The Action Blue Sky Campaign is an environmental campaign in Hong Kong

Hong Kong

Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...

, organised by the Environmental Protection Department

Environmental Protection Department

Environmental Protection Department is a department of Hong Kong Government concerning the issues of environmental protection in Hong Kong.-History:...

, to clean up the city's air pollution

Air pollution in Hong Kong

Air pollution in Hong Kong is considered a serious problem. Visibility is currently less than eight kilometres for 30% of the year. Cases of asthma and bronchial infections have soared in recent years due to reduced air quality....

. It was officially launched by Chief Executive

Chief Executive of Hong Kong

The Chief Executive of Hong Kong is the President of the Executive Council of Hong Kong and head of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. The position was created to replace the Governor of Hong Kong, who was the head of the Hong Kong government during British rule...

 Donald Tsang

Donald Tsang

Sir Donald Tsang Yam-kuen, GBM, KBE is the current Chief Executive and President of the Executive Council of the Government of Hong Kong....

 on 2006-07-25. According to a press release of the Hong Kong government

Government of Hong Kong

The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China, commonly the Hong Kong Government, is led by the Chief Executive as Head of the Government, who is also the head of the Hong Kong SAR...

, its campaign slogan in Chinese

Chinese language

The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...

 is "全城投入　為藍天打氣" (All of the city participate to fight for a blue sky), while its campaign slogan in English

English language

English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...

 is "Clean Air for a Cool Hong Kong!" The campaign hopes to win support from the public as well as the business community, including those businesses investing in the Pearl River Delta Region

Pearl River Delta

The Pearl River Delta , Zhujiang Delta or Zhusanjiao in Guangdong province, People's Republic of China is the low-lying area surrounding the Pearl River estuary where the Pearl River flows into the South China Sea...

.

Public service announcements

The Action Blue Sky Campaign features two 30-second public service announcement

Public service announcement

A public service announcement or public service ad is a type of advertisement featured on television, radio, print or other media...

s on television and radio. Dr. Sarah Liao

Sarah Liao

Dr. Sarah Liao Sau-tung, GBS, MBE, JP, FRSC was former Secretary for the Environment, Transport and Works of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and a member of the Executive Council of Hong Kong 2002...

, Secretary for the Environment, Transport and Works

Secretary for the Environment, Transport and Works

The Secretary for the Environment, Transport and Works , who heads the Environment, Transport and Works Bureau of the Hong Kong Government, is responsible for public works projects, transport related issues and environmental protection...

, appears in the public service announcements, speaking about regional co-operation to fight air pollution, and how each individual can help improve air quality. These public service announcements were first previewed at the launch ceremony of the campaign.

Planned activities

Many activities are planned to push the environmental goals of the Action Blue Sky Campaign, including:

• Beginning in August 2006, exhibitions with quiz booths are set up in 18 districts, educating the public about air pollution.
• The Advisory Committee on the Environment will be holding a workshop in September, inviting green groups and academics to discuss and review objectives to improve air quality.
• The Environmental Campaign Committee will be working with District Councils
  District Council of Hong Kong
  The District Councils, formerly District Boards until 1999, are the local councils for the 18 Districts of Hong Kong. Under the supervision of Home Affairs Bureau of the Hong Kong Government, they are consultative bodies on district administration and affairs.- History :In 1982, under the...
  
   and green groups to reinforce green messages to the public, encouraging people to take various measures to save energy and improve air quality.
• The Environmental Campaign Committee will also be giving out the Hong Kong Eco-business Award in September. It is hoped that the Eco-business Award will compel the business community to take an active role in improving air quality. A seminar will also be held in November 2006 to showcase best environmental practices for the business community.
• A number of initiatives involving schools will be held to educate students on air pollution issues and encourage them to improve air quality. The Hong Kong Green School Awards and the Hong Kong Green Pre-School Awards will be given in September. The Student Environmental Protection Ambassadors Scheme will be launched in October 2006 to promote green messages at schools. School-based competitions are to be organised to educate students about air pollution.

External links

• Action Blue Sky Campaign information from the Environmental Protection Department
• Action Blue Sky Campaign blog
• Press release on the launching of the Action Blue Sky Campaign