Community building: The co-existence of the 'old' and 'new' in Tai Kok Tsui reflects the sustainability concept.

Applications for grants under the Sustainable Development Fund to undertake projects that will raise public awareness of sustainable development and promote sustainable practices in Hong Kong are being invited.

The Sustainable Development Council's Education & Publicity Sub-committee Chairwoman Christine Fang said four areas will receive particular consideration in the current round of applications.

"Priority will be given to promotional projects with a strong element of community involvement, and to projects that create a measurable impact on sustainable development in Hong Kong and a legacy for sustainable practices within the community," she said.

She added projects promoting collaboration across various sectors to raise public awareness of, and capacity to practice, sustainable development principles, as well as variations on encouraging sustainability reporting and measurement, will also receive priority consideration.

Ms Fang said Sustainable Development Fund projects can focus on different subject areas, such as energy, transport and tourism, and should also cover the three main themes - namely society, economy and the environment.

This is the fifth round of applications since the fund was established in 2003. About $10 million was earmarked annually for grants.

In the first four rounds, 18 projects were approved at a cost of $14.5 million. Of these, 10 focused on community involvement and four on capacity building. The remaining four concerned the publication of a magazine, the production of dramas and sustainability reporting.

Among the newly approved projects in the fourth round is a green map for Hong Kong, to help promote sustainable lifestyles by adopting the globally-adopted Green Map System to identify places and locations relevant to a sustainable city life.

This project will be developed from May to January next year. A total of 80,000 copies will be produced, and three exhibitions will be held.

Another approved project "Sustainable Development Community Building & Youth Education in Tai Kok Tsui" was organised by the Life Workshop. It aims to encourage youths in the district to take part in business and community development.