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 Laura Derry Southwood, founder and managing director of lifestyle PR agency, Prime and now, eco-warrior:
Why and how did you decide to become one of the founders of EcoDrive?
I was having lunch with Yolanda when we started talking about the plastic problem, as she had recently watched "A Plastic Ocean" and was compelled to do something. The next moment, we’d set up a breakfast with a board member of the Plastic Ocean Foundation. A month or so later, Yolanda had enlisted an army of talented women who all shared the same passion, and EcoDrive was born.
In less than a year, we've produced our own short documentary, "Start Small Start Now", thanks to Photo Escapes; bought the license for A Plastic Ocean and dubbed it into Cantonese so it can be shown in schools for free; educated 4,000 students on the problem, visited a number of corporates to reduce their single-use plastic waste; and set an example that leading an eco-conscious lifestyle can be aspirational.
Watch: "Start Small Start Now"
Tell us about your personal background when it comes to environmental issues.
To be really honest, I have not been a campaigner of environmental issues in the past; I am a recent convert. But once I woke up to the plastic problem, I could see it everywhere and that’s what motivated me into action. I am not someone that leads a zero waste lifestyle and I still make single-use plastic mistakes, but I try to be conscious about my consumerism.
Why are you passionate about reducing single-use plastics?
With Typhoon Mangkhut, the plastic problem cannot be ignored. The amount of styrofoam and single-use plastic waste that has washed up on our shores is a telling sign that we just cannot ignore the problem anymore. The ocean literally just spat our waste back at us. This recent event has made me even more eager to do what I can to educate and reduce single-use plastics in our city.
What is your biggest pet peeve when it comes to plastics usage in HK?
Oranges wrapped individually in plastic. Nature gave us peels for a reason!
