The “Healthy and Green Month” initiative was held in September, with workshops among the activities run by IFT at this annual event. More than 1,900 people – including students and staff – took part in this year’s event, an increase in participation of more than 10 percent compared to last year’s edition.
Healthy and Green Month is meant to encourage people to protect the environment, to save energy, to live healthier lives and to work safely. IFT has been organising the initiative since 2012.
Among the highlights of this year’s programme were activities staged by students in the programmes leading to the degree of Bachelor of Science in Hotel Management and to the degree of Bachelor of Science in Tourism Event Management. Repurposing used items, such as producing bags from old materials or transforming a bottle into a LED lamp were part of the workshops.
Among other activities featured in the Healthy and Green Month were classes on making jam from surplus food and talks on fire prevention and health issues. The programme also included a promotional campaign on minimising food waste at the Windows Cafeteria on the Mong-Há Campus.
The Institute held a No Elevator Day that prompted students and staff to take the stairs instead of using the lifts, with the purpose of making them better aware of the need to save energy.
As an institution of higher education that endeavours to act responsibly with respect to the environment, IFT aims to teach the younger generation to live their lives in a manner the environment can sustain. Last year, the Institute’s operations were certified under the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 14001:2004 Environmental Management System.
The Windows Cafeteria supports the Green Monday movement by offering vegetarian dishes every day. Green Monday is a worldwide movement that promotes awareness of the harmful effects that farming animals for food can have on the environment.
IFT participates in the “Earth Hour” initiative each March. Organised by the World Wide Fund for Nature, Earth Hour engages the public on the issue of climate change. The campaign encourages individuals and businesses to turn off non-essential electric lights for an hour.
Since 2013 IFT’s Educational Hotel, Pousada de Mong-Há, has – along with other Macao properties – been a participant in “Earth Hour Every Month”, which calls for inessential lights to be extinguished for a single 60-minute period every month. IFT also has its own “Lights Out for 1 Hour” monthly initiative.
Pousada de Mong-Há has retained its “Gold” status under the Macao Green Hotel Award scheme for 5 years. The training unit first received a Gold Award – the highest ranking in the scheme – in 2013. The Green Hotel Award programme is organised by Macao’s Environmental Protection Bureau, with the Macao Government Tourism Office as co-organiser. It seeks to emphasise the importance of environmental management in the hotel sector and honour establishments that have reduced consumption of utilities’ services and reduced waste.
