Ecovision's professional, industry-specific and carbon-neutral events focus on sustainability and offer online and offline tools, resources, products and education for participants.

Christensen's journey to Hong Kong is intriguing. Having taken what was intended to be a year-long sabbatical from the corporate world in 1995 to travel around the world, she stopped in China, where her parents were living at the time. 'I stopped to visit them after exploring Europe, the Middle East and Southeast Asia. I was offered a dream job in the burgeoning sports marketing industry in China a week after I landed and I accepted it,' she said.

Christensen has been fascinated by Chinese culture and history since her childhood in Canada. 'I had several classmates from Hong Kong at boarding school and I studied ancient Chinese religion at university. As soon as I arrived, a part of me felt I was home and I knew I would stay.'

She feels very blessed to have been present for the years leading up to and after the handover for their historical significance.

As for her zeal and determination to be an environmental entrepreneur, her greatest motivation is that there are a billion people in the world without access to clean water and thousands dying every day because of bad weather attributed to global warming.

'I recall being told by a mentor at university that we must learn to live simply so that others can simply live,' Christensen said. Quoting George Bernard Shaw, she added: 'I want to be thoroughly used up when I die, for the harder I work, the more I live. I rejoice in life for its own sake.'

Christensen has had a creative and entrepreneurial spirit since youth. 'Growing up in Canada, with the environment being one of our nation's bottom lines and personally being so passionate about the wonders of nature and the glorious outdoors, it seemed a natural space for me to be in.'

She believes that she is following her passion and purpose. Her view is that now is the time for entrepreneurs to ponder starting green businesses.

She formed Ecovision in 2003 after spending ever greater amounts of time volunteering for green groups and charitable organisations. In 1999, she recognised there was a niche locally for professionals 'to be a part of the green space'.

Having spent years in marketing and events, Christensen knows first-hand how much waste is created - and remains unrecycled - in Hong Kong. 'I set a goal in 2000 to transform the events and entertainment industry into a model of sustainability,' she said.

As the world yearns for fossil fuel price relief and ways to achieve lower greenhouse gas emissions, Christensen anticipates the eco-revolution will grow into a trillion-dollar annual industry in the coming decade.

Yet conventional wisdom holds that the green way to do something invariably costs more. To Christensen, it's just a matter of supply and demand. 'Once more eco-friendly products and technology come to market, they will gradually become less expensive to manufacture,' she said.

Although Christensen concedes that green business is in its nascent stages in Hong Kong, she believes it simply means more potential for growth.

For a relatively developed society, Hong Kong boasts few local environmental manufacturers and consultancies - unlike the United States, Europe and Australia.

'When I started Ecovision, it was hard to get people to return phone calls because the environment was not part of most companies' bottom line. The first five years were the toughest. There were days when I was tempted to go back to the corporate world because it was something I know,' Christensen said.

Fortunately, it is heartening for her to know her efforts have not gone unnoticed, as evidenced by the fact that Optiled, CLSA and Nomura are among her biggest sponsors. 'I am so grateful for their acknowledgement; it is really humbling that they want to work with us. The past 10 weeks [on the cleanup] have been a great experience,' she said.

She thinks that green economic endeavours are fully viable and help in managing the environment and broader macroeconomic matters. 'People tend to separate things in life. We would be a better society if we adopted a holistic approach and developed a better understanding of the social, financial and spiritual costs [of pollution],' she said.

Christensen also believes that the city's environmental awareness is finally reaching a critical mass and that much the same is happening globally. 'Hong Kong people are some of the most well-educated people in the world, so I have every bit of faith that Hong Kong will become a leader in the eco-consciousness space,' she said.

She stresses that such change is happening among both locals and expatriates. 'Even just a few years ago, you might have had expats here on a two-year banking contract. After work, they would go to the pubs and the only reason they were here was financial. We have seen a huge paradigm shift in thinking as more people take ownership of their communities,' she said.

'My favourite native American proverb is: 'We did not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we are borrowing it from our children'.'

Traditionally, it has been the financial bottom line that has mattered most to Hongkongers, but Christensen thinks that a 'triple bottom line' is taking its place - one that encompasses financial, social and environmental concerns.

Regarding this year's cleanup, Christensen is buoyant and stressed that the group's objectives are essentially threefold: to clean up Hong Kong's coast and waterways of litter, data gathering on litter to track its source so that it can be minimised and prevented, and to educate citizens of all ages about the importance and benefits of community environmental action and pollution prevention.

Since its inception in Hong Kong, momentum behind the cleanup has increased annually. From fewer than 100 volunteers in 2000, the number rose to more than 3,000 in 2007 and 2008 and to more than 5,000 this year.

'Whereas marine debris in Hong Kong used to be perceived as just a coastal problem, it has now become critical that all people realise their responsibility for the marine environment,' Christensen said.

Ever the go-getter, Christensen is also involved with the local Canadian Chamber of Commerce and founded Earth Matters.

Earth Matters is an exciting online and real-world eco-community featuring interactive modules, events and up-to-date content on lifestyle, fashion, wellness, technology, travel, culture and people. 'If the earth matters to you, then Earth Matters is for you,' she said.She also had a hand in setting up a game called Rock n' Recycle at Hong Kong's annual music and multimedia arts festival, Clockenflap.

'Every little thing each of us does as individuals makes a difference. There is a reason we are all here - to serve the earth.'