Funded by The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust, the Jockey Club BEAM Plus in Schools Project was launched in January 2020 to assist the school sector to reduce carbon footprint and to educate green building concepts to the teachers and students of the participating schools.

Organised by the Business Environment Council, co-organised by the Hong Kong Green Building Council and the BEAM Society Limited, this ground-breaking Project spanned over 45 months with 125 secondary and primary schools participating, accounting for around one-tenth of the total number of schools in Hong Kong. The Project scope consists of three major areas, namely:
1) Retrofitting of energy-efficient equipment such as Grade I Energy Label air-conditioners, LED lighting, solar window films, etc to reduce the carbon emissions at schools;
2) Organising education programmes for students to enhance their awareness and understanding of green building and sustainable living practices such as energy saving and water conservation;
3) Developing the brand new BEAM Plus Existing Schools Assessment Tool and conducting the related assessment for the schools. BEAM Plus is a leading and independent initiative in Hong Kong to assess the sustainability performance of buildings.

While the Project’s ultimate goal is to reduce 10% carbon emissions among the 125 participating schools, the purpose of incorporating education elements in the Project is to help the students understand the role of green building and the importance of energy saving to reduce carbon emissions, thus mitigating climate change. The students also had the chance to be involved in the BEAM Plus application to support their schools’ move towards green campuses. Ultimately, behavioural change in daily lives among the students could be induced. Moreover, secondary students also had the opportunity to deepen their understanding on the careers related to the green building industry, assisting them to make earlier life planning.

The case submitted here for this Award will mainly focus on the education programmes launched in the Project, which is organised by the Hong Kong Green Building Council.

Assessment Method:

The education activities outlined in the Primary Programme were also carried out for Secondary students, but with different sets of training kit materials tailored to their learning needs and levels. As the same training approach was adopted, no formal assessment was developed. However, same as the primary sector, a set of student worksheets for Junior and Senior Secondary levels were developed to reinforce students’ learning.

Meanwhile, a special student activity, the Green Building Student Ambassador Programme, was launched specifically for secondary students from the participating schools. A learning outcome sharing session was conducted at the end of the Student Ambassador Programme, during which industry experts were invited to evaluate the tasks carried out by the Ambassadors at their schools and to share insights.

Programs for Implementing the Curriculum:

The Green Building Student Ambassador Programme was designed for those students who were keen to gain more in-depth knowledge about green building and sustainability, with the goal of nurturing them to be the leaders of tomorrow.

After taking part in the in-class training conducted by the teachers, the students, in general, had acquired some basic understanding on green building and energy efficiency. The teachers then nominated the students with potential to join the Student Ambassador Programme. Collectively, over 150 Student Ambassadors in Form 3 to Form 5 from over 30 secondary schools were recruited.
A series of workshops were arranged covering a versatile of topics from hardcore green building knowledge to soft skills such as presentation skills, design thinking and creative idea expression, etc. After attending the workshops, the Student Ambassadors were expected to represent their schools to present the green features of their schools to other visitors or guests at open day or external events.

Training Programme of Student Ambassador Programme:

How is effectiveness of the curriculum measured:

The Student Ambassadors who had over 80% attendance in the training series would receive a Certificate of Achievement, enriching their personal profile for further study.

A survey was conducted to collect the feedback from the Student Ambassadors about joining this Programme from three major perspectives, namely “Knowledge”, “Attitude” and “Behaviour”. These three perspectives were interconnected. They could impact students’ actions towards sustainability practices eventually.

1. KNOWLEDGE – address if the Student Ambassador Programme can enhance their hardcore and soft skill knowledge:
88% students have enhanced knowledge on technical skills related to carbon reduction and soft skills on presentation.
2. ATTITUDE – address if the Student Ambassador Programme can enhance students’ interest in green building:
87% students expressed interest to learn more about BEAM Plus assessment tool.
3. BEHAVIOUR – address if the Student Ambassdor Programme can induce students behavioural change:
86% student would promote green features of their schools to members of the public.

Product Examples:

The training materials for secondary schools are here for reference:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1xsWgBxOeW_b9wmIjb43s2A99KGJbmm2t?usp=sharing

A highlight video on the Green Building Student Ambassador Programme: