Realistically, there is nothing environmentally friendly about our modern lifestyle of convenience.
Instead of distributing printed posters and flyers and cards destined for the landfills, we can learn to say m’sai (no need).
It’s goes well with waanbo (protect the environment) – one of my first and most used Cantonese words. Everyone understands it. They didn’t used to (maybe it was my tones), but everyone understands me, now. And I get the equivalent of a hallelujah (yes, waanbo!) every single time I use it when offered bags, straws, packaged sauce, single-use almost everything.
This approach means paying attention in the moment. It’s easy to get distracted but rewarding to make the connections with shop staff – even more so when they recognize me on my next visit and catch their colleagues before the bag, straw, cup, bottle or whatever is used.
The digital option is also available — download and save the image to your phone. #zerowastehk
