Gov’t Provides Subsidies for Green Practices at NGOs With 2nd Year of Green Welfare Scheme

The Electrical and Mechanical Services Department has launched an application round for non-governmental organisations to partake in their Green Welfare NGOs scheme.

First launched in November of 2021, the programme targets energy-saving procedures for NGOs. The department provides services free of charge to qualifying parties and supports sustainability practices such as calculating baseline energy audits, installing energy-efficient and variable-speed air conditioning or replacing less environmentally friendly models with enhanced ones, and substituting existing lighting systems with LED lights.

This comes as part of the Climate Action Plan for 2050 outlined in the 2020 Policy Address, which strives to hit carbon neutrality for Hong Kong within the next 28 years.

Organisations qualifying for the programme must be NGOs that can show they are currently receiving subventions from the Social Welfare Department and that they are using the funds to provide welfare services to the public.

The upcoming application rounds will be carried out in three batches, the first running from Oct. 17 to Nov. 15, the following between Nov. 16, 2022 and Jan. 16, 2023, and the final slated for Jan. 17 to March 31 of next year.

A comprehensive guide to eligibility requirements and the application process can be found here, while the application form itself can be found here. More details on the scheme can be found on the official website.