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Spotlights In Causeway Bay

Sep 20th, 2008
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SCMP | 20 September 2008

I was dismayed to see extremely bright spotlights outside Windsor House, in Causeway Bay, which is currently under renovation.

Those spotlights are so bright that basically the whole area is lit up and it is difficult to tell the difference between day and night.

Maybe that is why we call Hong Kong the city that never sleeps.

I fail to understand why whoever is responsible for this has decided to use such bright lights, as there are no adverts on the wall being lit up. The spotlights are environmentally unfriendly and cause light pollution, which must affect people living in that part of Causeway Bay.

Stephen Leung, North Point

Pollution To Rob Festival Moon Of Magic

Aug 18th, 2008
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The Standard – Monday, August 18, 2008 – Grace Tsoi

Hong Kong has become 1,000 times brighter than countries such as the United States, a problem which stargazers say may rob the full moon of some of its magic during the Mid-Autumn Festival.

According to research by the Hong Kong Astronomical Society, light pollution in the territory is so serious that only the brightest objects such as Venus can be seen. But not only light pollution is lowering Hong Kongers’ chances of enjoying a bright full moon – there is also the matter of air pollution.

Instead of a clear dazzling full moon, what may be seen is a “yellow” moon, according to astronomy consultant Ricky Tsui Lik-to. It is not a “normal moon,” he said, adding the moon’s natural color as seen from Earth is white, but pollutants in the air act like a filter, giving it a yellow tinge.

His advise for people wanting to watch a dazzling white moon is to switch off unnecessary lights. Stargazers also said switching off the lights can lower emissions of greenhouse gases, which are the culprits behind global warming.

The Tai Po Environmental Association and Kadoorie Farm and Botanical Garden have started a “Lights-off Moon-on” drive in which people are encouraged to switch off decorative lights. The association said people can contribute toward reducing emissions by switching to fluorescent lights. It said a household using five compact fluorescent lamps can reduce emissions by 0.1 tonnes a year. The commercial sector, according to the association, can also do more by switching off lights, especially on billboards when they are not in use.

The group said a 3,000-watt bulb switched off for three hours each day over a year can reduce carbon dioxide emission by one tonne.

Light Pollution in Nathan Road

Jul 27th, 2008
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Residents need help with light pollution in Nathan Road

Updated on Jul 27, 2008 – SCMP

I refer to the report (“Shedding light on a hot topic”, July 20), about the light-pollution problem caused by the flashing neon on Nathan Road.

While smoking is banned in public areas, our government does not put much effort into curbing the light-pollution problem.

The Times Square incident regarding public space indicated that there is no precise definition of a public area even if it is written on a well-drafted contract.

From my point of view, a public area does not simply refer to the area itself, but also to the quality of the air at that location, as this is air we all have to breathe.

I remember when I was studying economics at university, our professor told us that there is usually a divergence between private cost and social cost.

By that he meant that businesses do not have any incentive to take into account the interests of the public when they are making corporate decisions.

In the case of Nathan Road, residents have undoubtedly been adversely affected by the array of flashing neon lights.

Unfortunately, there is nothing residents can do unless they get government support.

Officials recognise that air pollution is a problem.

Why can’t they take the next step and deal with other forms of pollution?

Mike Lam Chun-wa, Tai Kok Tsui

Neon-Liberalism

Jul 24th, 2008
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Updated on Jul 24, 2008 – SCMP

Urban Hong Kong is one supersized billboard. Is anyone bothered? This city has always had many neon signs hanging along the busiest roads. Photos to promote tourism show these streets and Hong Kong’s buzz of activity. Owners compete by putting up bigger signs. Building owners are paid for allowing advertising; this has been seen as “normal” for the city’s commercial life.

In reality, putting up signage has been poorly regulated, even though signs can cause injuries if they should fall – indeed, one advertising sign crashed to the ground recently, killing a passer-by. No one in authority or political life seems too concerned about this overall state of affairs, however.

