The Green Deck construction was proposed and initiated by Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) to solve issues like traffic congestion, poor air quality, lack of public space, and depressed neighborhoods in Hung Hom district and in Hong Kong. Since it was initiated, positive responses have been received from the communities, District Council, and the Government. In 2020, with funding from The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust (香港賽馬會慈善信託基金), a Project Development Study for the Green Deck project was started.

The Green Deck will improve traffic flow, revitalize the community, promote green living, enhance air quality, beautify the urban landscape, and reduce the heat island effect. With its panoramic view of Victoria Harbour and connection to Tsim Sha Tsui East waterfront, it will boost tourism. The project creates green, cultural, and knowledge corridors, revitalizes the city center, and establishes barrier-free pedestrian walkways. Its proximity to the Wan Chai Convention and Exhibition Centre allows for various promotional and exchange activities. Therefore, The Research Centre for ESG at HSUHK and Youth Innovation Development Charity are sponsoring the Youth ESG Competition on Green Deck  (the Green Deck Competition) to raise awareness of this prosperous project among Hong Kong students.

Through this Green Deck Competition, we aim to help students gain a deeper knowledge of green finance, ESG integration, and KOL broadcasting skills through the training we provide. A very special feature of this competition is to train ALL student participants to become an ” Environmental Elite”. We strongly believe that having this experience can enhance students’ personal development and open more career paths for them. Due to global warming, almost every business sector and all walks of life are affected by climate change. Therefore, no matter what areas of study (i.e, Science, Arts, and BAFS) you are pursuing in high school, understanding environmental concepts and how our society can be benefited by infrastructure projects such as the Green Deck are essential to prepare for your future career and to determine your undergraduate major when entering universities.

Furthermore, we hope to cultivate secondary school students who complete our training programs to become an “Environmental Elite” so that they can respond to the rising needs of society and the business world. By joining this competition, we believe that students can also broaden their horizons and establish connections with industry professionals and college elites.

You will receive a lot of benefits by joining this competition. First, we have a lot of great prizes including cash rewards, trophies, and certificates. Moreover, you get the chance to mingle with senior executives from various industries such as the Big 4(accounting), asset management, consumer and retail, professional organizations, and NGOs. This will provide students with career development opportunities to help them explore their future career paths and choose majors in college.

Most importantly, we provide extensive training covering ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance), environmental knowledge, green finance, KOL-styled broadcasting, public speaking, and more for participants to become “Environmental Elite (環保精英)” by the end of the competition. During the competition, students may accumulate points through participating in our training program including lectures, seminars, and coaching programs to get higher ranks in our ranking system. We hope this can be a strong motivation for you to join the competition. Even if you do not win an award in the end, the training and the coaching you receive during the competition will transform you into an “Environmental Elite”. So, in the end, everybody wins.