NEWS

Students bring solar energy to ESF

Leading the charge in making Hong Kong schools more sustainable, three Renaissance College students set out to bring solar energy to their campus in 2019. Now the English Schools Foundation (ESF) and CLPe Solutions announced that a total of 1,400 solar panels have been installed across eight ESF schools. The three students, Jane Chan, Taylor Chung and Ankita Joshi began the project in 2019 under the Student Sustainability team. They came up with the idea to put their school’s large rooftop area to good use, commissioning designs, negotiating with suppliers and applying for funding. They took it upon themselves to see the project through. As a result, the clean energy created by these newly installed solar panels will reportedly reduce carbon emissions by nearly 280 tonnes within a year. The eight schools include Bradbury, Clearwater Bay, King George V, Kowloon Junior, Renaissance College, Sha Tin College, South Island School and West Island School.

Cathay Pacific suspends pet transportation until May

Cathay Pacific recently announced that pets travelling as check-in baggage or cargo on flights out of Hong Kong will be unavailable until April 30. Pet owners planning to relocate in the coming months have already found it difficult to book pets on a flight. With even less options, there is a worry many will be left abandoned. “We have temporarily stopped pet shipments. The service may resume again in May, but there will be an update in mid-April,” a spokesperson from Cathay Pacific said.

Cannabis den found in Sai Kung

Hong Kong Customs smashed a $1 million cannabis growing den in Sai Kung on March 23. The raid came after customs officials intercepted a parcel from Canada containing 70g of suspicious goods. The case was transferred to the Customs Organised Crime Investigation Bureau and led police to a residential home in Sai Kung. Following the raid, 13 plants and a range of sophisticated growing equipment were found. About 200g of suspected cannabis buds and a small amount of chocolates, with a street value of $1 million, were seized. Under the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance, both cultivation of cannabis 10 | SAI KUNG

and trafficking in a dangerous drug are serious offences. The maximum penalty for cultivation of cannabis is a fine of $100,000 and imprisonment for 15 years. Trafficking in a dangerous drug comes with a fine of $5 million and life imprisonment.

UA Cinema closes its doors

UA Cinemas shut its doors for good last month citing unavoidable and devastating pressure from the pandemic as the reason for its sudden closure. The theatre chain was founded by businessman Ira Kaye in 1985, with its first location in Sha Tin’s New Town Plaza. The chain had only six locations left in the city including Citygate Outlets, Maritime Square, Times Square, Megabox and Amoy Plaza in Kowloon Bay.

Sai Kung student releases debut album

Sai Kung resident and Hong Kong Academy graduate Dylan Halbroth released his debut album Against The Dying Light on Spotify last month, in support of Mind Hong Kong. Having struggled with a variety of mental illnesses, including depression and anxiety, Halbroth is eager to use this project to raise awareness of mental health issues in creatives. Each song in the EP is representative of an emotion/disorder and 25% of streaming income will be donated to charity. Halbroth is currently in his final year at Berlin University of the Arts. He is also part of Hong Kong alternative rock band Asyndeton. Alongside his album, Halbroth plans to release a minidocumentary in which he interviews up and coming Berlin-based creatives about their art and mental health. “With this, I aim to provide a raw perspective on the different ways mental illness affects all of us,” he says. @darkatthree

Free movie nights

The Sci-Fi cafe in Centro shopping centre will be putting on movie nights every weekend from Friday through to Sunday. Each movie is free to watch with the purchase of a soft drink or house drink. 2/F, Urban Entertainment Centre, 1A Chui Tong Road, Sai Kung.