and A Better Future”, calls on the community to adopt healthier, low-carbon lifestyles to combat climate change – encouraging them to walk more and rely less on motorised transportation, especially for short distance travel. One of the highlights of this year’s campaign was the Green WALK Hong Kong City Orienteering Competition cum Carnival, held on 15 January 2023. The festive event was a fitting finale to the “Green WALK Carbon Emissions Reduction Online Challenge”, which saw participants recording the number of steps walked using a mobile app, which were then translated into measurable, real-world carbon reductions. Providing additional support for the community, Dah Sing Bank commemorated its milestone anniversary through the “Dah Sing Bank 75th Anniversary Charity Challenge”, donating HKD750,000 to five environmental charity groups.

In his opening remarks, Dr. William Yu, CEO of the WGO, noted,

Everyone should bear responsibility for conserving energy and reducing carbon consumption. The threats imposed by extreme weather have been increasingly obvious in recent years, and the realities of global warming have been affecting our everyday lives. Taking individual steps – walking more and taking less transportation – is an effective way to reduce carbon emissions. However, according to a survey conducted by our organisation, only 7.8% of respondents stated that they walk 30 minutes or more every day, a 0.6% drop from 8.4% last year, a worrying weekly walking deficiency for Hong Kong citizens. Through the two online and offline events in this year’s campaign, the ‘Green WALK Carbon Emissions Reduction Online Challenge’ and ‘Green WALK 2022’, WGO hopes to motivate the public to change their daily travel patterns and reduce their carbon footprint, contributing to Hong Kong’s goal of attaining carbon neutrality by 2050 or earlier.

Mr. Tse Chin-wan, Secretary for Environment and Ecology of the Hong Kong SAR Government, said,

In order to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, the Environment and Ecology Bureau has put together various low-carbon policies and measures. In 2020, the total carbon emission of Hong Kong has been reduced by nearly 25%, compared to the peak in 2014. With the wide support and participation of the community, Hong Kong is moving toward the goal of carbon reduction. I am pleased to see everyone joining the activities of Green WALK 2022 in support of a low-carbon lifestyle. Let’s walk for our climate and a zero-carbon future.

Ms. Phoebe Wong, Deputy Chief Executive, Senior Executive Director, Group Head of Personal Banking of Dah Sing Bank, remarked,

Dah Sing Bank is pleased to sponsor this meaningful campaign. It is a great initiative that allows us to engage our corporate clients, our colleagues and the public to reduce carbon by walking together for a green future. Meanwhile, through the ‘Dah Sing Bank 75th Anniversary Charity Challenge’, our five elite athlete ambassadors rallied public support to record over 250 million steps by the end of the campaign, well exceeding their individual targets of 750,000 steps which were met within a short time. Celebrating this achievement, Dah Sing Bank donated a total of HKD750,000 to five green charities chosen by our elite athlete ambassadors. Going forward, our Bank is committed to working hand in hand with members of our community towards environmental sustainability in Hong Kong, living up to our brand tagline, ‘Together we Progress and Prosper’.

Green WALK Hong Kong City Orienteering Competition cum Carnival

This year’s campaign centerpiece – the “City Orienteering Competition” – attracted close to 500 participants and featured additional green workshops that promoted green lifestyles to advocate environmental protection. Participants set off from VESSEL 01 in Kwun Tong in teams to venture on foot several neighbourhoods in East Kowloon, and were challenged to discover sightseeing spots for the highest “carbon reduction” score. The event encouraged participants to walk more, rewarding them with unique city attractions off the beaten path but easily accessible on foot.

A post-competition celebration ceremony was attended by guests including Mr. Tse Chin-wan, Secretary for Environment and Ecology; Mr. Chan Pak-wai, Assistant Director of the Hong Kong Observatory (Forecasting and Warning Services Branch); Mr. Robert Chan, Chairman of the Board of Governors of the WGO; Mr Albert Oung, Founder and President of the WGO; Dr. William Yu, CEO of the WGO; Ms. Phoebe Wong, Deputy Chief Executive, Senior Executive Director, Group Head of Personal Banking of Dah Sing Bank; Mr. Alex Fong, the ambassador of Green WALK, Mr. Wong Ho-chung and Ms. Yip Pui-yin, elite athlete ambassadors, and Creator of Din Dong, Mr. John Chan.

