sustainabilityHandmade in Hong Kong: Green Queen’s Top 5 Artesanal Pioneers
140 days ago by greenqueenThe artisanal movement is admittedly not a huge one in Asia’s World City but there are a few locally-grown treasures. Below are a list of Green Queen’s Favourite Made in Hong Kong items; great for indulging one’s green pampering passions and perfect for gift-giving. These brands/companies also get a special Green Queen shout-out for empowering a greener Hong Kong and generally promoting a sustainable way of life.
Gladys HandMade Soap: hand-milled functional soaps made by Gladys herself using non-toxic ingredients and essential oils. Gladys’s soaps offer different functions such as the Mugwort Peaceful Soap or the The Coffee Household Soaps. The products can be tailor-made to suit needs or events such as the Wedding Soap collection. Gladys also hand-makes lip balms, massage oil blends, insect repellent, itch relief balms, body butters and more. Gladys’s soaps are made in small quantities so the soap profiles change regularly. Gladys’s products are hand wrapped in beautiful recyclable packaging. Approx HKD 50 per soap bar.
Squeaky Clean: Based in Discovery Bay, Squeaky Clean hand-makes chemical- free powder detergent goodness, scented with essential oils, no less! Packaged in vintagey-brown-paper bags, here is what they promise: no phosphates, no chlorine, no optical brighteners or dyes- basically totally non-toxic. Great at removing stubborn stains and gentle enough for your baby’s bottom though strong enough for cloth diapers! The blends come in Everyday or Extra Gentle and are offered in the following scents: Lavender/Vanilla, Lemon/Orange and Unscented for the extra-sensitive among us. 16oz for HKD 70 will get you about 48 loads or go for the family-pack 24oz for HKD 110 which should get you 96 loads.
HK Honey: HK Honey is the real thing, a full-blown Hong Kong locavore eco-movement. The HK Honey team has revived the art of beekeeping in our city and given locally-made artisanal honey some serious street-cred. You can also hold them responsible for making it uber hip to be an urban beekeeper. HK Honey is extremely collaborative: anyone can contact them and join the movement to learn about Chinese honey bees and set up their own roof-top golden hive. If you just want to get a taste, contact them for a tour and meet the bee-keeeprs- a great family day out! The team also hosts bee-keeping and candle-making workshops. They produce and sell delectable jars of Hong Kong honey (HKD 240 for 250g jar), as well as clean-burning beeswax candles (HKD 120 per candle jar).
Bella Sapone: Bella is a Hong Kong based homemaker dedicated to living an eco-friendly organic life. This passion led her to develop Bella Sapone, an extensive line of earth-friendly homemade cleansers which uses non-toxic ingredients such as virgin olive and coconut oils, organic cane sugar and essential oils. Bella Sapone offers liquid dish soap, body soap hand soap and laundry soap as well as shampoo and hand-made bar soaps. Bella products are stocked at various health stores around Hong Kong; check the website for stockiest and exact pricing. Starting from HKD 48 for 500ml bottles and HKD 48 her soap bar.
So…Soap! It’s hard not to root for So…Soap! Other than the charming name, this social venture was founded to offer marginalized women in Hong Kong an honest, sustainable and flexible livelihood. The women produce toxin-free, glycerin-based bio-degradable liquid soap from their Hong Kong homes, enabling them to promote a greener environment and care for their families. The bottles are recycled soy milk containers, the soap contains calming essential oils, the packaging is chic and modern and these women earn a decent wage. What is not to love? HKD 88-108 for a 500ml bottle, So…Soap offers Tea Tree Hand Soap and Body Soap in 3 different scents: Bergamot, Lavender and Orange Ginger.
