The Ocean Park Conservation Alliance has consistently endeavoured to provide an experiential learning and exchange platform for Hong Kong’s school communities, nurturing conservation awareness and environmental habits from a young age. The Park held its annual Ocean Park Conservation Alliance Award Ceremony cum Conservation Carnival 2026 today to commend students and educators for their contributions to fostering conservation practices over the past academic year. These accomplishments include dedicated efforts in promoting low-carbon living, active participation in recycling, and documenting local ecology.
The event, graced by Dr Choi Yuk Lin, Secretary for Education of the HKSAR, celebrated the conservation efforts of the students, teachers and principals. Dr Choi said: “The event has allowed students to promote conservation in creative ways, fully demonstrating their passion and sense of responsibility for environmental protection. The EDB is committed to sustainable development education, supporting schools with multi-pronged strategies such as cross-curricular learning and the implementation of life-wide learning activities. This enhances students' knowledge of sustainable development, inspiring them to work together to build a beautiful home where mankind and nature thrive in harmony, while tackling global challenges like climate change and pollution.”
“As the Ocean Park Conservation Alliance marks its third anniversary, I am incredibly proud that our network now encompasses over 700 partner schools, and more than 14,000 teachers and students actively participating in our Seahorse Rangers programme,” said Mr Paulo Pong, Chairman of the Board of Ocean Park Corporation. "Ocean Park extends our deep gratitude to all member schools and Seahorse Rangers for their enthusiastic participation and creative ideas. My aspiration is for our diverse experiential learning opportunities, provided through the Alliance, to empower students to translate conservation concepts into tangible actions, bringing real and impactful change to our communities.”
Championing sustainable practices
The award ceremony recognised schools and students for their outstanding participation and results across three flagship activities. The new Farming at School programme saw 138 schools participate, with students eagerly embracing hands-on agricultural work, learning about the benefits of local produce and promoting low-carbon living.
Supported by the Environmental Protection Department (EPD), the SGREEN X We-recycle@School Inter-school Recycling Competition accomplished significant results this academic year. Total recycling volume increased by 19%, reaching 175,193 kg of recyclables, and the number of participating schools saw a remarkable 169% rise, now totalling 306. Lok Sin Tong Leung Kau Kui Primary School (Branch) was particularly lauded, receiving the Supreme Recycling School Award (Primary Section) for two consecutive years. Over 210 students and teachers from the school actively participated, collectively recycling more than 15 tonnes of materials.
“It is truly inspiring to see the overwhelming success of the second inter-school recycling competition, in the number of participants and families and the total quantity of recyclables collected. This remarkable achievement is a testament to the sustained efforts of our teachers, students and families. I extend my sincere gratitude to our invaluable partner, Ocean Park, for their continuous collaboration on this meaningful recycling competition and their support for our key initiatives, with a view to promoting waste reduction at source and driving us towards ‘Zero Landfill’,” said Dr Samuel Chui, Director of Environmental Protection.
In the City Nature Challenge 2026, participants further ensured Hong Kong’s strong performance, securing the position of second runner-up in documenting local wildlife and biodiversity, with over 2,064 recorded species and 15,417 observations made by 451 observers.
Ocean Park Conservation Carnival: Low-carbon living in action
This year’s Ocean Park Conservation Carnival was specially themed around low-carbon living. The carnival featured 20 conservation booths from participating schools and EPD. Through interactive games, these booths demonstrated how to integrate low-carbon habits into daily life for visitors, fostering a holistic approach to sustainable living.
The Ocean Park Conservation Alliance is a conservation advocacy initiative launched by Ocean Park Corporation in 2023. The Alliance mobilises the education sector to join hands to realise three core missions: Saving species and habitats, Eat Local, and Plastic Challenge.