At the opening of the 18th CPC National Congress, then general secretary Hu Jintao said that the theory of Scientific Outlook on Development is the most important achievement of the CPC in the past decade and it has become a theoretical guidance for the Party. The concept has championed people's interests and advocated comprehensive, coordinated and sustainable development. Hong Kong must learn from the Scientific Outlook on Development for our own business growth.

Hong Kong can develop into a sustainable city that will be a good reference for the mainland as it develops its own sustainable cities. Some world famous architects have participated in large-scale infrastructure and construction projects on the mainland, and Hong Kong should not miss this chance to replicate the sustainable city experience in our own development.

In order to make Hong Kong a sustainable city, holistic supports must be sought from all stakeholders including the government, academics, chambers, corporations and NGOs, etc. Hong Kong Awards for Environmental Excellence, supported by the HKSAR government and business and industrial chambers, has been run for several years. The award aims to encourage businesses and organizations to adopt green management and green innovations, as well as to present them with an opportunity to benchmark their commitment towards environmental excellence.

Last year, the silver award winner project "MTR Western Island Line - Sheung Wan to Sai Ying Pun Tunnel" demonstrated its management commitment on reducing the environmental impact by introducing new technologies, such as high performance noise enclosure and slurry treatment plant at the construction site. So far, social pressure arising from noise disturbances are minimal and it helps MTR tremendously to complete the Western Island Line on time in 2015.

New stringent Air Quality Objectives (AQOs) will be in place in 2014. The new AQOs will strengthen air quality improvement measures and help to combat air pollution, improve the quality of life, reduce public medical health cost and indirectly increase labor productivity.

In Hong Kong, buildings account for about 90 percent of the total electricity consumption. If building energy efficiency is improved, it will reduce the city's greenhouse gas emissions. Currently, developers do not pay enough attention to sustainability. We are lagging behind other countries in the awareness and the technology.

Sustainability or green building is a concept comprising a wide spectrum of features, including the most basic ones such as sky gardens, green roofs, natural ventilation, natural lighting to the more sophisticated ones like grey water recycling and heat exchange. According to the definition of the US Environmental Protection Agency, green building is the practice of creating structures and using processes that are environmentally responsible and resource-efficient throughout a building's life-cycle.

Although there is no clear energy policy for Hong Kong, the HKSAR government is implementing piecemeal energy efficiency policies for buildings. The Construction Industry Council, in collaboration with the SAR government, has developed the first 14,700 square-meter Zero Carbon Building (ZCB) in Hong Kong as a showcase of eco-building design and technologies. Indeed, ZCB, a practical scientific development story, showcases how low carbon materials and technologies are used effectively.

In reality the HK$390 million Buildings Energy Efficiency Funding Schemes is only estimated to cover the upgrade of 6,000 buildings' common areas, the SAR government should be urged to intensify its commitment to energy efficiency by regulation even with the newly enacted Energy Efficiency Ordinance in September 2012.

The SAR government is anticipated to focus on revitalizing old neighborhoods, rather than building carbon neutral buildings. Under the great demand on commercial and residential units, we should promote these new green building technology standards to the construction industries by introducing more incentives. Shouldn't CY Leung's team give us the urban revitalization master plan to make Hong Kong as the most desirable sustainable city to live? It is a good challenge for the SAR government to maintain social harmony throughout the planning, consultation and implementation stages of the urban revitalization master plan.

The author is president of Innovation and Technology Association.

(HK Edition 12/14/2012 page3)