Green Queen Loves: HK Recycles
257 days ago by greenqueenAttention ALL Hong Kong residents who don’t recycle. Which is most of you. Yeah, yeah, we have heard every excuse. ‘There are no recycling bins in my building.’ ‘I don’t have time.’ ‘I don’t know how to recycle.’ Well here is the fool-proof solution: sign up to HK Recycles, a brand new social enterprise that
For just HKD20 a week, HK Recycles will collect your recycling and well, get it recycled! Here are the facts:
- –> it’s cheap – as their website cleverly notes: less than a cup of coffee
- –> it’s convenient – they pick up once a week at your doorstep
- –> they ensure that the waste actually gets recycled- they have a no landfill policy
- –> they do private households as well as offices, shops, basically any entity with waste to recycle
- –> they provide you with a starter kit which includes 4 compact recycle bags for easy sorting
- –> they do glass! Until now, there has been no viable glass recycling programme in Hong Kong
- –> they employ people from marginalized communities and pay them above market rate
No Excuses! Sign Up NOW: HK Recycles
Green Queen Loves: DIY Natural Room Scents by The Yummy Life
262 days ago by greenqueenWhile salivating during her weekly Tastespotting browsing sesh, Green Queen discovered this excellent post at The Yummy Life on how to make your own Natural Room Scents. What a great idea! So easy and quick to put together and a luscious, colourful touch to any home! GQ LOVES!
NB: This post was pre-scheduled for Sep 5 2012 but it looks like Just Green beat me to it- they also shared this post on their Facebook page on Sep 4 2012! Oh well, green minds think alike.
The Perfect Eco Date: Shing Mun Reservoir
263 days ago by greenqueenHong Kong haze getting you down? Sick of breathing recycled air? Looking for some beautiful panoramas? Want to get chased by monkeys and watch cattle grazing? If so, plan a visit to Shing Mun Reservoir and Country Park.
Just a short ride from Tsuen Wan MTR, enjoy one of Hong Kong’s most beautiful hikes. Circling the entire reservoir will take around 3 hours. It is fairly flat though there are some steep bends; overall it’s a good balance of proper-hike and serene-nature-walk. A great family excursion for kids and grownups alike though we did it entre amoureux and it is plenty romantic for a unique date.
The country park is overwhelmingly lush and immediately transports you far away from Hong Kong’s urban sprawl. The vistas are truly spectacular and on this particularly perfect summer day, we kept forgetting which continent we were on.
At the beginning of the trail, there is an old fashioned refreshment stands but the offerings are mostly junk food and ice cream so bring your own supplies. The park boasts a wild butterfly garden as well as an Arboretum with over 270 plant species- both of which are popular with the kiddies. The park also offers shaded table and bench sitting areas and barbeque pits at various points for those looking to grill Canto-style. We were there on a sunny Sunday and it was extremely pleasant crowd-wise: there weren’t that many people to fight through and at many points during our hike, we felt like we had the park to ourselves.
The park is inhabited by wild macaque monkeys. They are curious and sometimes vicious: they will approach you if you are holding any kind of foodstuff in your hands. We were actually chased down by a family of them!
We came upon grass pastures where buffalo herds were grazing quietly. Unlike their Symian friends, they were extremely docile and we were able to walk across the field without a second thought.
The park has an unusually large number of tree species- over 70- and we found gorgeous tree-lined walkways that simply took our breath away.
We discovered a lovely clearing that would have been the perfect picnic spot had we been better prepared.
Though we didn’t spot any clear signs, Hong Kong reservoirs do not allow swimming. A bit of a drawback on a hot summer’s day, although most of the hike around the reservoir is shaded and the trees offer some breeze; the effect is cooling and pleasant.
It’s very easy to get to the Reservoir: from Central MTR station, the red line goes straight to Tsuen Wan which only takes about 25 minutes. We then exited at the Bus Terminus and grabbed a cab- the ride to the reservoir was only 10-15 minutes. You can opt to take the no 82 Green Minibus, it will take you straight to the entrance but it is hard to find the bus stop as it’s a few blocks away from the MTR station.On our way back, we saw the queues for the minibus and decided against waiting- preferring to walk down from the Visitor’s Centre/Shing Mun Reservoir Entrance to the main road. Luckily, we found a free taxi fairly quickly.
Don’t forget to pack lots of water, sunscreen and some bug spray just in case- we didn’t get bitten for the most part but there were a couple of mozzies zooming around.
