How sustainable design can encourage better recycling in Hong Kong, and the power of community – TEDxTinHauWomen talks return

Speakers at the TEDxTinHauWomen event will cover practical issues such as promoting recycling, curbing the illegal wildlife trade and emergency decision making
Others will address issues such as lying, taboos and why some images are censored on social media, and chasing your dreams

Architecture and design

Kylie Knott

Published: 11:45am, 28 Nov 2022

Why you can trust SCMP

Chinali Patel is a big believer in the power of community. And a move last year that gave Hong Kong authorities new legal powers to fight wildlife trafficking, after a bill was passed designating it an organised crime, is the perfect example.

“For years, NGOs in Hong Kong such as Traffic [which works globally on trade in wild animals and plants], ADMCF [the ADM Capital Foundation, which promotes environmental conservation in Asia] and the WWF [a global wilderness and wildlife conservation body] lobbied for this amendment,” says Patel, the consul international illicit finance at the British consulate in Hong Kong, with a focus on the illegal wildlife trade.

“It shows how change can happen when everyone comes together.”

Patel is a speaker at TEDxTinHauWomen, which features talks from eight inspiring women from all walks of Hong Kong life.

From left; Jen Flowers, Zaf Chow, Chinali Patel, Taura Edgar, Irene Cheng and Christine Ho, who will take part in the TEDxTinHauWomen event. Photo: K. Y. Cheng

The event returns to the West Kowloon Cultural District’s Xiqu Centre on December 1, with the theme “In Bloom”.

Patel’s talk – “Pangolins, Pills and Payoffs” – explores how organised crime, corruption and drug cartels have become entwined with the trade in illegal wildlife.

“Pangolin scales are worth about US$3,000 per kilogram on the black market and these items are often traded for fentanyl, methamphetamine and other illegal drugs,” Patel says.

Organised crime and drug cartels have become involved in the illegal trade in wildlife such as pangolins (above). Photo: Shutterstock

The illegal wildlife trade, she says, is a dark and sophisticated business – and a lucrative one, worth more than US$23 billion a year.

“When people think about illegal trafficking they think of drugs and guns, not wildlife,” says Patel. It’s a huge problem, one that not only threatens species but affects broader ecosystems by fuelling corruption and destroying economic opportunities.

Also taking part in TEDxTinHauWomen is Irene Cheng, with her talk “Fantastic Plastic: Designing Our Way Out of Waste”.

An architect and installation artist, Cheng wants to spread the message that great sustainable designs can encourage the public to recycle better.

She has proof. Cheng’s company, HIR Studio, designed 12 benches using waste collected from the Shing Mun River, which snakes through Sha Tin. The benches now occupy the district’s town hall.

Cheng, who grew up in Sha Tin, says it was a way of giving back to the community.

Other speakers include Hong Kong illustrator Claudia Chanhoi, who will explore the topic of taboos, and why certain images are censored on social media, while production stage manager Anna Robb will talk about emergency decision making.

In “Who Does Silence Help?”, digital marketing professional Taura Edgar will share research on how coordinated systems can better identify and stop child sexual abuse. Zaf Chow, of venture capital company Animoca Brands, will talk about digital diversity, while HSBC executive Jen Flowers will offer some truths about lying.

Christina Ho, who traded in a career in fashion to become a pilot, one of the few Asian women aviators in the industry, will outline the importance of chasing your dreams.

For more information, go to tedxtinhauwomen.com.

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