Perspectives June 2021∣Youth Hong Kong
Naked Shopping l Many of us are taking steps to live more sustainably, but maybe we are overlooking a major culprit: packaging.
l 雖然愈來愈多人願意實踐可持續生活，卻 忽視了包裝所造成的浪費。
l Zero-waste or bulk shopping is at the heart of Ella and Margot’s store in Tai Po where nothing sold is prepackaged.
l 本身是老師的 Ella 和 Margot 所創辦的裸買 小店位於大埔，主張「零浪費」和「散裝購 買」。
l Their solution is not only to ask customers to bring their own bags and containers but also to let them serve themselves from jars holding products in bulk.
l 店內所有貨品均沒有包裝，顧客要自備購 物袋或容器購買。
by Tsang Hin-chung
The concept of zero-waste shopping, where nothing is pre-packed and everyone brings their own containers, is slowly taking root in the city and in a corner of one of the old-style shopping malls in Tai Po, you can find Ella and Margot’s zero-packaging “Bulk Shop.” In just 100 square feet, they sell all sorts of things, from daily necessities and food to hand-made soap, all neatly arranged on the shelves, unpackaged. “Today, there are overpackaged products everywhere and hardly anyone seems to notice. Tomorrow, we hope it will be different We hope that everyone in Hong Kong will protect the environment, not just a small group of activists.”
explains, where great importance is attached to outdoor nature education. “Children there spend a lot of time exploring nature. They see how to live with nature, watching animals move, smelling plants, and learning how to cherish and protect the environment.”
p Getting rid of packaging
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Ella, a native of Tai Po, has three children and is a teacher too. Nodding her agreement, she says her son is supposed to be learning about environmental protection at school. “One day, no drinking straws. Another day, homework about the colour of recycling bins… but it all comes from textbooks. There is no time for practice.” by Magdalena Bilska flic.kr p zXWJ64
p12 by Todd Mecklem flic.kr p eWx6Xu
The idea can transform daily life, says Ella’s co-founder a New Zealander called Margot. “It’s not just a fashion. It’s proactive.” Margot, a teacher, came to Hong Kong eight years ago and now lives in Tai Po. She says Hong Kong gave her the impression of being very modern and fastpaced, and its people very anxious. “Even teaching here is done at high speed.” It’s very different in New Zealand, she
Making time for nature not textbooks Both Margot and Ella often ask their students what they think about pollution and protecting the environment, but they see hardly any garbage sorting for recycling at school and feel that local environmental education is just disconnected empty talk. “Many of my school colleagues order takeaways every day. Very few of them bring their
