2007-11-22
Standard Chartered "RACE FOR A LIVING PLANET"
Standard Chartered Hong Kong Commits To Switch-off Idling Vehicle Engines

22 November 2007, Hong Kong - Standard Chartered Hong Kong today made an environmental pledge to switch off all the idling vehicle engines of their car pool, aiming to plea for the community support for the "Race for a Living Planet" - the Standard Chartered's global environment pledge initiative, as well as to create awareness and encourage persistence among the general public to increase their effort in creating sustainable and healthy environment.

Witnessed by Mr Edward Yau, Secretary for the Environment, HKSAR, Mr Benjamin Hung, Head of Consumer Banking, Standard Chartered Bank (Hong Kong) Limited, led a team of vehicles from the Bank’s car pool and staff and switched off the engines after parking the officiating car with car plate of "SCB". Starting from today, Standard Chartered car pool join together and help reducing the dispersion of air pollutants and heat so as to improve the air quality, especially for the air quality at street level, resulted from high road traffic density and high urban density.

Mr Hung commented at today's event, saying," Standard Chartered has been striving for sustainable developments and environmental protection. We believe that by making simple changes in our daily life, we can make Hong Kong as well as the planet a better place to live." He committed eight items from the pledge of the "Race for a Living Planet" with the Standard Chartered staffs and invited the Hong Kong community join hands together to work for the environment protection and fight for the environmental protection prize money of USD 1 million.

"Race for a Living Planet" is one of our key programmes of Standard Chartered's Greatest Race on Earth (GROE) 2007/08 Marathon series. It encourages Standard Chartered employees, customers and the public around the world to consider simple steps they can make to help reduce the long term effect of climate change, water and air pollution as well as land abuse and deforestation.

Standard Chartered, working in partnership with WWF, will donate USD 1 million to support vital environmental conservation projects that will benefit the three nations which generate the most environmental pledges per capita. The nation that attracts the highest number of environmental pledges per capita will receive USD 500,000; the second highest will receive USD 350,000; and the third highest receives USD 150,000.

Starting from October, people of different countries are invited to select and undertake up to eight environmental pledges suggested on www.thegreatestrace.com. Anyone who makes a pledge as part of the 'Greatest
Race on Earth: Race for a Living Planet' can upload a personal photo, to be woven into the GROE World Mosaic, symbolizing how everyone can all contribute in our daily lives as part of one planet.

To further promote the campaign to the Hong Kong community, starting from mid December 2007, public who submits pledge at Standard Chartered branches in Hong Kong will receive a special gift, a “Race for a Living Planet” window sticker from the Bank.

The closing date to the pledge is 8 February 2008 and results will be announced following the final leg of the GROE in Hong Kong on Monday 18 February 2008.