The smaller signs jutting out from buildings along narrow, busy streets are one thing, but the massive advertising signs that go on buildings and walls, and on top of buildings, are probably some of the largest in the world. There has been a quiet revolution in recent years; they have grown ever larger due to technological advances that allow advertising graphics to be enlarged to cover the side of a whole building.

You cannot escape several large signs hawking famous brands, when going up Cotton Tree Drive, for example. Building owners who are property developers like to place giant advertisements for new properties on their existing buildings.

Take the Cheung Kong Center in Central – an expensive building on Queen’s Road. On one side of the building, the developer has created a permanent structure to hold a large advertising sign to sell its new properties. Likewise, China Building, further down the road, also has advertising wrapped round one side of it. Thus, aesthetics and taste must take a backseat to the opportunity for a hard sell.

When the Ritz Carlton Hotel closed, the owners allowed a giant advertising sign, for men’s underwear, to cover one whole side of the building, and the owners of the Mandarin Oriental didn’t want to lose the opportunity to earn a few dollars, allowing a sizable sign for women’s cosmetics to go up for a few months while the hotel was renovated.

When we look across the harbour from either side, one unmistakable aspect is the multitude of massive signs, flashing their brand names, on top of many buildings. Some show moving images and light up even during the day, so you can’t miss them. That is the point, of course.

Whether massive, big or small, these advertising signs also consume a lot of electricity when lit. A scarce resource – energy – is being wasted. Moreover, Hong Kong uses electricity to advertise itself. The evening light show has become famous with tourists. Traders can afford to do so because the world is not yet pricing energy appropriately, and material consumption is good for business.

At various times, critical voices have been heard against either the subject matter of some adverts – such as emaciated, seemingly just assaulted, female models selling fashion items, or on environmental grounds; using energy causes pollution and exacerbates climate change. There have also been longstanding complaints from some residents, whose comfort and sleep is disturbed by glaring billboards and flashing lights.

Government officials, politicians and business leaders essentially take a commercial view that the city’s lights are part of promoting Hong Kong. When a sign falls off and hits some unfortunate soul, there are whispers that something may need to be done to fasten them more securely. But there is no discussion about whether things have got out of hand altogether.

Many people are bothered; it’s just that there hasn’t been a comprehensive look at the many disturbing aspects of “billboard” Hong Kong. A thunderbolt may come from outside. Remember how upset our leaders were when a tourist guidebook put a hazy picture of Hong Kong on its cover and talked about our air pollution? What if we were voted the most energy-wasteful city?

Christine Loh Kung-wai is chief executive of the think-tank Civic Exchange

cloh@civic-exchange.org

Clock Ticking On Pollution Bomb

Jul 23rd, 2008
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Spending now on energy-saving initiatives will have long-term benefits for businesses, their customers and the city

May George – SCMP – Updated on Jul 23, 2008

Rajendra Pachauri, chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, warned recently that only seven years remained for stabilising emissions of global-warming gases at a level that could be considered safe. The head of the United Nations’ panel of climate scientists asked the European Union to lead the way in global talks on tackling climate change.

In Hong Kong there are no caps on carbon dioxide emissions because there is no legislation forcing individuals and businesses to act. Ask a Hongkonger what he or she cites as the most immediate environmental problem in the city and most likely it won’t be global warming – instead it will be air pollution.

Richard Welford, deputy director of the corporate environmental governance programme at University of Hong Kong and a founder and chairman of non-profit organisation CSR Asia, said air pollution was very much linked to climate change, which was an immediate problem.

Many companies in Hong Kong and the mainland are not only looking for ways to reduce their own carbon emissions, but are also looking at the huge business opportunities available in the environmental arena.

“There are some great business opportunities in Hong Kong and in the Asia region to help the mainland, which is dealing a lot of the time with old machinery, to become more energy efficient,” said Edwin Lau Che-feng, director of Friends of the Earth Hong Kong.

“There is good potential for businesses. Energy efficiency technology is a very practical way to help companies and households become more environmentally friendly and to save costs.”

