The 2023 Macao International Environmental Co-operation Forum & Exhibition (2023MIECF), which started at The Venetian Macao’s Cotai Expo on Thursday, was open to members of the general public yesterday, on its final day which promoted an eco-friendly lifestyle for all.
Designated as the fair’s “Green Public Day”, the event aimed to raise public environmental awareness and showcase the latest technologies in the field of environmental protection, according to a statement by the organiser, Macau Expo Group Limited.
A raft of educational activities related to environmental sustainability took place yesterday, including the so-called Green Showcase, environmental workshops and booth games, in order to encourage green living practices. In addition to parent-child activities, a number of guided tours were arranged for local student groups in which professional guides introduced the different products and technologies on display.
The MIECF organiser invited the media to conduct interviews with some of the exhibitors and visitors, all of whom expressed a positive experience at the event. One of the visitors told reporters that she liked the idea of green technology innovation, such as low carbon vehicles that run primarily on electricity. “They are good because they produce less exhaust emissions and so reduce pollution,” she said.
Other visitors also expressed an interest in learning more about the current green technology development in Macau.
The 2023MIECF was hosted by the local government. Themed “Building an Ecological Civilisation Through Innovative Initiatives”, the exhibition consisted of seven zones, comprising “Pan-Pearl River Delta Region Pavilion”, “Mainland China Environmental Protection Industries Exhibition Area”, “International Environmental Protection Industries Exhibition Area”, “Macao Environmental Protection Industries Exhibition Area”, “Premium Exhibitor Zone”, “Green Living Zone”, and “Green and Low-Carbon Project Zone”. These zones covered various business domains including construction, finance, catering, transport, commuting, water resources, energy-saving technologies, and waste management. Multimedia technologies such as interactive kiosks were used by many of the exhibitors for environmental education purposes.
In contrast to previous editions which lasted for three days, this year’s MIECF comprised four days, allowing “a greater exploration of opportunities for contact, negotiation and exchange of pioneering experiences and more-up-to-date information related to environmental protection by local, national and international participants, which contributed to the positive effect of attracting investment through exhibitions”, the statement quoted a MIECF spokesperson as saying.
Leong Ka Hou, chairman of the Macau Low Carbon Development Association, one of the fair’s exhibitors, told reporters yesterday that the introduction of the mainland’s voluntary emission reduction programme, in conjunction with the local tourism and hospitality sector, would be beneficial for encouraging public participation. He added that crediting people’s actions to reduce CO2 emissions and rewarding them, for instance, with local hotel offers and packages would also help boost Macau’s tourism development. In that sense, according to Leong, MIECF has served as a meeting place for like-minded entrepreneurs, firms, users and investors in the environmental sustainability field, in order to exchange knowledge and expertise.
Meanwhile, according to a follow-up statement by the organiser, the four-day fair included five business-matching sessions where nearly 400 business-matching meetings were held, “with almost 40 partnerships clinched”.
Visitors watch an interactive show during yesterday’s MIECF Green Public Day event at The Venetian Macao.
– Photo: Gabriel Tam
