Allison Chan #Future

What is “aesthetic” for you in sustainability?

The aesthetics of sustainability is to turn thing from uselessness to be something valuable. I believe that everyone of us should try to learn and live in a sustainable lifestyle. No matter who you are, you have the same opportunities to change and create a better world for both of us.

What made you decide to pursue a career in sustainability?

Seeing there is a lot of the food that are being thrown away even they are still in good condition. At that time, I was thinking how to give a hand to reuse them.  I tried to run a food sharing platform on social media, and I found that many people supported the same concept.  Therefore, I started up a social enterprise with my team to save food.

How do you think it will be easier to start living sustainably in Hong Kong?

Hong Kong as Gourmet Paradise, you can’t really miss any delicious food everywhere.  Bring your own cup and lunch box . Just put a foldable one if you think the lunchbox you are taking is too bulky or heavy. You will see it is not that difficult and it saves your money from time to time. You will earn an extra coffee for your effort every month with your own cup. At least I did!

If you had a superpower to change the consumer’s habit of HongKonger, what would you want to change?

I would like to change our habit of using plastic items, like disposable cups, boxes, and plastic shopping bags.  Under the fast paced living style, we always choose to grab and go with disposable cups and boxes.  It saves your time but it hurts the planet for our children.

If you had an invincible magic tool, what is it and how would you use it?

If I had an invincible magic tool, I hope it is a technique that can absorb and speed up the degradation rate for plastic items.  I know it is difficult for us not to consume plastics in daily life, even for me.  If I have that tool, I can gain more time for our future to handle those plastics waste items.

Annabelle Ho #Generation

What is “aesthetic” for you in sustainability?

“Innovation” is the keyword that I believe the aesthetics in sustainability. The spirit of innovation not only helps to create more diversified and revolutionary products & services in the field of sustainable development, but also infuses vitality into this industry that achieves goals with more upcoming innovative methods.

In this ever-changing era, “innovation” has brought transformative changes to different industries and even ourselves. Apart from abandoning traditional patterns, “innovation” also provides us with more choices to practice sustainable development.

What made you decide to pursue a career in sustainability?

My very first contact about sustainable development was at Waseda University in Japan. The students from abroad shared a lot about how students can fight against climate change and living a greener lifestyle together, and I had also participated in the activities of local environmental protection organizations.

Afterwards, I was honored to be one of the organizing crews of TEDxEncompass event and met a lots of local enthusiastic speakers. They shared a lot of work, views and vision about climate change and sustainable development, which inspired me with plenty new concepts and insights. Therefore, I hope to be a part of the community who fights against climate change, thereafter, we bring the youths together to tackle the challenge.

How do you think it will be easier to start living sustainably in Hong Kong?

I think the first step to live upon sustainability is to consume brands that supports the eco-friendly community and environment. These brands are placing a strong emphasis on sustainable business models or offer related products.

When we get to know the sustainable development or research on the related consumer goods, we need to spend sufficient time to understand the entire industry or investigate on the manufacturing information. These green brands help us filter the appropriate products right away that are worth buying, so as to contribute in the sustainable development ecosystem at the same time.

If you had a superpower to change the consumer’s habit of HongKonger, what would you want to change?

I hope to change Hong Kong people’s ability on how quickly can identify the difference between “WANT to buy” and “NEED to buy” before consumption. Although it sounds simple, the fact is that we are prone to make impulsive purchases in front of a dazzling array of products and discounts. You may eventually find that the product was not needed at all or had been purchased repeatedly. Thinking twice before consumption would eliminate much less waste.

If you had an invincible magic tool, what is it and how would you use it?

I wish there was a magic weapon that could change and edit our dreams. Through our dreams, I hope that people can understand the causes and effects of climate change, so that they are able to experience the harsh environment, such as living in melting glaciers, cities suffering from extreme weather, and they magically transform into endangered species to feel as if they were to live in an out-of-balance ecosystem. I believe that these real scenes are unforgettable. It is my desire that this magic weapon can be a reminder of how we could make an impact by redefining the intact relationship between human and the ecosystem, and that we are dedicated in making sustainable changes.

Bertha Shum #SlowFashion

What is “aesthetic” for you in sustainability?

When studying the field “sustainable”, I often find the most intriguing examples within the natural ecosystem. In the nature world, there is supposed to be a self-evolved order all living things, like trees, animals and insects find their food and resting place without disrupting each other intentionally. In other words, it’s balanced. So within sustainability, I believe “aesthetics” can be shown when there is balance. When resources are not exploited and nature is preserved, that’s where I find most beauty.