Handmade in Hong Kong: Green Queen’s Top 5 Artesanal Pioneers
140 days ago by greenqueenThe artisanal movement is admittedly not a huge one in Asia’s World City but there are a few locally-grown treasures. Below are a list of Green Queen’s Favourite Made in Hong Kong items; great for indulging one’s green pampering passions and perfect for gift-giving. These brands/companies also get a special Green Queen shout-out for empowering a greener Hong Kong and generally promoting a sustainable way of life.
Gladys HandMade Soap: hand-milled functional soaps made by Gladys herself using non-toxic ingredients and essential oils. Gladys’s soaps offer different functions such as the Mugwort Peaceful Soap or the The Coffee Household Soaps. The products can be tailor-made to suit needs or events such as the Wedding Soap collection. Gladys also hand-makes lip balms, massage oil blends, insect repellent, itch relief balms, body butters and more. Gladys’s soaps are made in small quantities so the soap profiles change regularly. Gladys’s products are hand wrapped in beautiful recyclable packaging. Approx HKD 50 per soap bar.
Squeaky Clean: Based in Discovery Bay, Squeaky Clean hand-makes chemical- free powder detergent goodness, scented with essential oils, no less! Packaged in vintagey-brown-paper bags, here is what they promise: no phosphates, no chlorine, no optical brighteners or dyes- basically totally non-toxic. Great at removing stubborn stains and gentle enough for your baby’s bottom though strong enough for cloth diapers! The blends come in Everyday or Extra Gentle and are offered in the following scents: Lavender/Vanilla, Lemon/Orange and Unscented for the extra-sensitive among us. 16oz for HKD 70 will get you about 48 loads or go for the family-pack 24oz for HKD 110 which should get you 96 loads.
HK Honey: HK Honey is the real thing, a full-blown Hong Kong locavore eco-movement. The HK Honey team has revived the art of beekeeping in our city and given locally-made artisanal honey some serious street-cred. You can also hold them responsible for making it uber hip to be an urban beekeeper. HK Honey is extremely collaborative: anyone can contact them and join the movement to learn about Chinese honey bees and set up their own roof-top golden hive. If you just want to get a taste, contact them for a tour and meet the bee-keeeprs- a great family day out! The team also hosts bee-keeping and candle-making workshops. They produce and sell delectable jars of Hong Kong honey (HKD 240 for 250g jar), as well as clean-burning beeswax candles (HKD 120 per candle jar).
Bella Sapone: Bella is a Hong Kong based homemaker dedicated to living an eco-friendly organic life. This passion led her to develop Bella Sapone, an extensive line of earth-friendly homemade cleansers which uses non-toxic ingredients such as virgin olive and coconut oils, organic cane sugar and essential oils. Bella Sapone offers liquid dish soap, body soap hand soap and laundry soap as well as shampoo and hand-made bar soaps. Bella products are stocked at various health stores around Hong Kong; check the website for stockiest and exact pricing. Starting from HKD 48 for 500ml bottles and HKD 48 her soap bar.
So…Soap! It’s hard not to root for So…Soap! Other than the charming name, this social venture was founded to offer marginalized women in Hong Kong an honest, sustainable and flexible livelihood. The women produce toxin-free, glycerin-based bio-degradable liquid soap from their Hong Kong homes, enabling them to promote a greener environment and care for their families. The bottles are recycled soy milk containers, the soap contains calming essential oils, the packaging is chic and modern and these women earn a decent wage. What is not to love? HKD 88-108 for a 500ml bottle, So…Soap offers Tea Tree Hand Soap and Body Soap in 3 different scents: Bergamot, Lavender and Orange Ginger.
