Video Conferencing ¡V "Green Chemistry"

Some of our Form 7 schoolmates participated in a live video-lecture called "Green Chemistry" on 2nd February. The talk was presided over by Dr. Kendrew Mak from the Department of Chemistry, CUHK. It focused on how we can make good use of chemistry, in order to achieve sustainability. Several schools also joined the discussion, yet we needed not gather in the same room. This was a remarkable characteristic of the event ¡V we met the lecturer and students from other colleges online. Simply by taking a seat and looking at the screen, we can see, hear and chat with one another. Chemistry is closely related to our daily lives. On one hand, the advancement of chemistry fulfils the dreams of mankind, such as to extend life expectancy. On the other hand, the misuse of chemistry brings disasters, like environmental pollution. Concerning these, the wise generation is now seeking ways to limit the latter. Such is a case when the concept "Green Chemistry" is introduced. Dr. Mak addressed 3 principles of Green Chemistry. They were "atom economy", "getting off to a save start", as well as "renewable resources". All of them are in great progress right now. Hopefully, the result will be more than satisfactory. Just before the end of the talk, one of our schoolmates picked up the golden chance to ask Dr. Mak a question. He wanted to know more about the possibility of turning plastic garbage into fuels. The answer was positive, but there were certainly some hindrance. Say, the general public is lacking in the awareness to recycle any used material. Dr. Mak added that a nearby country, Japan, had already succeeded in doing so for 20 years. We can probably learn from their experience. Apart from this, students from other schools were invited to share their opinions too. They were interested in the usefulness of chemicals in protecting the environment. This section encourages the exchange of ideas among different schools, and widens our horizons. It was a fruitful and enjoyable experience. The form 7 schoolmates felt that the innovative E-learning was a good try, and they appreciated Dr. Mak's sharing very much. In general, the event was viewed positively by our schoolmates. By 6A Cheung Po Ching, 6A Lam Yuen Kiu, 6A Sin Ka Man, 6A Yu Cheuk Wa