Local companies have turned to manufacturing LED lighting, small and large wind turbines, and flower pots made from starch and bamboo rather than plastic, to name just a few of the initiatives. While the majority of this is being exported to European and North American markets, it shows that Hong Kong companies have cottoned on to the money that can be made out of the environment.

Never slow to see a market opportunity, banks and financial institutions generally are also trading carbon emissions. Some, such as Goldman Sachs, treat them the same as any other commodity on the market.

The big boon for the environment has been the sharp upturn in the price of oil, making renewable energy – which up until now was seen as a somewhat expensive alternative – more palatable.

“The first step with climate change, is to reduce energy use,” Professor Welford said. “And, with energy becoming expensive, it’s a win-win situation. Companies need to start measuring what their carbon emissions are.

“Very few Hong Kong companies are doing this. It’s relatively easy – you basically look at all your energy consumption and then multiply it by a number that results in your carbon emissions.

“Once they have measured their carbon emissions, then they will know what they need to start reducing.

“Most companies run a one electricity bill system, so they don’t know where their energy efficiency improvements are. They need to do a carbon/energy audit.”

At the same time, as individuals are being urged to switch their lights and computers off when they are not using them and not to idle their car engines – preferably not to have cars at all – companies are seeing the dollar signs involved in creating environmentally friendly offices and green buildings, saving the firm money but also making them more attractive to their customers.

One company which caught on to this phenomenon early is Sino Property Services (SPS), a property management arm of the Sino Group. Sunny Yeung Kwong, associate director of Sino Group and head of SPS, described how Sino Plaza commercial building in Causeway Bay recently won a gold award for energy saving from the government’s Electrical and Mechanical Services Department.

“Four years ago we changed from an air-cooled air-conditioner system to a water-cooled air-conditioner system. We paid HK$5million for it, but every year we are saving and we see it as a very exciting example of what can be done that we want to share with others,” Mr Yeung said.

The water-cooled air-conditioning system saves 40 per cent of energy consumption and is saving Sino Property HK$1million in electricity bills per year.

Other initiatives touted by Sino Property include a recently launched Green Academy, the first of its kind in the property industry. One hundred green ambassadors of the company are commissioned to promote green management and awareness to the public throughout the 180 Sino-managed properties. The target is to provide comprehensive energy saving and environmental training to more than 6,700 property management employees, plus Sino Property’s business partners, clients and tenants.

Other green building initiatives introduced by Sino Property have included replacing more than 10,000 sets of fluorescent lamps, saving between 30 and 45 per cent of the electricity used in the process. Sino also replaced 4,000 sets of its conventional exit light boxes with LED type boxes last year, saving 80 per cent of the electricity used.

“In Hong Kong, we do have this Building Environmental Assessment Method standard, which is completely voluntary,” Professor Welford said.

“What’s happened in Singapore is that they have taken those voluntary standards and insisted on having them, and I think that is something that Hong Kong could look towards.

“[In Singapore] you don’t get building permission until you can show that your building is energy efficient. So that means building in proper energy systems, windows that reflect light and solar energy.

“Singapore does have its own climate change strategy. And they are doing things that the Hong Kong government ought to be doing, including requiring buildings to be energy efficient. So all new buildings will have to live up to a certain standard of energy efficiency [otherwise you won’t get building permission]. Now that’s a very tangible thing that could be done in Hong Kong.”

He said that developers, such as Swire Properties, were putting energy efficiency in place.

“Pacific Place Three is a good example of this.”

Another plus point of green buildings, as signified by some of the programmes introduced by Sino Group and Swire Properties, is that customers look for quality when looking where to put their shops.

“On the one hand it costs more money [to make it a green building], but on the other you get a better quality building which you can rent out for more money, because there are firms now that say `we want these and we will pay for it’. They are better managed in terms of recycling programmes and air-conditioning.

“And there are better companies out there, like Marks & Spencer, who will pay a higher premium for a better quality building.

“So there are costs, but you can get a better revenue, by having [those costs],” Professor Welford said.

