Last year, 11 Hong Kong women from the Tatler community joined forces to fight one of our world’s most pressing issues: single-use plastics. Known collectively as EcoDrive Hong Kong, they've been running outreach and education programmes at Hong Kong schools, private members clubs and local sports teams to reduce their plastic footprint (and that's just the start). In our latest series, get to know these 11 inspirational women who are making Hong Kong a greener place. Up next is Tatler 500 lister and animal-lover, Tansy Lau-Tom:
Why and how did you decide to become one of the founders of EcoDrive Hong Kong?
I've always been passionate about environmental issues, especially those that affect animals. I first noticed cows eating plastic on the road in Bali, then how much trash (including recyclables) piled up next to the trash cans in Hong Kong and how no one seemed to be bothered by it.
Later, I started reading about the plastic pollution issue and talking to friends about it. Since we were all passionate about the situation, we decided to form EcoDrive. We all have different skill sets and working experiences but we are all mothers—we care about the next generation.
Why are you passionate about reducing single-use plastics?
Because we are producing nearly 300 million tons of plastic every year, half of which is single-use. Single-use plastics can be largely avoidable if people make a conscious behavioral change. Through education and talking to corporates, we hope to instil a habit change in people and provide alternatives to single-use plastics.
See also: Introducing EcoDrive Hong Kong
What is your biggest pet peeve when it comes to plastics usage in HK?
Oh, there are so many! The restaurant servers seem to think that giving drinks with straws equates to high quality service. I was at a restaurant and ordered a glass of water that came with a plastic straw. I absolutely do not understand why they need to do that.
