I Find Preparation and Routine Was the Key Effort During My “Go Plastic Free” Challenge

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Last month, as part of Plastic Free July, we challenged our community members at By The Bay (BTB) to “Go Plastic Free with BTB” and share with us their reflections and takeaways after completing the challenge.

As absolute beginners trying their hand at being (almost!) plastic free, 3 participants from the BTB community representing Hongkong Land went on the full 7-day challenge. This week, read on for Alastair Chang’s reflection and get inspired to play a part in supporting positive environmental change.

By Alastair Chang, Business Development Executive

I think preparation and routine played an enormous role in my plastic free week which started off on 12 July. Over the 10 July weekend, I began meal prepping for 5 meals, either for lunch or dinner of the coming week. This has allowed me to “front-load” my plastic consumption of food packaged in plastic (meats, vegetables & seasonings).

Picking up groceries for the week with my reusable tote bag

Buying ingredients in bulk allowed me to visualize the large quantity of plastic I would use across for the 5 meals. This has made me contemplate grocery shopping alternatives, such as wet markets which traditionally don’t have their products already wrapped in plastic.  For the week, instead of grabbing a disposable cup of coffee, I brought a thermos to the local coffee shop near my residence. By Wednesday, the regular barista noted that he had been filling my thermos to its capacity, essentially giving me a Large as opposed to the Medium I customarily order.

I intend to continue this routine of using my thermos even after the week to enjoy this perk. An additional 2 minutes out of my day to clean & rinse out my thermos is certainly worth the caffeine boost. I hope to find more outlets that provide small (or big) incentives for those that are green-friendly!

Many of us may have not realized this but environmental change is interlinked with social impact. At BTB, we are committed to creating a culture of sustainability within our community and beyond. To create real value on any sustainability movement, we believe that community involvement is a key driver.

We continue to welcome and encourage our tenant community at BTB to challenge yourself and share your plastic-free reflection with the BTB community for inspiration. Genuine entries will receive an Eco Starter Kit as a token of appreciation for taking part in this challenge.

1. Commit to go plastic free for at least 2 days and up to 7 days. Set a realistic challenge time frame for yourself.
2. Pen down your journey and thoughts daily, take pictures as a record and reflection.
3. Better still, make it a group event and pen down your journey as a team!

At the end of your challenge, share your experience including 1 key learning/takeaway with a minimum of 200 words in your personal perspective. Email your entry along with pictures to support. Participation is open to all tenants in the BTB community until 31 December 2021.