This is probably the highlight of my 2018 as I mindfully try to live a leaner life of less waste and trying in my personal capacity to avoid plastic use as much as possible.
A massive inspiration run by my friend T is All in Asia, follow them for interesting nuggets and tips to live a leaner life producing less waste. T hasn’t bought new clothes in over the year and is one of the most fashionable people I know, shopping at second hand, thrift and charity stores. The fashion industry and pollution is an alarming situation that needs address. Redress Hong Kong has also been an inspiration with what they’ve done raising awareness and giving breath of new life to old clothes.
The Live Zero Waste store is a life saver and I am a total convert. I didn’t intend to write about it assuming that everyone in Hong Kong already knew about them given the great PR and write ups they’ve gotten, but some of my friends and our wider social network still don’t know about them.
I do monthly stock ups of cleaning detergents, shampoo and soaps which smell so good and are locally made. Even the husband who’s really picky about scents approve. I’ve stopped single use plastic for 6 months now – and bid goodbye to all the single use shampoo bottles, cleaning detergents. I bring those empty bottles for refills now, have my glass cup for coffee on the go and metal utensils that I take on the go.
They also have delicious kombucha – grapefruit and ginger lemongrass flavour that tastes like ginger ale, a refreshing fizz for the sweltering summer heat. Fill up your waterbottle – they sell cute vacuum flasks for cold and hot drinks, pick one up if you don’t already have a water bottle so you can stop buying single use plastic bottles.
It’s difficult to plan groceries so far in advance, so I come here to get my flax seeds, chia seeds, dried tomatoes, cranberries and nuts – all sans packaging. You can either use the glass jars they provide or bring your own containers. And if you have too many of those glass pasta bottles lying around at home, sterilise them (boiling them in hot water, peeling off the labels) and bring them down to the store, same for plastic containers so they can be given a second life or more when people use them to purchase items.
The variety of spices, herbs and dried produce is amazing. I also stocked up on some handmade buckwheat rigatoni pasta this time. Haven’t cooked it yet – but shall update how it goes.
My friends make fun of me and jokingly say that I’ve become a tree hugging hippie, but I’m really doing this for the planet and mankind. If everyone would just make an effort to reduce single use plastic, ocean life would not be gobbling up all this plastic waste that make it back into our bodies when we eat them.
The onigiri prints pouch is sewn by me. Scrap fabric after making dresses for friends’ toddlers. :)
