Carbon Care Asia is proud to have helped make the 12th Deep Water Bay Dragon Boat Regatta held on May 8, 2011 carbon neutral again through its carbon solutions expertise. This is the second round climate care initiative taken by The Hong Kong Island Paddle Club (HKIPC) and sponsored by the famous sports brand PUMA in Hong Kong.
According to calculations by Carbon Care Asia, the carbon footprint of this year’s regatta comes to 5.963 tonnes, mostly from the commuting of 1,700 paddlers and the transportation of dragon boats. To offset unavoidable carbon emissions from the event, HKIPC has committed to purchasing carbon credits from the Sichuan Afforestation and Reforestation Project in China. As the world’s first carbon offset project to meet both the United Nations Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) standard and Climate, Community, and Biodiversity (CCB) standards, the Sichuan project makes significant contributions in biodiversity protection and local community development.
Through innovative partnership with Carbon Care Asia, the HKIPC organised the world and Hong Kong’s first carbon neutral dragon boat race last year. CCA Executive Director Dr Trini Leung said, “CCA is much honoured to partner with both HKIPC and PUMA Hong Kong to make the Deep Water Bay Dragon Boat Regatta carbon neutral again for the second year. We believe their socially and environmentally responsible actions will help energize the Hong Kong community to engage in more carbon reduction activities. ”
This year, over 70 teams and 1,700 paddlers have registered for the competition based at the Victoria Recreation Club (VRC) in Deep Water Bay, Hong Kong’s oldest recreational and water sports club. To minimize any unfriendly impact on the environment entailed by the dragon boat race, the HKIPC has urged all participants to reduce their carbon footprint by taking public transport to Deep Water Bay, by bringing their own lunchboxes and drinking water in order to reduce plastic waste, and by recycling plastic bottles and metal cans.
Photo captions:
- With professional support from CCA, the 12th Deep Water Bay Dragon Boat Regatta was made carbon neutral under Puma sponsorship. At the scene were CCA Sales & Marketing Executive Jerry Cheung (left) and Sustainability Consultant Chris Chong (right).
- Excited racers gathered at the assembly point, ready for the big challenge.
- Mr Walter Colgan (left), Sponsorship Secretary of the Hong Kong Island Paddle Club with Jerry Cheung, also one of the team paddlers.
- Congratulations to the Hong Kong Island Paddle Club Team, which won 2nd prize in this year’s regatta!