“ESG Pioneer – Farm-to-Community Project” for Students Completes Successfully

Environmental, social and governance (ESG) knowledge should form part of Hong Kong youth’s future skills development, according to the Hong Kong Association of Banks (HKAB).

HKAB partnered with the Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups (HKFYG) in October to launch the “ESG Pioneer – Farm-to-Community Project” (the Project), which allowed school educators and students to dig into the rich experiential learning opportunity offered by local organic farms.  Through this project, close to 300 students from 18 primary and secondary schools gained first-hand experience about the agricultural industry and explored ESG best practices in daily life.

Speaking at the closing ceremony yesterday, Luanne LIM, Chairperson, the Hong Kong Association of Banks, said, “ESG has become an inextricable part of how banks do business.  We are pleased to be able to enrich our students’ real-world learning experience and help them discover future careers, especially in the ESG fields.  I would like to thank the Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups, our NGO partner, participating schools and volunteers from member banks.  The banking industry will continue to work with different stakeholders to build a sustainable future for everyone.”

WONG Kam-sing, Secretary for the Environment, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Luanne LIM, and WAN Man-yee, President, the Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups, officiated at the closing ceremony.  Representatives from the participating schools and banks also shared their takeaways from the project and expressed strong interest to continue to promote ESG in schools.

Students were invited to visit the HKFYG Organic Farm to learn farm operation, sustainable farming principles, biodiversity and ecosystem.  Forty participants were nominated to receive in-depth training and organise three “ESG Community Promotion Booths” in Fanling, Yuen Long and Tsuen Wan.

The project also supported the development of specific ESG learning materials for students, which is expected to be the first teaching material of its kind in Hong Kong.