Stamp Sheetlet of "Mainland Scenery Series No. 9: Fujian Tulou"
Hongkong Post's philatelic products, including picture cards, first day covers and souvenir covers, are all printed using environmentally-friendly paper. All stamps are printed on paper manufactured from base paper made by an ISO 14001 certified company, a standard which guarantees that an environmental management system is in operation at the mill. The stamp paper is made with Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) approved pulp, sourced from forests that operate with strict FSC environmental guidelines, and is suitable for recycling. It is manufactured under the European Community Eco-Management and Audit Scheme, designed to help organisations manage and improve their performance in environmental protection.
A special stamp sheetlet entitled "Mainland Scenery Series No. 9: Fujian Tulou" was issued in March 2010 with the theme of promoting the awareness of conservation. The stamp sheetlet depicted a magnificent piece of architecture built by Hakka mountain dwellers that was officially inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List on July 6, 2008.
Stamp Sheetlet of "Mainland Scenery Series No. 9: Fujian Tulou"
Our Stamp OnNet online ordering platform, launched in 2005, enables customers to take advantage of our Local Standing Order Service (LSOS) online. By March 2010, more than 11,000 local standing order and 500 overseas mail order customers had registered for stamp purchases via Stamp OnNet, doing away with the need for physical application forms. Currently over 18,000 LSOS customers also choose to receive philatelic newsletters and stamp order collection letters by email, helping us further reduce our consumption of paper.
In support of the Clean Air Charter, all of our post offices undergo regular indoor air quality (IAQ) checks conducted by the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department. Hongkong Post has also incorporated environmental improvements into new building work. The Shek Wu Hui e-Post Centre has successfully been registered in the "Hong Kong Energy Efficiency Registration Scheme for Buildings" as complying with the Code of Practice for Energy Efficiency of Lighting Installations (2007 EIDITION).
Shek Wu Hui e-Post Centre has been officially registered as an energy-efficient building
All Hongkong Post vehicles use unleaded, low-sulphur fuel, and measures to improve fuel efficiency such as switching off engines while waiting are now the norm. We have also continued adding environmentally-friendly (EF) vehicles to our fleet, including Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) vehicles and medium trucks that meet Euro V standards. In some rural areas, bicycles are still used for mail deliveries.
Hongkong Post uses the services of the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department (EMSD) to ensure that its postal vehicles are well-maintained and have minimal environmental impact. The EMSD's environmental management system conforms to internationally recognised ISO 14001 standards.
Hongkong Post is committed to promoting green management at many levels. Our Environmental Enhancement Steering Committee is tasked with overseeing the efficient use of resources and implementing energy-saving measures. Building on achievements in recent years, Hongkong Post has continued to make encouraging progress in promoting green management and saving energy. Some of our key initiatives during 2009/10 involved:
Hongkong Post supports the HKSAR Government's recommendation that indoor air temperatures should be maintained at 25.5oC, and we monitor levels of energy consumption at all of our post office premises carefully. Despite the fact that our Shek Wu Hui e-Post Centre began full operations during the year, our overall annual electricity consumption in 2009/10 remained at the same level as last year.
Hongkong Post monitors the use of photocopying paper closely, and we encourage staff to avoid printing documents unnecessarily wherever possible. More than 30% of our photocopying paper is made from recycled paper.
Hongkong Post's Workplace Hygiene Charter is helping maintain a high quality working environment for all employees. Environmental protection issues also regularly appear on agendas for management and staff briefings. All employees are encouraged to contribute ideas for environmental initiatives.
All vocational training programmes comprise an environmental protection module, which introduces staff to our Environmental Management System and provides useful tips for saving energy. In 2009/10, 400 staff members took this module. Seminars, workshops and visits relating to environmental issues are held regularly, with all staff having the opportunity to participate. We also regularly circulate internal environmental guidelines, and encourage staff to put environmentally friendly measures into practice both in the workplace and at home.
Further, we take every opportunity to promote greater environmental awareness amongst Hongkong Post staff, and support environmental campaigns initiated by other organisations. In 2009/10, we attended seminars held by the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department on "Electric Vehicle and Effective Fleet Management" and "Green Building Management and Carbon Audit". We supported the Hong Kong International Airport Carbon Management Programme to monitor carbon emissions. In June 2009, we continued to support the lights out campaign "Lights Out on the Summer Solstice" organised by Friends of the Earth (HK). Hongkong Post also took the initiative to switch off the spotlights on the external wall of the General Post Office building at 11:00pm from June 1, 2009.