What made you decide to pursue a career in sustainability?

My major was Geography and Economics. I have been exposed to the topics of environmental problems early on. However, the problems always seemed so far away, and so big that there’s nothing I can do. When I came back to Hong Kong after graduation, working in a big corporation, I noticed how much trash my colleagues were creating everyday. Takeaway boxes, unlimited printing of documents, food wastage in office parties… etc. I felt extremely unease. I decided to start changing that. So that’s where I started Earthero Project as a blog documenting my journey and eventually work more into the field.

How do you think it will be easier to start living sustainably in Hong Kong?

Always begin with yourself and the things you already have. All the commercials promoting eco-friendly items often encourage people to buy something to change your life. However, I always believe the most sustainable way of living is to utilise what you have as much as possible.

If you had a superpower to change the consumer’s habit of HongKonger, what would you want to change?

Disposables! As Hong Kong has a big “convenience culture”, and are reluctant to bring their own bags/cups/containers/cutleries most of the time. A lot of them have the mentality of “it’s difficult to wash” or “troublesome” so they are not bothered, and would rather choose to use a plastic cup for 10 minutes and throw it away. I really hope to change that.

If you had an invincible magic tool, what is it and how would you use it?

I would use it to reverse or control global warming. At the moment, most countries are still behind their planned target. This is still not the priority globally, as extreme weather and lost of habitat intensify, it’s extremely worrying.

Cindy Chu #GleanBeauty

What is “aesthetic” for you in sustainability?

“Minimalism” is our vision and aesthetics. Every decision we make in Ms. Chu Soap & Beaut, “minimalism” is the priority. For example, we stress on the practicality of packaging design, together with the sustainability in using biodegradable materials so as to avoid excessive waste of only looking glamorous. This journey takes more time and cost but the mission of environmental protection worths our effort.

What made you decide to pursue a career in sustainability?

The journey starts from the time when I was studying Cosmetic Science in University of Toronto, to working under an international skincare company for product development. By the time I returned to Hong Kong and my new born daughter experienced Eczema, I have been searching for the most natural and effective treatment for her. With the previous knowledge, experiences and some help from friends, I created my own Clean Beauty brand in 2016. Dedicating in offering products that do no harm to mankind and the environment, so as to share this gift to the people with common backgrounds.

How do you think it will be easier to start living sustainably in Hong Kong?

Sustainability in life could be attained in both “internal” and “external” way. Internally, means our daily diet and the products we use, skincare routines are the most intimate medium that they will be absorbed to the body through our skin. If excessive chemical ingredients are added, the toxins would reside in our system, which is more likely to affect fertility and the next generation. This is why we ought to select products that are naturally effective.

Externally, our primary mission is to unburden the earth from every aspect of our live. As an illustration of water impurity, once we use chemically compounded sunscreen and head to the beach for water sports, we are then bringing toxins into the ocean that leads to marine pollution. That being the case, we are entitled to take further steps and alter obstinate shopping habits to opt for green goods that benefits both ourselves and the environment.

If you had a superpower to change the consumer’s habit of HongKonger, what would you want to change?

I would like to change the way we consume plastics like replacing plastic bags with canvas totes. If that is unavoidable, I could then use the superpower to eliminate one-off plastic bags and byproducts, making them vanish in the air and lighten the burden of landfills and the nature.

If you had an invincible magic tool, what is it and how would you use it?

My magic tool is going to be a mirror that could reflect all the accumulated chemical, metal residues and toxins in our system, and reveal the purest form of beauty. Skincare products that claim to be “instantly effective” or “immediate refining” are most likely to induce chronic harm and side effects to the body, like eczema. Once the toxin runs in our body for 10, 20 years, there is no miracle to undo the damage. This magical mirror strives to convince everyone that ageing gracefully is the most magnificent form of beauty. This is what makes Clean Beauty a necessity to everyone.

Devana Ng #Community

What is “aesthetic” for you in sustainability?

The beauty of sustainability is when the community joins forces together rather than working alone, to spread a positive environmental message. No matter you are raising the awareness of achieving sustainable living, a sustainable brand, or a circular economy, everyone is trying to contribute to making a positive change.

What made you decide to pursue a career in sustainability?

