The orange building is my old house on Lantau Island, Hong Kong - part of the reason we do what we do, here at Re
It was only three days ago that I realised just how long I’ve been mindful of the environment. This tiny little house (it was about 30ft long, 22ft high and 11ft wide, was on the edge of fields where vegetables were grown and which appeared at the local market - where we bought them, loose, even the leafy greens . We always always had our own bags with us. Even eggs were bought loose! My friend and flatmate, Sam, was much further ahead on the environmental stakes and taught me a lot. As well as cooking amazing vegetarian food at home when I worked in the city - which I got to by bike then ferry then walking. There were no roads at this end of Lantau, and at that point just one road that travelled along and across the island. It’s remarkable how much you can fit on a bike when you’re practiced at it!
This isn’t to say there wasn’t waste - there was, of course. But when everything arrives either by bike or by trolley, it’s automatically reduced. Ferry coffee and noodles were always in polystyrene cups for example. But we always made sure we cut up any rings that held beer cans together, fearful for birds. It’s remarkable that more than 20 years later we still haven’t solved this particular problem across the board.
India was a similar story - for 13 years I took trains or roads rather than fly. Partly because I loved the 9 hour train to Delhi from Amritsar!
So when I was asked what was behind this shop, I think the answer lies somewhere in the stunning places I’ve been fortunate enough to visit, the long long train journeys, and the endless cups of tea in little clay cups!