On Saturday, November 25th, SOM’s Hong Kong office participated in the annual Hong Kong Coastal Cleanup Challenge for the second straight year. The group helped restore a garbage-filled beach in Clear Water Bay.
Ame Engelhart, Director of SOM’s Hong Kong office, and Peter Kindel, Director of Urban Design and Planning, led the team in throwing out the trash littering the coastline. The event was especially relevant for the office’s City Design Practice, a group that aims to create a sustainable, livable, and environmentally friendly future, and for which Kindel is a director. In addition to SOM, schools, communities, and businesses took part in the cleanup. More than 70 million pieces of garbage have been disposed of by approximately 350,000 volunteers since the event’s inception 17 years ago.
Hong Kong Cleanup organizes many community events throughout the year, hoping to increase awareness of the negative effects of littering and to inspire environmental protection.