Green Queen Loves: HK Recycles
257 days ago by greenqueenAttention ALL Hong Kong residents who don’t recycle. Which is most of you. Yeah, yeah, we have heard every excuse. ‘There are no recycling bins in my building.’ ‘I don’t have time.’ ‘I don’t know how to recycle.’ Well here is the fool-proof solution: sign up to HK Recycles, a brand new social enterprise that
For just HKD20 a week, HK Recycles will collect your recycling and well, get it recycled! Here are the facts:
- –> it’s cheap – as their website cleverly notes: less than a cup of coffee
- –> it’s convenient – they pick up once a week at your doorstep
- –> they ensure that the waste actually gets recycled- they have a no landfill policy
- –> they do private households as well as offices, shops, basically any entity with waste to recycle
- –> they provide you with a starter kit which includes 4 compact recycle bags for easy sorting
- –> they do glass! Until now, there has been no viable glass recycling programme in Hong Kong
- –> they employ people from marginalized communities and pay them above market rate
No Excuses! Sign Up NOW: HK Recycles
Green Queen Loves: DIY Natural Room Scents by The Yummy Life
262 days ago by greenqueenWhile salivating during her weekly Tastespotting browsing sesh, Green Queen discovered this excellent post at The Yummy Life on how to make your own Natural Room Scents. What a great idea! So easy and quick to put together and a luscious, colourful touch to any home! GQ LOVES!
NB: This post was pre-scheduled for Sep 5 2012 but it looks like Just Green beat me to it- they also shared this post on their Facebook page on Sep 4 2012! Oh well, green minds think alike.
The Perfect Eco Date: Shing Mun Reservoir
263 days ago by greenqueenHong Kong haze getting you down? Sick of breathing recycled air? Looking for some beautiful panoramas? Want to get chased by monkeys and watch cattle grazing? If so, plan a visit to Shing Mun Reservoir and Country Park.
Just a short ride from Tsuen Wan MTR, enjoy one of Hong Kong’s most beautiful hikes. Circling the entire reservoir will take around 3 hours. It is fairly flat though there are some steep bends; overall it’s a good balance of proper-hike and serene-nature-walk. A great family excursion for kids and grownups alike though we did it entre amoureux and it is plenty romantic for a unique date.
The country park is overwhelmingly lush and immediately transports you far away from Hong Kong’s urban sprawl. The vistas are truly spectacular and on this particularly perfect summer day, we kept forgetting which continent we were on.
At the beginning of the trail, there is an old fashioned refreshment stands but the offerings are mostly junk food and ice cream so bring your own supplies. The park boasts a wild butterfly garden as well as an Arboretum with over 270 plant species- both of which are popular with the kiddies. The park also offers shaded table and bench sitting areas and barbeque pits at various points for those looking to grill Canto-style. We were there on a sunny Sunday and it was extremely pleasant crowd-wise: there weren’t that many people to fight through and at many points during our hike, we felt like we had the park to ourselves.
The park is inhabited by wild macaque monkeys. They are curious and sometimes vicious: they will approach you if you are holding any kind of foodstuff in your hands. We were actually chased down by a family of them!
We came upon grass pastures where buffalo herds were grazing quietly. Unlike their Symian friends, they were extremely docile and we were able to walk across the field without a second thought.
The park has an unusually large number of tree species- over 70- and we found gorgeous tree-lined walkways that simply took our breath away.
We discovered a lovely clearing that would have been the perfect picnic spot had we been better prepared.
Though we didn’t spot any clear signs, Hong Kong reservoirs do not allow swimming. A bit of a drawback on a hot summer’s day, although most of the hike around the reservoir is shaded and the trees offer some breeze; the effect is cooling and pleasant.
It’s very easy to get to the Reservoir: from Central MTR station, the red line goes straight to Tsuen Wan which only takes about 25 minutes. We then exited at the Bus Terminus and grabbed a cab- the ride to the reservoir was only 10-15 minutes. You can opt to take the no 82 Green Minibus, it will take you straight to the entrance but it is hard to find the bus stop as it’s a few blocks away from the MTR station.On our way back, we saw the queues for the minibus and decided against waiting- preferring to walk down from the Visitor’s Centre/Shing Mun Reservoir Entrance to the main road. Luckily, we found a free taxi fairly quickly.
Don’t forget to pack lots of water, sunscreen and some bug spray just in case- we didn’t get bitten for the most part but there were a couple of mozzies zooming around.
