‘Tis the season to be … sustainable
Academics and activists give their advice for reducing consumption during the festive period
Last December, shoppers in bustling Causeway Bay were treated to an unusual sight: a small group of Greenpeace activists scaled the giant screen outside Times Square to hang a banner which read “Buy Smart Buy Less”.
But the timely reminder to break the never-ending cycle of overconsumption did little to change the predominant consumer culture. For many Hongkongers, reducing consumption is the last thing on their minds during what is, after all, the season of excess.
Wasteful materialism is not a new phenomenon in Hong Kong or other rich, urbanised parts of the world, but a growing chorus of experts and campaigners are now putting forward alternatives for celebrating the festive period in a more sustainable way.
“Festive seasons are often a disaster for waste because of all the increased consumption,” says Dr Daisy Tam of Hong Kong Baptist University, who studies ethical food practices in Hong Kong.
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“Food waste is something we’re all familiar with, but not enough is being done to tackle the issue.”
Tam cites the familiar statistic of 36,000 tonnes of food from Hong Kong being thrown into landfills every day, but bemoans the lack of detailed data on the issue which would give more clues to the true environmental cost of festive overconsumption.