TreeChat HK
TreeChat HK is an educational initiative based in Hong Kong, dedicated to addressing the growing issue of “Plant Blindness” — the inability to notice or recognize the plants in one’s environment. This project combines cutting-edge technologies with outdoor experiential learning to reconnect people, especially youth, with the natural world.
Through school partnerships, NGO collaborations, and community events, TreeChat HK organizes interactive outdoor learning experiences focused on local flora. These activities include guided plant walks, storytelling, and hands-on identification of local and common plant species. Emphasis is placed on local biodiversity, cultural plant knowledge, and ecological stewardship.
To enrich the learning process, TreeChat HK integrates AI and Internet of Things (IoT) sensors. LLM is used to build a Cantonese-based interactive plant knowledge system, enabling natural conversations about plants through voice or text. IoT sensors are deployed for real-time environmental monitoring (e.g., soil nutrients, humidity, temperature), which helps visualize plant health and ecological relationships in urban and rural contexts.
Workshops are also held to teach students and NGO participants how to use and even build these AI/IoT tools, empowering them to become citizen scientists and environmental ambassadors.
By combining technology, education, and ecology, TreeChat HK fosters curiosity, environmental awareness, and digital literacy — creating a new generation that can see, understand, and care for the green life around them.
Website link:
https://treechathk.tclc.hk
