Environment-friendly initiatives bring both awareness and results.
The Fullon Hotel at Fisherman’s Wharf in New Taipei City is fully committed to raising its eco-friendly credentials. Since 2011 the hotel has been a landmark at the mouth of the Tamsui River, and three years ago it received official recognition as a gold-level environmentally friendly hotel from the Ministry of Environment (MOENV). It has maintained this status through careful consideration of how best to contribute to Taiwan’s sustainable future, such as the planned installation of rooftop solar panels. “At the end of the day, the financial and environmental benefits are worth the expenditure,” said Jason Chen (陳柏宏), the hotel’s general manager.
Fullon’s upcoming modification is in line with the vision manifested at the 28th United Nations Climate Change Conference, also known as COP28, which ended last December with an agreement that signals international will to implement alternatives to fossil fuel. The hotel’s new power source dovetails with the national government’s ambition to reach zero emissions by 2050 and is a concept the public is fully on board with: according to a survey released in April 2023 by the travel platform Booking.com, 77 percent of respondents in Taiwan expressed willingness to support green travel. To encourage this trend, the MOENV has implemented an award recognizing gold, silver and bronze categories for sustainable practices by hotels.
Fullon earned its designation through measures like using locally sourced ingredients and upgrading air conditioning and lighting to consume less energy. Chen thanked the New Taipei City Government for its assistance preparing for the review and connecting hotel management with experts who performed on-site checks and advised on improvements. “Our status as a gold-level hotel has prompted large international enterprises to choose us for meetings and accommodation because they value what we’ve achieved in terms of carbon reduction,” he said. To date 130 hotels around the country have received MOENV awards.
Kaohsiung is committed to expanding both its fleet of electric city buses and its rail network. (Courtesy of Kaohsiung City Government’s Environmental Protection Bureau／Photo by Chen Mei-ling)
As low-carbon travel becomes more popular, consumers are increasingly choosing to rent big-ticket items like cars, computers and furniture rather than buy. “It’s a major change in mindset, but people are beginning to see the benefits,” said Wu Pei-yu (吳珮瑜), director of the MOENV’s Department of Comprehensive Planning (DCP). The concept has strong support from the ministry’s Resource Circulation Administration, which evolved from the Waste Management Department, and indicates a growing focus on recycling resources instead of simply disposing of waste.
The ministry has additionally released a website advising small lifestyle changes that collectively yield significant impacts. It covers topics such as selecting second-hand products, opting for environmentally friendly accommodation and choosing local ingredients when shopping. The guide is now widely used at promotional events in schools and communities around the country. The DCP is similarly developing teaching materials that promote awareness of sustainability in daily life and holding discussions with the Ministry of Education to introduce them into curricula.
Kaohsiung City Government encourages the incorporation of green spaces in new buildings through financial incentives that reward actions to sequester carbon. (Courtesy of KCG’s EPB)
Local governments also have a part to play in creating a sustainable future. For over a decade the Kaohsiung House project in the sunny southern city has required new buildings to integrate features like rooftop solar power systems and charging stations for electric vehicles. Kaohsiung City Government (KCG) also offers financial incentives to construction companies that incorporate adequate area for trees, shrubs and gardens. Since 2015 the measure has added a total of 55 hectares of green space to the city.
KCG has further set goals to reduce carbon emissions from the city’s transportation sector, pledging that all city buses will be electric by 2030 and that city officials’ vehicles will follow suit by 2040. With a new light rail line circling Kaohsiung’s downtown area since January, the combined length of the city’s mass rapid transit lines has reached nearly 65 kilometers and is set to reach 112 kilometers by 2030. The same year will see shared-use bicycle docks increase to over 1,200 locations to better connect people to public transit networks.
Kaohsiung City’s Environmental Protection Bureau promotes reusable cups in the southern city with the slogan, “With a reusable cup, a plastic-free life is at hand.” (Courtesy of KCG's EPB)
On a beach in Dongshi Township, Chang Huei-chuan, director of Chiayi County Government’s Environmental Protection Bureau, inspects nylon rope debris from oyster farms off the coast. (Courtesy of Chiayi County Government’s Environmental Protection Bureau)
Just up the coast from Kaohsiung, Chiayi County Government (CCG) is focusing on a perennial environmental problem in the waters off Dongshi Township and turning it into a business opportunity. Aquaculture thrives in the area, but the nylon rope used on oyster farms frequently ends up as waste that threatens marine life. Four years ago CCG began coordinating oyster rope recycling with funding from the Ocean Conservation Administration under the Cabinet-level Ocean Affairs Council. Oyster farmers are compensated for retrieving the waste, which is delivered to a plant in nearby Xingang Township. After processing, the resulting high-quality fiber is used to manufacture garments and other products.
“Formosa Chemicals & Fibre Corp. is key to the viability of our recycling project,” said Chang Huei-chuan (張輝川), director of CCG’s Environmental Protection Bureau. “Their sense of corporate social responsibility, superb technology for repurposing the ropes and the plant’s proximity to oyster farms mean the process works smoothly and has a low carbon footprint to boot.” According to the bureau, 500 tons of oyster ropes were recycled in 2023, up from 110 in 2021.
Waste rope is processed into high-quality fiber in a plant in nearby Xingang Township and used to make clothing. (Courtesy of CCG's EPB)
Write to Oscar Chung at mhchung@mofa.gov.tw