While climate change is a massive issue for the world, Professor Welford said it was not just up to businesses and lethargic governments to effect change in this region. “We’ve got to put pressure on individuals. Pushing business is only part of the solution. [We’ve got to push individuals] and make them look at their own habits. Getting people to switch lights off, switch air-conditioning off, switch computers off. Individuals don’t want to discomfort themselves,” he said.

There’s seven years to go to safely tackle climate change, according to the UN’s chief climate change researcher – and the clock is ticking.

Shedding Light On A Hot Topic

Jul 20th, 2008
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A night tour of Nathan Road discovers the array of flashing neon is not as cool as it might appear.

Yau Chui-yan – Updated on Jul 20, 2008 – SCMP

Twenty people gather in Nathan Road and look up at the same flashing advertising sign for a minute.

The 20, all from different professions, none of whom know each other, have joined a “Nathan Road tour” with the same purpose – to see the world famous thoroughfare’s dazzling array of neon signs.

They are trying to count the flickering frequency of a four-storey advertising sign. Some estimate that the sign is flickering 10 times a minute, others 20 times, but most give up early because the sign is too bright to look at for a whole 60 seconds.

When told that the flickering frequency is 40 times a minute, the group is amazed. “How do you live next to a flickering light like this?” is the common response.

The first stop on the tour is St Andrew’s church on Nathan Road in Tsim Sha Tsui. The group stands next to the church, which is dimly lit. They are told that there are regulations governing the lighting used on important buildings in countries like Britain.

“There are stars, in Tsim Sha tsui,” one group member says in amazement pointing at the sky. “The weather is much cooler than we expect,” another says.

But after leaving the church area, there are no more stars to be seen, just the flashing advertising signs.

The first blow is a big advertising box located at the intersection of Nathan and Austin roads.

“The lighting of the advertising box made me feel so hot,” says Leung Pak-wai, a social work student. His friend Cheung Siu-shan, a geography student, agrees.

According to Elsie Yuen Oi-chi, the group’s escort from Friends of the Earth, the difference in temperature between the city and rural areas is 10 to 12 degrees Celsius. “These advertisements contribute to the temperature,” Ms Yuen says. “When 1 watt of electricity is consumed, 1.3 watts will be consumed to use an air conditioner to lower the temperature.”

Light pollution and energy wastage from flashing advertising signs is not a new topic in Hong Kong. The situation has become serious since Kai Tak airport closed in 1998 and restrictions on blinking lights were relaxed.

From January last year to June this year, the Environmental Protection Department received 67 complaints about external lighting. The department’s response is to advise the management firm or owners of the lighting to reduce the intensity or adjust the angle of spot lamps to minimise the impact on nearby residents.

The government also issued letters last September to chambers of commerce and trade associations appealing for their support in reducing unnecessary lighting and using more energy-efficient lights.

However, what is still missing is legislation directed at light pollution.

Friends of the Earth tried to highlight the problem last month with its “dim light” campaign, in which some building owners agreed to turn off their lights for one night.

James To Kun-sun, a Democrat lawmaker representing Kowloon West, has had complaints from people living in the district.

“There is no such legislation and affected people have no way to ask for help,” Mr To says.

“Also, in some cases, the main tenant, who owns the rights to the outer area of the building, will pay some of the affected residents as compensation. This also complicates the issue.”

He has tabled questions in the Legislative Council a few times, but his request for legislation on light pollution has not received a positive response from the government.

“I don’t understand,” he says. “The government didn’t even want to research this topic. Maybe the government thinks this is business operation and the number of people affected is small.”

Mr To may be right. To most people in the city, flashing lights are advertising and nothing more.

Cathy Yu Sin-ping used to be one of those people, but she changed her mind after inspecting the flashing light boxes close up.

“At first I felt this was remote and nothing to do with me,” says Ms Yu, who spends her daylight hours working as a clerk

“After this tour, I now understand the meaning of `those who have more power create more destruction’.”

