Junior Reporters attended workshops at Victoria Prison last Sunday, the last day of the two-week-long Detour exhibition that featured ideas and artwork from local and international designers.
Nola Yip attended a beeswax candle-making workshop by Michael Leung, creative director of HK Honey. Michael is passionate about honey and bees and the special place they have in Hong Kong's environment.
The workshop was buzzing, rather appropriately. As Michael explained to participants, honey bees are not nasty and scary. Rather, they play a very important role not only in making honey, but in helping to pollinate plants - they are responsible for pollinating about a third of all food crops.
Honey itself is a wondrous thing, Michael explained. More than just a form of sugar, it also has medicinal properties. Some honeys are antiseptic, and people who suffer from hay fever can alleviate their allergy by consuming locally produced honey. Locally produced honey is more environmentally friendly as it doesn't have to be shipped a long way to shops. Michael hopes to encourage people to think more sustainably and eat locally.
Another important product from bees' hives is beeswax, which can be easily made into candles that burn with none of the polluting smoke from regular wax candles. The flame is also brighter and burns longer without dripping of wax.
Michael is working on a design for a better hive to develop finer honey. He even wants to make lipsticks and handbags from honey products to promote Hong Kong honey. Michael combines his creativity and passion to let people realise the importance of using local products to reduce our carbon footprint.
