Living Smart

II ENVIRONMENT & SUSTAINABILITY 062 063 If successful, we hope to transform our campus into a cutting-edge showcase for innovation and sustainable action. Over the next few years, university members will develop projects – just to name a few – that utilize data to help streamline the transportation system and reduce harmful emissions; analyze food nutrition data and provide customized behavior and healthy customer experiences; use movement analytics combined with public artwork to reduce stress levels and increase happiness; and will build on data networks to make our buildings come alive as visible platforms for learning and experimentation. Hong Kong is embracing smart, and rightly so. However, smart without a moral compass is directionless. It is time to put sustainability and smart together to focus on the grand challenges posed by the Great Acceleration, and show that Hong Kong can be a global leader in showcasing the pathway toward a sustainable future. Published on February 20, 2019 Let’s not bottle it with plastic recycling Prof. Anirban MUKHOPADHYAY Associate Dean (Undergraduate Studies) of Business and Management, Chair Professor, Department of Marketing D istilled water manufacturer Watsons Water announced in January that it is installing 400 reverse water bottle recycling vending machines in town. People who put used bottles into the machines will receive coupons or gift redemptions. The purpose is to educate the public about reducing plastic waste, backed by greater financial incentives. This is a laudable initiative, and I think other corporations should consider rolling out similar schemes for a win-win solution. Given Hong Kong’ s rapidly filling landfills, I am surprised people don’ t recycle more regularly. There is probably a mix of reasons for this, including a lack of awareness of the scope of the problem, the relatively low visibility of other people recycling, and, most importantly, the fact that it is still very inconvenient for most to recycle. In other global cities like New York, Tokyo and London, it is mandatory for each household to separate rubbish, and there is a fixed recyclable waste collection schedule. Apartment buildings have prominent recycling bins for residents to deposit their separated rubbish for easier collection. Many residential buildings in Hong Kong, however, do not have such facilities, so environmentally minded people need to save up their recyclables and carry them all to the nearest public recycling bin. Moreover, these public recycling bins are often treated as