Joint Effort To Protect Ecological Environment For A Green Future Everbright International Environmental Protection Charitable Foundation Supports Earth Hour Hong Kong For The Sixth Year Running

30 March 2019, Hong Kong – The countdown to Earth Hour Hong Kong 2019 was held at 8:30pm today at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Piazza in Tsim Sha Tsui. Everbright International Environmental Protection Charitable Foundation, founded by China Everbright International Limited ("Everbright International" or the "Group") (HKSE: 257), was the lead sponsor of Earth Hour Hong Kong for the sixth consecutive year. This year's countdown ceremony saw participation from numerous organisations and individuals in Hong Kong. Various landmark buildings in Hong Kong, including the Government House, the Legislative Council Complex, the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), the Tsing Ma Bridge and the Hong Kong Observation Wheel, also supported the campaign by switching off their lights. Hong Kong's multi-media show "A Symphony of Lights" was also suspended tonight to lend its support for the campaign.

The countdown ceremony was attended by Mr Wong Kam-sing, Secretary for the Environment of the HKSAR Government; Mr Liu Zhiming, Deputy Inspector of the Department of Educational, Scientific and Technological Affairs of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the HKSAR; Mr. Wang Tianyi, CEO of Everbright International; Mr Edward M Ho, Chairman of the Board of WWF-Hong Kong, among other guests. They officiated at the ceremony and witnessed a significant moment when Hong Kong took action for the improvement of the environment.

Mr. Wang Tianyi, CEO of Everbright International, delivered a speech at the ceremony, saying that: "Tonight, at this beautiful Victoria Harbor, we are calling upon the whole society to protect the ecological environment by switching off their lights for an hour, and to take action to contribute to the ecological conservation. In recent years, the Chinese Central Government has attached unprecedented importance to ecological conservation, as well as environmental protection and management. Environmental protection is not only a great cause built upon our current efforts, but also a responsibility that our generation should fulfill in the interest of the Earth's sustainable development and survival of future generations. Let us work together to promote environmental protection and to protect the precious resources of the Earth."

Mr Wang Tianyi also stressed that, "As a world-renowned ecological and environmental enterprise, Everbright International is committed to its corporate mission of being ‘Devoted to Ecology and the Environment for a Beautiful China' and its aspiration to ‘Create Better Investment Value and Undertake More Social Responsibility'. It has been taking action to contribute to environmental protection. The Group is committed to its environmental and social responsibilities for many years through advanced and efficient facilities and management. So far, it has converted approximately 70 million tonnes of waste into 29 billion kWh of electricity, which can satisfy the electricity consumption needs of 24 million families, changing decayed for magical. In addition, the Group treats nearly 5 million m³ of waste water on a daily basis, draining away contaminants and bringing in clean water."

As the world's largest environmental protection campaign, the Earth Hour campaign was initiated in Sydney of Australia in 2007. Hong Kong took part in the campaign for the first time in 2009. Over 188 countries and regions around the world participated in the Earth Hour campaign. Various renowned landmark buildings across the world, including the National Stadium-Bird's Nest in Beijing, the Sydney Opera House in Australia, the Empire State Building in the U.S., the London Bridge in the UK, the Tokyo Tower in Japan and the Eiffel Tower in Paris of France, participated in the campaign and turned off their lights, making a joint effort for the future of the Earth.

Organised by WWF-Hong Kong, Earth Hour Hong Kong 2019 is themed with "Reduce, Rethink, Change the Way We Live", which aims to encourage the public to reduce their ecological footprint, adopt sustainable lifestyle, and work together to protect the planet's biodiversity, through various measures, such as recycling, energy conservation and utilisation of renewable energy. This year, the Earth Hour campaign focuses on promoting the elimination of disposable plastic goods and encouraging the public and the catering industry to reduce the use of unnecessary disposable plastic goods to help mitigate the local ocean pollution.