With an aim to spurring officers into paying more attention to environmental protection and improving their general working environment, Marine East Division (MEDIV) rolled out the Organic Gardening Programme and Gardening Competition in July last year to engage officers in green management. The competition came to a successful conclusion on December 17 with two winning teams picked due to a good response.

 

Officers were encouraged to take part after work in the gardening competition in which launch crew "adopted" an area of their Division for planting trees, shrubs and flowers. At the same time, support staff members collected biodegradable waste from canteen and garden (grass cuttings and plant trimmings) for producing compost, a natural fertiliser for the MEDIV garden. Composting of organic waste was undertaken by using well-ventilated wooden bins made of recycled wooden pallets. This not only provided a long-term sustainable source of free, high quality organic fertiliser for the MEDIV garden, but also reduced the waste taken to landfills, and developed an enhanced environmental awareness amongst officers.