Green WALK Carbon Emissions Reduction Online Challenge

Members of the public together with various corporations and organisations participated in the Online Challenge by tracking their daily steps and carbon reduction index via WGO’s Green WALK HK app between the period from 4 August and 31 August last year, collectively achieving an equivalent carbon reduction record of over 60 tonnes* in carbon emissions for Hong Kong.

*Data provided by World Green Organisation

The Bank-sponsored “Dah Sing Bank 75th Anniversary Charity Challenge” was also a tremendous success. Campaign ambassador Mr. Alex Fong, along with four elite Hong Kong athletes – fencing champion Ms. Vivian Kong, trail runner Mr. Wong Ho-chung, badminton player Ms. Yip Pui-yin and Olympic swimmer Ms. Yvette Kong – served as carbon reduction team captains for the challenge, rallying the community to join their teams and support their designated charities (Team Alex Fong x A Drop of Life, Team Vivian Kong x Green Monday, Team Wong Ho-chung x Food Angel, Team Yip Pui-yin x EcoDrive and Team Yvette Kong x Redress). Each team quickly reached their respective goal of 750,000 accumulated steps within the first week of the campaign, and Dah Sing Bank presented HKD150,000 to each team’s designated charity, for a total donation of HKD750,000 to support Hong Kong’s evolution towards a sustainable future.

 

 

About Dah Sing Bank
Dah Sing Bank, Limited (“Dah Sing Bank”) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Dah Sing Banking Group Limited (HKG:2356) which is listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. Founded in Hong Kong 75 years ago, Dah Sing Bank has been providing quality banking products and services to our customers with a vision to be “The Local Bank with a Personal Touch”. Over the years, Dah Sing Bank has been rigorous in delivering on our brand promise to grow with our customers in Hong Kong, the Greater Bay Area and beyond – “Together We Progress and Prosper”. Building on our experience and solid foundation in the industry, Dah Sing Bank’s scope of professional services now spans retail banking, private banking, business and commercial banking. Meanwhile, Dah Sing Bank is also making significant investments in our digital banking capabilities to stay abreast with smart banking developments in Hong Kong and to support financial inclusion at large.

In addition to its Hong Kong banking operations, Dah Sing Bank also has wholly-owned subsidiaries including Dah Sing Bank (China) Limited, Banco Comercial de Macau, S.A., and OK Finance Limited. It is also a strategic shareholder of Bank of Chongqing with a shareholding of about 13%. Dah Sing Bank and its subsidiaries now have around 70 operating locations in Hong Kong, Macau and Mainland China.

About World Green Organisation
World Green Organisation (WGO) is a non-governmental organisation who is concerned with environmental conservation, environmental related livelihood and economic affairs by proposing an integrated, three-pronged solution that combines social, environmental, and economic aspects, leading to an environmental revolution. Through science-based policy research and community projects, WGO targets to enhance the quality of the environment, promote a greener economy, and to improve people’s livelihoods. Particularly focus on the social concerns of underprivileged groups and on the creation of a green economy to help realise its vision of sustainable development. For more information, please visit http://www.thewgo.org/.

For media enquiries, please contact:
Wasabi Creation Ltd.
Ms Antonia Wong                            Ms Jenny Lau
Tel:2811 4900 / 9484 4378            Tel:2811 4900 / 9040 0988
Email:antonia@wasabic.com.hk    Email:jenny@wasabic.com.hk

World Green Organisation
Dr. William Yu, Founder
Tel:2391-1693 / 9041-3527
Email:williamyu@thewgo.org

Please download the photos and captions of “Green WALK Hong Kong 2022 City Orienteering Competition cum Carnival” at the link: https://bit.ly/3GA4MyA

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