|
by Lim Hui Sin
 At the annual meeting of the China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development (CCICED) late last year, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said China will strive for green and sustainable growth in its next five-year development plan—a 12th edition of the master plan for the economy issued every five years.
“We are determined to take more effective measures to build a resource-saving and environment-friendly society,” Wen said in a speech. His deputy, Vice Premier Li Keqiang also urged protection of the nation’s ecological conservation areas and facilitating biological diversity. OCT Tourism, a pioneer in China’s amusement industry with more than 20 years’ experience, had already taken up the green call some years earlier.
Green Brand
The group currently has nine themed attractions and amusement parks in operation—including the Happy Valley amusement parks in Shenzhen, Beijing, Chengdu, and Shanghai; Shenzhen OCT East, an ecoresort and amusement park; themed attractions Windows of the World and Splendid China in Shenzhen; and the newly opened Taizhou OCT East. There are another three projects in development, including Happy Harbor—an urban leisure zone in Shenzhen— Wuhan Happy Valley, and Yunnan OCT East.
OCT East is the company’s eco-resort brand, and the Taizhou project is part of a national nature reserve and incorporates natural hot springs in the area.
Environmental protection is a cornerstone of OCT’s corporate philosophy of raising the standard of living for people in China—this translates to strategies and measures to minimize consumption and optimize conservation and recycling of resources in daily operations.
“As the leader in China’s amusement park industry, OCT prides itself on being an innovator in fine living,” says Wang Libin of OCT Tourism. “This is reflected in the company’s focus on environmental conservation and sustainable development in planning, construction, and operations.”
 Green Upgrades
In 2009, OCT embarked on a comprehensive upgrade of the water and electricity supply networks for all its rides and attractions.
At Happy Valley Shenzhen, the company’s most popular amusement park, which opened in 1998, attractions and rides such as the “Whitewater Rapids,” “Space Shuttle,” and “Peak Excitement” were refurbished to make them more energy efficient, resulting in realized savings of 230,000 kilowatts of electricity annually. At Happy Valley Beijing, similar technical refurbishments were carried out to improve the efficiency of water pumps, generators, and other facilities. Operators strictly observed operation times and the amount of lighting used in public areas. The facility replaced radiant lighting and conventional bulbs with more environmentally friendly lighting options such as LED wherever possible. During the off-peak season, management scaled back operation hours for rides and attractions to cut down on waste.
OCT also rolled out a comprehensive upgrade of technology across its portfolio and invested heavily in energy efficient and recycling facilities. For example, in 2009 OCT East Shenzhen, which consists of two theme parks, three “scenic towns,” four resort hotels, and two 18-hole golf courses, invested 25.9 million yuan (around US$3.9 million) to build two sewage treatment stations, another 1.2 yuan (US$182,000) million on building an environmental monitoring system, and about 29 million yuan (about US$4.3 million) to install hydronic air-conditioning systems in restaurants, hotels, and other areas within the eco-resort.
Additionally throughout the company, wind and solar energy are captured and utilized for powering lights at the site, resulting in energy savings of some 150,000 kilowatts per year.
Green Education
 In addition to practical measures implemented at parks and attractions, OCT has also stepped up its efforts in education and the promotion of energy efficiency with a dedicated team that works with the various departments internally as well as with visitors and the general public. Initiatives launched include the “OCT East Environmental Protection” handbook and tours that are focused on the eco-resort’s green facilities.
“Our emphasis is on maintaining harmony between man, environment, society, and economy in the city,” Wang says.
OCT East Shenzhen is China’s first national eco-tourism attraction that integrates the natural terrain and landscape. For its performance and contributions to the fields of environmental conservation and sustainability, the State Environmental Protection Administration of China and the National Tourism Bureau awarded the park the title of “National Model Destination for Eco-tourism” in July 2007.
The design and development of OCT East Shenzhen was carried out in accordance with principles advocating harmony with the natural environment.
At Happy Harbor, scheduled to open this year, the emphasis is on setting up self-contained ecosystems in the wetlands and a 170-acre lake. In the leisure and retail zones, the lines between indoors and outdoors are blurred through the use of high ceilings and the incorporation of natural lighting and ventilation. Developers will also install hydronic cooling and dehumidifying systems to minimize energy consumption and carbon emissions.
The construction process also includes wide use of materials made from recycled waste as well as other energy efficient materials, in keeping with the green principles set out for the development. For instance, U glass—made from crushed glass and quartz sand—is chief among the green materials.
Environmentally friendly construction policies on both construction and operation for Happy Harbor were set out right from the beginning of planning back in 2005. OCT set up a special task force to oversee the levels of emissions and other aspects of implementation. In mid 2010, Happy Harbor became one of the first group of developments to be named Model Green Building by the Shenzhen government.
Green initiatives throughout the OCT empire
- At the Happy Harbor development, which includes a marina, wetlands, and leisure and retail facilities and is slated for completion at the end of 2011, developers will install solar panels and optical tubes and other energy-saving materials in the building of what will be the largest urban eco-park tourism project in the region.
- At Splendid China, a theme park featuring miniatures of some of China’s best-known sights, operators carry out regular water audits. Water in ponds and fountains is filtrated and cycled so no changes are required. For example, at Windows of the World, which features true-to-scale replicas of historical, architectural, and cultural landmarks of the world, operators have installed water catchment and collection facilities. Water that has been filtered at the park’s Niagara Falls attraction is channelled to a fountain located 100 meters away.
- A third measure employed across all parks is strengthening water management controls. All OCT attractions have installed green water supply systems. For rides and attractions that make use of manmade waves, rapids, whirlpools, and sprays, water recycling systems are employed, and regular checks are conducted to prevent leaks. Parks also employ rain catchment to maximize natural water sources. In addition, the facilities use water-free cleaning systems to further lower consumption.
- At Happy Valley Shenzhen, a lake of about 40,000 cubic meters (1.4 million cubic feet) used to require a top-up of 200 cubic meters (7,063 cubic feet). But with the installation of a filtration pump, the water downstream in a lower lake can now be channelled back to the main lake—eliminating the need for daily replenishments and resulting in annual water savings of 70,000 cubic bring up to last line.
|
Lim Hui Sin is a writer and translator based in China. Originally from Singapore, she has been living in Shanghai for nine years. She can be reached at sinify@gmail.com.
|