A couple of years ago, we started hiking in Hong Kong but found lots of trash in the beautiful trails, so we started to do hike cleanup and raised a question to ourselves, “how do we keep nature clean and beautiful”, as most of the trash we found were plastic packagings, such as plastic bottles, plastic bags, food wraps and such, neither were being recycled nor biodegraded. Hence, we decided to look for a solution for brands to replace plastic packaging which is compostable, biodegradable, and does not contain conventional plastic. By 2020, we found this water-soluble material and launched #INVISIBLEBAG, aiming to provide responsible packaging connecting a sustainable community.

How do you think it will be easier to start living sustainably in Hong Kong?

The first step or the easiest is to look at our handbags and see what kind of daily items that we use are disposable and try to look for alternatives to reduce daily wastage. For example, can we bring a towel to replace tissue paper? We can use reusable and washable cotton pads and cotton buds to replace the disposable ones. When you go out, bring your own bottle, and more refilling stations are now available at the MTR station.

If you had a superpower to change the consumer’s habit of HongKonger, what would you want to change?

I wish I could have the superpower to make sustainable products normal for every consumers and consumers would think of the afterlife of each product. Not only for HK, but for global. When every consumer purchase items, the eco-friendly products / sustainable products will always be the consideration. For example, instead of looking for fast-fashion or without looking at the materials of the clothing, people would look for different sustainable fashion options before making a purchase.

If you had an invincible magic tool, what is it and how would you use it?

I will make all the marine debris, trashes that are left over in the nature, mountains, back to the original places, could be to the person who disposed of it incorrectly, recycling center, or garbage bin.

Haylie Chan #Waste

What is “aesthetic” for you in sustainability?

‘Endless Sustainability’ – ‘Fair-trade’ itself exactly expresses the ‘aesthetics’. The fair-trade policy not only guarantees farmers and workers being paid with a fair price for their produce, but also prohibits the usage of poison chemicals and fertilisers by the farmers. Every count of our consumption helps farmers to achieve a basic living standard and provides stability for farmers to acheive better quality of life. This “trading circle” is very sustainable, indeed, in term of ecosystem protection as well as the sustainabilty of the life cycle of crops.

What made you decide to pursue a career in sustainability?

January 2015, when scientist moved the Doomsday Clock 2 minutes closer to midnight due to the concerns amid continued lack of global political action to address global climate change. Meaning that there are only 3 minutes left before the end of the world. What would you do if your life only have 3 minutes left?

How do you think it will be easier to start living sustainably in Hong Kong?

Start with yourself, and gradually influence those who is around you.

If you had a superpower to change the consumer’s habit of HongKonger, what would you want to change?

Stop overspending. Understand happiness can be found simply in contentment.

If you had an invincible magic tool, what is it and how would you use it?

I would like to turn all the trashes into trees, and switch all the marine debris into corals.

Jenn Spano#Relationship

What is “aesthetic” for you in sustainability?

I feel like sustainability looks like everything else, only with a lot less of a carbon footprint. Making a product sustainable shouldn’t compromise its aesthetics. When we swapped our regular materials for more sustainable and vegan options, our shoes looked just as good (if not better), with better performance and contained a lower overall footprint.

What made you decide to pursue a career in sustainability?

I didn’t! I pursued a career in marketing and as a part of my role here at LANE EIGHT and at previous organisations, sustainability has become a huge component to what I do. Through this, I found myself concentrating more on how we can contribute to the cause on a personal and professional level. I find myself buying more eco-conscious things and pushing more sustainable projects as a result!

How do you think it will be easier to start living sustainably in Hong Kong?

When I moved to Hong Kong 7 years ago from Toronto, I noticed a huge difference: Single use containers, plastic bags, hard to find recycling receptacles and no recycling programs in residential buildings. I’ve seen big improvements since, however, I think as a community we can do better. Bringing reusable bags for your groceries, washable containers for food and coffee cups. Also, consciously purchasing sustainable products that offer lower carbon footprints and better ecological impact, such as shopping at the local markets for homegrown produce.

If you had a superpower to change the consumer’s habit of HongKonger, what would you want to change?

I would add a more conscious component; supporting local businesses more, especially the ones really making a difference in Hong Kong and in the world with their eco-conscious practices.

If you had an invincible magic tool, what is it and how would you use it?

I would probably have something that made people really see how their daily habits impact the environment. Sort of like how we have nutritional info for food, everything we do should have a similar value toward the environment readily available.