Walking along Nathan Road, Ms Yu found it was most comfortable in Yau Ma Tei, because that is the section with the fewest advertising signs.

“It is much cooler,” she said.

The group agrees that the neon signs have a powerful advertising impact. However, they started to wonder at the wastage while looking at a blank advertising sign shining brightly.

“It is understandable that businessmen want to have better exposure by having an advertisement. But is there a need to switch on all the lights?” Ms Yu asks, while looking at a building in Mong Kok, which has about 70 lights shining brightly. When the tour gets moving again, there is discussion about Hong Kong’s well-worn image as the sparkling, brightly-lit Pearl of the Orient.

“I think that image is a construction, because there are lots of lights shining across the harbour,” says Mr Leung, the social work student, who plans to bring a friend on a Nathan Road tour.

“But I believe it is not necessary for this to be the image of Hong Kong. It can be something else. We have to think about it,” he adds, to general agreement.

Government Should Raise Energy-Saving Awareness

Jul 20th, 2008
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Updated on Jul 20, 2008 – SCMP

Neon lights and bright advertising signs are what give tourist districts such as Tsim Sha Tsui their distinct character. Visitors are dazzled by the lights. But understandably, many people who live in these places feel differently about the heat they generate and the light that shines into their homes at night. Light pollution is not comparable to air pollution in terms of the direct health risks it poses to the public. Nevertheless, it is increasingly commanding attention because of the serious nuisance it causes to residents.

It also has a direct link to air pollution and energy wastage. Government figures from last year show that between 1997 and 2004, total energy consumption jumped by 25 per cent even though our population only increased by 4.3 per cent during the period. Now, the government is handing out HK$3,600 to 2.4 million households to subsidise electricity bills. While this provides help to the needy, many families that will benefit are affluent and do not need the money. Furthermore, the exercise will spur people to use more electricity. People will feel freer to turn on lights and keep them on for longer – in short, more energy consumption, more burning of coal from our two power companies and, therefore, more pollution.

Green group Friends of the Earth has been calling attention to the problem of light pollution. This includes taking people on tours along Nathan Road to see for themselves the extent of the problem. This is a valuable public service because there is a need to educate people and raise awareness. With such efforts, there have also been calls for legislation. But the legislative route should only be pursued when there is an overwhelming public interest at stake. It is not clear this is the case. Businesses require signs to attract customers at night, and whether a sign is too bright is usually a subjective judgment. Nathan Road, in any case, would not be what it is without the cacophony of noise and light. The way forward should be for the government to step up campaigns to tell people and businesses not to be wasteful with excessive lights. It certainly has an educational responsibility to encourage the public to conserve energy after deciding to dole out its ill-advised electricity subsidy.

We Must Act On Light Pollution

Jul 8th, 2008
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Updated on Jul 08, 2008 – SCMP

Light pollution has become one of the biggest concerns for scientists and environmentalists. Hong Kong has glittering neon billboards and glaring domestic lights.

This is an issue which concerns us all.

Excessive illumination means that a lot of energy is being wasted and this is a form of pollution. Such a rapid depletion of energy sources brings us a step closer to having an energy crisis. This is a global issue and it should not just concern environmentalists. We should all be worried about what is happening.

We can deal with this problem by utilising light sources more effectively. More than 70 per cent of the lighting in Hong Kong is not used appropriately, because we have developed bad habits. In our flats we leave a light on when nobody is in the room.

Also the government uses high pressure sodium lamps which makes things worse. Just switching off a light when it is not needed can help.

The government can also play a vital role in assisting the public to limit the amount of light used by passing an ordinance controlling the use of illumination systems. For example, the neon advertisements should be dimmed to soft lights after 10pm and any violation of this law should lead to a fine.

This change in the law should be undertaken as soon as possible so that wastage of energy is reduced to a minimum.

It is no easy task to solve our pollution problems, but we must act as soon as possible. We must all try to do our bit and help, for the sake of our planet.

