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(iii) To date seven departments have completed or are in the process of conducting environmental audits for their offices and operations. These pilot projects have been successful and we intend to encourage as many departments as possible to carry out their own environmental audits. In January 1997, we commissioned consultants to provide training courses for 250 government officers to enable them to carry out environmental audits and implement environmental management systems in their own work places.
(iv) The Government is finalising a draft Waste Reduction Plan and will conduct widespread consultation later in the year. The administration will give a clear lead to the community and we will naturally look to Green Managers in departments to help us implement a range of waste reduction measures.
(v)
(b)
To maintain the momentum of the Scheme, a plenum of Green Managers will take place in March 1997.
The government is also actively promoting the Green Manager Scheme in the private sector through the following measures -
(i)
(ii)
We compile and update a Green Manager Information Database and maintain active liaison with private sector green managers to
initiatives related promote
to corporate environmenta! management.
The Environmental Protection Department (EPD) collaborates actively with the Hong Kong Productivity Council (HKPC), the Centre of Environmental Technology and the Hong Kong Quality Assurance Agency to provide training to interested private sector companies.
(iii) The EPD has also provided advice to the HKPC on the ISO
14000 Environmental Management System pilot scheme.
(iv)
(v)
A pamphlet "Green Managers in Business" has been published to provide guidance on setting up green manager schemes.
A book "A simple Guide to set up an Environmental Management System" will be distributed by March 1997 and placed on the EPD's homepage on the internet to help green managers establish Environmental Management Systems.