Luxury OR Sustainability?
The perception of luxury evolves over time, throughout the history of mankind. One thing for sure – luxury is always desired – who doesn’t enjoy some pampering and indulgence? The question is at the expense of what?
A girlfriend of mine recently got her 5th Birkin bag. When I asked her to switch to eco-friendly laundry detergent for the family, she gave me an innocent look, “I’d love to do something for Mother Earth too but those detergents are so expensive.” The cost of her new bag is at least 10 years supply of such detergent for a family of four.
Hong Kong is the pearl of the Orient, the gateway to China and definitely a 24/7 hustle bustle hub in Asia. Appallingly, the mindset on sustainability is no where on par with its cosmopolitan profile. There is hardly any preservative-free snack or eco-friendly detergent in local supermarkets.
After the Brundtland Commission, Kyoto Protocol, The Inconvenient Truth and all scientific evidence on human’s damage to the very place we live in, why aren’t we acting accordingly?
We make conscious choices on a daily basis. The problem is living in urban city make mindful consumption difficult. (Companies don’t reveal their oh-so-pretty latest-must-have item is made unethically with chemicals and non-renewable resources, not to mention the pollution, waste and carbon footprint associated with it, do they?)
But the economists spelled out the demand supply rule – if consumers don’t demand, why supply? The market reacts to us. If there should be a change, it starts with us. We are shaping the world we live in today. Shouldn’t we be responsible for our own acts?
This is where sustainable luxury comes in handy! Why settle for less when we can have both!!!!
不一樣的奢華 The pursuit of sustainable luxury 
Great! Hong Kong needs to respect its green roots especiallytrees more. They are often assigned an itsy square foot of soil before being cemented over… and they cry foul when a poor tree falls over. Imagine sometimes 50 years of life and history gone! Enlist the help of more arborists to help the upkeep the health of trees. If you have to gain a benefit then the more and healthier the trees, the better the air and the luckier we are!
M