Shirley Kong, Kwai Chung

Lights-Out Campaign

Jun 23rd, 2008
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Hong Kong skyscrapers join Asia’s major lights-out campaign

Monday, 23 June 2008

Over a hundred buildings in Hong Kong, including some landmark skyscrapers, joined at least 70 other cities across Asia to turn their lights off for an hour on Saturday evening in a major lights-out campaign.

Wim Chang and Kimmie Yip had a lights-out period of half an hour at their wedding ceremony on Saturday night, which the couple said was just as romantic.

“The guests will have no difficulty relating a wedding ceremony in the dark with the romance of the first night,” said Chang, the bridegroom who had studied climate change for his masters degree in the United Kingdom and started recording his own carbon emission since July last year with the aim of reducing it.

Chang, who was born in Taiwan, China, said he felt for the south Pacific islanders after seeing photos of rising water marks on the south Pacific island Tuvalu.

Guests at the wedding could only light a few candles during the lights-out.

Hahn Chu Hon-keung, environmental affairs manager of environmental group Friends of the Earth, said at least 142 buildings on both sides of Hong Kong’s famous Victoria Harbour had their lights out for an hour starting from 8:30 p.m., including landmarks such as the city’s highest skyscraper International Finance Centre II.

The Bank of China Tower, HSBC Headquarters, the Legislative Council, the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre and the Time Square on the Hong Kong Island, the Brand Hong Kong dragon logo neon and the Olympic Rings in Tsim Sha Tsui, and many government buildings also joined the campaign by dimming at least the decorative lightings.

Hundreds of people had a lights-out party at Charter Garden on the Island, with some turning off environmental flash lights as they counted down to the lights-out.

The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government also participated in the campaign by dimming lights at dozens of government buildings and cancelling a famous neon lighting show that involved numerous skyscrapers on both sides of the harbour.

Chu said the campaign was the biggest lights out event ever held in Hong Kong, adding that it was a concerted demonstration against climate change and air pollution and calling on the public the join the campaign.

At least 70 other cities across Asia, including the Chinese mainland, China’s Taiwan and Japan as well as South Korea, also joined the campaign, he said.

Hong Kong’s Nightly Neon Blaze

Jun 21st, 2008
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City needs more enlightened approach to nightly neon blaze

Updated on Jun 21, 2008 – SCMP

The brighter the lights in our city and the longer they shine, the hotter and dirtier it will become. Excessive use of lighting for shops, advertising billboards and building decorations is fast becoming the norm, creating a new kind of pollution, known as light pollution. This affects the view of the night sky; it wastes energy; adds more pollution to our atmosphere; and creates a light nuisance that affects the daily life of some residents.

According to government figures, our per capita average consumption of electricity on lighting alone increased by 10 per cent between 1997 and 2005, while the population increase for the same period was only 4.9 per cent. This points to the wasteful and exaggerated manner we now light the so-called Pearl of the Orient and, as a direct result, we are covering it with a layer of smog for most of the time.

Any evening stroll along either Nathan Road or in Causeway Bay, the busiest nighttime shopping areas in Hong Kong, will demonstrate this: extreme brightness of lighting for billboards, shops and building decorations – to the extent that some of them even shine throughout the entire night when most of us are sleeping. Readings at street level under some illuminated billboards are equivalent to a fine day, or three times as bright as Sha Tin Racecourse during evening races.

Currently with no legislation to prevent light pollution and light nuisance, if your bedroom is lit at night by an outdoor advertising spotlight, any complaint to the government will get you nothing but frustration.

Friends of the Earth (HK) recently launched the Dim it 6.21 Lights Out campaign, which aims to persuade each of us to conserve energy by taking small steps in the home or workplace. Switching off the lights in the city for an hour won’t achieve great savings, even with support involving 100 buildings and billboards. However, we want to spread a clear message to all sectors of the community that this city has been wasting a lot of energy.

There will be a Lights Out evening show at Chater Garden, Central, tonight, from 8pm, with various kinds of performance to promote the Lights Out theme. All are welcome.

Edwin Lau, director, Friends of the Earth

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