Po Chen #Co-existence

What is “aesthetic” for you in sustainability?

Simple and thoughtfulness. Thinking a bit more, one step more, changes a lot.

What made you decide to pursue a career in sustainability?

This quote really impacts me – “ we don’t inherit the Earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.”

Anything else we are interested is not going to to happen if can’t breath the air and drink the water. We simply just can’t sit this out because we are by accident of fate alive at an absolutely crucial moment in the history of our planet.

How do you think it will be easier to start living sustainably in Hong Kong?

Start from yourself. Start in within your family, start educating our kids.

If you had a superpower to change the consumer’s habit of HongKonger, what would you want to change?

Plastic is not a bad for our planet, I can make plastic become biodegradable.

If you had an invincible magic tool, what is it and how would you use it?

Delivery anything with just One Click. To save all the transportation time, reduce carbon emissions.

Sally Lim #GREENWASHING

What is “aesthetic” for you in sustainability?

Sustainable design creates an object that is constant and timeless, often made of natural materials that age with beauty and don’t call out for replacement. It doesn’t have to be beige and boring, but it isn’t fad driven.

What made you decide to pursue a career in sustainability?

I noticed people (including myself) saying “they should really….” or “I wish they would…”

Who is this “they”? There is rarely an all powerful “they” to address something that needs fixing, but often there is something we can do as individuals, no matter how small. That realisation is empowering.

How do you think it will be easier to start living sustainably in Hong Kong?

It’s great to look at what we are doing well, congratulate ourselves, and then look at what we can do next. Life in Hong Kong is in many ways sustainable; we often walk or use public transport, rarely use clothes dryers, and carry our reusable bags everywhere.

For next steps, there are amazing Hong Kong based sustainable brands for fashion and homewares and you can now easily buy and sell just about anything second hand on online marketplaces, buy your produce package free from the wet market, or take your own cup and lunch box to restaurants to fill for takeaway.

If you had a superpower to change the consumer’s habit of HongKonger, what would you want to change?

I would love to grant everyone immunity to the consumption mindset that most marketing relentlessly encourages.

If you had an invincible magic tool, what is it and how would you use it?

I wish I could change the mindset of EVERYONE, not just the consumers but also those in the companies responsible for overproduction and unsustainable practices. I’d love for everyone to be looking towards a circular economy.

Vincci Lau #Future

What is “aesthetic” for you in sustainability?

I stand firm in “natural beauty” which is chemical-free and minimalistic. For instance, facial napkins need not to be in any scent, print or colours because they all do the same purpose. Besides, a clean and non-glamorous design makes an everlasting taste that never goes out of style.

What made you decide to pursue a career in sustainability?

I became a part of this company by chance and this was where I started the journey of living a sustainable life. At the beginning, I was not familiar with the sustainability development industry but I soon realised that everyone was closely bonded with such living style. I start reflecting on how my consumption habits and that I could be a lot better to make an effort in unburdening the earth.

How do you think it will be easier to start living sustainably in Hong Kong?

The first step always begins in ourselves. From the very first routine in the morning – brushing, we could abandon using plastic brushes and dental flossers that necessities like these have relatively high disposal rate. Plastic byproducts as such take few hundred years to degrade. Therefore, we could opt for biodegradable options like bamboo or PLA made flossers. It is best when we bring our own cups and utensils too. There are minimal personal habits as a start, soon we could gradually influence family and friends around us.

If you had a superpower to change the consumer’s habit of HongKonger, what would you want to change?

The first thing that comes to my mind is to alter the habits in using disposable utensils, like plastic containers, forks and knifes, and straws. Especially for take-home meals, we do not need disposable tools at all! There is an unavoidable use of straw when dining in, but we could all bring our own straws that are not only a hygienic habit, but also reducing waste.

It is understandable that we need time to adopt new habits, so restaurants are starting to opt for sugarcane straws and bamboo compostable napkins. This could help minimise deforestation because bamboo and sugarcanes are plants with high regeneration rate.

If you had an invincible magic tool, what is it and how would you use it?

I would vanish everything with excessive use of plastics using this magic tool. Like what we have discussed, it takes a few hundred years for plastic degradation. Clear water is unlikely to be seen in beaches nowadays, plus there are always plastic bottles and styrofoam boxes trapped between stones. We ought to reflect upon and make a change for the sake of our next generation and marine system.