Eight projects have been newly approved under the Sustainable Development Fund, bringing the total number of approved projects to 26 and the total amount involved to $21.8 million.

Council for Sustainable Development Education & Publicity Sub-committee Chairperson Christine Fang today said all the newly approved projects are community and school-based initiatives. They will last from 12 to 36 months.

The eight projects are:

*Green Life Movement @ South Kwai Chung by The Boys' & Girls' Club Association: $909,740 over a period of 24 months;

*Education for Sustainable Development in Junior Secondary Education by the Centre for University & School Partnership, Faculty of Education, CUHK: $571,210 over a period of 20 months; 

*Wanchai College for Community Innovation by St James' Settlement: $885,260 over a period of 24 months;

*When Villages Meet Cities: A Sustainable Journey by the Chinese YMCA of Hong Kong: $802,565 over a period of 24 months;

*Green and Sustainable Community Project in the Rural Tsuen Wan by Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui Lady MacLehose Centre: $1,510,850 over a period of 36 months;

*Enhanced Urban Green Project by the Aberdeen Kai-fong Welfare Association Social Service Centre: $1,500,000 over a period of 36 months;

*Local Agenda 21 and SD Educational Programme and Activities in Tai Kok Tsui by Life Workshop: $600,000 over a period of 24 months; and 

*Dim It: A Project on the Best Use of Light Resources by Friends of the Earth: $499,920 over a period of 12 months.

Project details

Among the projects, six involve participation from different sectors of the community in both rural and urban areas; one is for carrying out innovative activities to raise public awareness of excessive outdoor lighting, and the other is for designing and developing educational resource kits for sustainable development education at junior secondary level.

"We believe that they will become a project model for wider dissemination of the sustainable development message and for creating a greater impact on the general public," Ms Fang said.

The fund will be open for the next round of applications in mid-2008. For more details, click here.