GreenFest Returns To Hong Kong To Unite Youths & Dive Into Circular Solutions

After its first edition in 2018, GreenFest is returning to Hong Kong for its second festival this year to bring together the city’s younger generation and spotlight key sustainability issues. Held virtually on November 28-29, the two-day event co-hosted by Hysan and urban farming academy Rooftop Republic will be centred on the topic “Close the Loop” – to identify the challenges, opportunities and actions that need to be taken for a more circular future. Among some of the key environmental experts and leaders that will be featured over the course of the festival include Michelle Wong of air pollution app PRAISE-HK, water refill station startup Urban Spring CEO Ada Yip and Green Queen Media founder and editor-in-chief Sonalie Figuerias. 

GreenFest, taking place online this year, will see a series of talks, panels and workshops designed to bring together Hong Kong’s youths to focus on the environmental impacts of our current system and how circular solutions could help redesign a more sustainable future. The festival, co-organised by Hysan Development and Rooftop Republic for people between 14 and 25 years of age, is the city’s most well-attended youth sustainability festival to date.

This new format will bring another dimension to the 2020 topic of Close the Loop.

Mark Tung, General Manager & Head of Corporate Communications, Hysan

“This year, with Covid-19 making inevitable changes to our lives, Rooftop Republic and us are launching Hysan’s GreenFest as an interactive virtual event,” said Mark Tung, general manager and head of corporate communications at Hysan. “This new format will bring another dimension to the 2020 topic of Close the Loop.”

“The transition from a linear to a circular economy won’t be an easy one and it will require everyone’s involvement – governments, businesses, civil society and individuals. Engaging younger generations in this effort will be key if we are to succeed at shaping a thriving economy that operates within the limits of our planet,” added Pol Fàbrega, co-founder of Rooftop Republic.

Over the course of the two days, GreenFest will see more than 20 speakers offer their expertise and insights on how to bring about a more circular economy within their respective fields, from food and fashion to waste management, city design and tech innovation.

Some of the panelists and speakers include Sonalie Figuerias, the founder and editor-in-chief of Green Queen Media and Christian Mongendre of Treehouse who will both discuss the future of plant-based food; and founder of zero-waste shop Edgar Raphaël De Ry, Fiona Chiu of Bye Bye Plastic Bags and Bas Fransen, founder of tree-planting startup Eco Matcher on rethinking waste. 

The transition from a linear to a circular economy won’t be an easy one and it will require everyone’s involvement – governments, businesses, civil society and individuals. Engaging younger generations in this effort will be key if we are to succeed at shaping a thriving economy that operates within the limits of our planet.

Pol Fàbrega, Co-Founder of Rooftop Republic

Award-winning architect Colin Ward of Foster + Partners and Tony Ip, the director of Hong Kong Green Building Council will also share their insights on closing the loop within our city’s design and systems, among many other renowned sustainability leaders in the city. 

Other activities that will take place at GreenFest include a series of 16 hands-on workshops, from zero-waste upcycling t-shirt classes to D-I-Y skincare products, food waste natural dyeing, growing your own microgreens, and wellness breaks powered by cult athleisure brand Lululemon. 

Register for GreenFest 2020 on 10:00AM-4.30PM November 28-29 here (HK$50 Early Bird; HK$80 Regular). 

All images courtesy of GreenFest.