It was Ernest Hemingway who once said there was nothing special about the rich - they just have more money.

Dr Lily Chiang doesn't see herself as super-rich but it is clear that she is someone special.

The vice-chairman of the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce (HKGCC) and chairman of the listed Eco-Tek Holdings - a company dealing in environmental solutions and products - was honored as one of Hong Kong's 10 most outstanding young persons in 1999; listed among the most distinguished women in Hong Kong's technology sector two years later; and named as one of China's "Leaders of Tomorrow" by the influential mainland magazine Caijing in 2003.

Chiang's professional and community commitments are too numerous to be listed - ranging from universities in Hong Kong, the mainland and the US to being a member of the Shandong Provincial People's Political Consultative Conference.

In an interview with China Daily, Chiang tries to dispel a general perception that business and the biosphere do not good bedfellows make; and stresses that HKGCC is a body which advocates sustainable development and environmental protection.

"We suggest how the government can help in sustainable development of Hong Kong. That is very important. If we take a step back and consider carefully, it's not a matter of choice, it's something we need to do," says Chiang.

"We should appreciate nature and preserve scarce resources."

And how else does the chamber help?

"Through education, policy support... it's not a one-off. It's a continuous education process. But it is not easy.

"We think that companies have to do more. There are also business opportunities (in environmental protection)."

Her own company Eco-Tek, which focuses on controlling air, noise, hydraulic and waste pollution, was founded by Chiang in 1999 and listed on the Growth Enterprise Market (GEM) in 2001.

That same year it was recognized as one of the most outstanding small-to-medium-sized enterprises in the SAR.

The company's stated mission is to become one of the leading providers of environmental protection-related products and services in Hong Kong and overseas.

And its products and technologies make our daily lives more pleasant: reducing noxious emissions from vehicles; breaking down waste plastics into oil substances, and, finally energy; and cutting down on noise pollution generated by road traffic.

Chiang illustrates the concept by referring to the smart attire she is wearing. "When I wear clothes, I wouldn't want them to become garbage a few years later." So what can be done?

"Textiles should be environmentally-friendly as must the dyes and other processes (used to make them).

When the clothes serve their purpose, technically they become raw input or a material for something else instead of a potential pollutant.

"The concept sounds nice, but it's not easy to achieve. But to preserve this beautiful world we live in, we have to do it.

"It requires tremendous work, commitment, patience and perseverance as well as education and resources," she concludes.

She could just as well be describing her own attributes.

Chiang enrolled at the University of Southern California on a scholarship when she was 16 - having skipped a year in a US high school because of top grades - and went on to graduate in engineering.

By the age of 20, with her first degree in her pocket, she went to work part time on the US east coast. It was there, while pursuing her master's degree, that she had a skiing accident. This led to three months in hospital and a return to Hong Kong.

Back at home, her first job was working on an upgrade to the production processes in a precision-machinery factory owned by Chen Hsong Holdings - a business controlled by her father - and in doing so, coordinated the first comprehensive modernization program in the company.

She helped the group to establish automated warehouse management and administration systems which greatly reduced labor costs.

Chiang is a keen advocate of new-technology applications in corporate management and oversaw the adoption of computer-assisted design in 18 of the group's plants on the mainland and in Hong Kong and Taiwan.

Chiang, who describes herself as an independent-minded woman, quit the group in 1999 to set up Eco-Tek and E1 Media.

Along the way, she obtained her doctorate degree from the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering at Hong Kong Polytechnic University.

Coming back to the topic of the environment, Chiang explains her view of the controversy surrounding the harbor reclamation project.

"Everyone loves Victoria Harbor. However, I also think that we need to strike a balance without going to extremes," she says, stressing that she was only expressing a personal viewpoint.

Sitting in her Causeway Bay office, a stone's throw from the scenic waterfront, says: "You can't just be rigid and say, 'because I love the harbor, I won't let go an inch of it'. Neither can you say 'I want to have a 120-storey building, so let's reclaim all of it'."

Chiang, a keynote speaker at the April launch of the "Hong Kong Guide to Sustainable Development" - the SAR's first bilingual web-based information base targeting the business sector and produced by the Business Environment Council - says: "To make sustainable development achieve its potential, it must be integrated into the planning, operation and measurement systems of business enterprises."

She emphasizes that, although the concept of sustainable development in Hong Kong has received growing recognition, it is still an abstract and theoretical concept for many executives.

"We need an 'operational manual' to translate the vision of sustainability into practical and effective solutions," she says.

The guide elaborates on how the concept of sustainable development helps a business; provides examples of business tools to develop sustainable strategies for companies; and presents practical experience in the form of case studies.

Chiang further explains how the chamber helps businesses in environmental management.

"We have a 'saving' program - showing how savings can be made with power, recycling, and paperless offices and how to be more environmentally-friendly during the entire work process."

Other initiatives include competitions and awards to encourage members to be environmentally-friendly; and through seminars and round-table discussions.

However, "it is a long-term exercise", she adds.

It isn't just her concern about the environment that comes through in the interview. Quite palpable is her passion for Hong Kong and its role in the mainland's development as well as the world.

Indeed, her passion is partly what defines her. "Sometimes, I am very passionate. Also quite committed. Some people say I'm like a child. I see the sunny side of everything. That's also part of the passion.

"I just think Hong Kong is a unique and charming place. Very energetic. Many people like me, born and raised here, love Hong Kong. We should treasure the place and be grateful for the opportunities it has offered us.

"A dynamic place; Hong Kong is in transition. Every transition means further opportunities. Whether we seize them is our own choice.

"CEPA (Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement between Hong Kong and the mainland) and the Pan-PRD (the pan-Pearl River Delta region, which envisages greater economic ties among nine mainland provinces, Hong Kong and Macao) are all platforms for us to go and tap the opportunities.

"We must be prepared to gain the maximum advantage from all these policies.

"Society has given us many opportunities. A hundred years ago, I would not have had a chance at education... maybe just learnt some embroidery - however rich my family was.

"Today, however rich or poor my family, there's a chance of a decent education and opportunities for all of us. This system has been established through years of work and wisdom.

"Don't we owe it to the future by contributing back to society?

"Maybe I'm too passionate."

As D. H. Lawrence put it: "Be still when you have nothing to say; when genuine passion moves you, say what you've got to say, and say it hot."

(China Daily August 4, 2004)