{"id":6941,"date":"2021-10-22T10:48:03","date_gmt":"2021-10-22T02:48:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/eastasia\/?p=6941"},"modified":"2025-07-02T15:10:53","modified_gmt":"2025-07-02T07:10:53","slug":"low-carbon-tips-from-greenpeaces-coffee-meets-climate-days","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/eastasia\/blog\/6941\/low-carbon-tips-from-greenpeaces-coffee-meets-climate-days\/","title":{"rendered":"Low carbon tips from Greenpeace\u2019s \u201cCoffee Meets Climate\u201d Days"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Over 300 participants and dozen of volunteers <\/strong>have joined our \u201cCoffee Meets Climate<\/strong>\u201d Event at Jao Tsung-I Academy, Hong Kong on October 1 and 2. Thank you all for taking part in the 2-day Greenpeace\u2019s Low-Carbon Living Festival<\/strong>. The unbearably hot weather at over 33\u00b0C in the supposedly autumn time reminded us climate change is around us. While we learn how food and coffee drinking could be highly connected to the climate crisis, let\u2019s keep thinking about how could we continue to lead a low-carbon life on regular days? We have invited several participants to share their feelings and green tips. Hope you will find their tips insightful for your daily green practice.<\/p>\n\n

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Greenpeace\u2019s \u201cCoffee Meets Climate\u201d Days 2021 \u00a9 Greenpeace \/ Patrick Cho<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

Hong Kong\u2019s renewable energy potential<\/h2>\n\n

How did we brew a low carbon coffee? The 5,600Wh electricity generated by 8 solar panels contributed to the brewing of 90 cups of coffee in the 2 days. We gave out these coffees to participants on a complimentary basis. It was how we engage them in experiencing the potentials of renewable energy!<\/p>\n\n

The Chief Executive\u2019s 2021 Policy Address of the Hong Kong Government mentioned the city is striving to reach the carbon neutrality target, a state of \u201cnet-zero carbon emissions for electricity generation\u201d by 2050<\/strong>. To meet this end, the share of renewable energy in the fuel mix in Hong Kong will gradually increase to 15%. Looking forward, the Feed-in Tariff (FiT) scheme will remain popular, and we will have more renewable energy choices in the sooner future. The Solar Cafe<\/strong> we reopened at the day would soon be beyond an experimental operation!<\/p>\n\n

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Solar Cafe at Greenpeace\u2019s \u201cCoffee Meets Climate\u201d Days 2021 \u00a9 Greenpeace \/ Patrick Cho<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

Fun & learnings when \u201cCoffee Meets Climate\u201d<\/h2>\n\n

How exhausting it was cycling during the 2 hot days! What was the sweat for? \u201cPower Juicy Bike\u201d <\/strong>was an activity through which participants helped convert energy from cycling to energy powering up a blender. In a minute, a banana smoothie was ready to serve. Let\u2019s give ourselves a big hand for producing over 220 cups of banana smoothie in 2 days! It\u2019s encouraging to see participants bring their own bottles or borrow a container via the We Use Tableware Rental Service. Giving away free drinks does not necessarily mean producing disposable plastic wastes. After all, the smoothie contained in our reusable containers was produced under our sweat, and it tasted more than good!<\/p>\n\n

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Cheers to one of the many young \u201cPower Juicy Bikers\u201d who join Greenpeace at the \u201cCoffee Meets Climate\u201d event.  \u00a9 Greenpeace \/ Patrick Cho
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

The most popular activity among our little participants were the two game-booths \u201cWhat do We Eat in Future?\u201d<\/strong> and \u201cIf I were a Polar Bear\u201d<\/strong>. Kids lined up one after another for several rounds. The former introduced 4 common food facing impacts on both their supply and quality due to the climate crisis: coffee, salmon, honey, and staples. The latter brought to participants food for thought of our time: what we do every day could speed up the melting of Arctic glaciers. <\/p>\n\n

Display panels erected on site went into details about the \u201chot nights\u201d and the storm trends in Hong Kong, as well as incidences of extreme global climate. Our street fundraising and outreach officers<\/strong> stood by during the unbearably hot days and explained to participants with supplementary information to the panels. Salute to their great effort and sweat!<\/p>\n

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Tips from Storyteller PuiPui Mammy and kids<\/h2>\n\n

\u201cOur home disappears\u2026\u201d \u201cLet\u2019s paddle together, up and down, up and down!\u201d PuiPui Mammy<\/strong> told stories vividly at the 3 book reading sessions \u201cStorytelling with Kids\u201d. At the sessions, she shared Greenpeace’s original illustration book \u201cHomeless Me\u201d<\/strong> with kids at the event. She engaged kids in the imaginary world of the story, through which they experienced a journey combating the climate crisis, together with the protagonist Bean, and his friends, Polar Bear, Koala, and Clownfish. To PuiPui Mammy, the most unforgettable part was how kids had already had \u201clittle basic green knowledge in their minds\u201d. The participating kids were able to actively share their low carbon tips with the group, such as switching off electrical appliances when they are not in use and taking public transport<\/strong>. They were able to link up the causal relationship between the rise of sea level and the flooding at the protagonist’s home.<\/p>\n\n

PuiPui Mammy has become a storyteller since 2016. She believes books are the key to knowledge while reading illustration books with kids enables them to think about matters they have yet to experience in life. She suggested starting from waste reduction. \u201cKids are capable of understanding it and learning it!\u201d It is vital to expose kids to environmental protection knowledge when they are young. By doing so, we would be able to enlighten every hope to save the Earth from climate change in future!<\/p>\n\n

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Puipui Mammy’s storytelling section at \u201cCoffee Meets Climate\u201d Event. \u00a9 Greenpeace \/ Patrick Cho<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

PuiPui Mammy\u2019s Low Carbon Tips:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

  1. Rethink before shopping. See if there is something similar in function at home before buying it<\/li>
  2. Have a handkerchief ready for our sweat, avoid consuming tissue paper<\/li>
  3. Encourage kids to use both sides of a paper and make full use of drawing tools like color pencils before disposing of them<\/li><\/ol>\n\n

    DIY Coffee Grounds Body Scrub<\/h2>\n\n

    The 2-day \u201cCoffee Grounds Body Scrub\u201d workshop was highly received. Additional sessions were added on-site and all sessions were completed in full-house. For those who missed the chance to join us at the event, we are now sharing here our recipe for preparing the DIY coffee body scrub. It\u2019s much more environmentally friendly than commercial products which are often made of microbeads and will end up in our ocean as \u201cinvisible pollutants\u201d. The used coffee grounds contain active carbon which absorbs our skin waste readily. Blended with brown sugar and coconut oil, the scrub we prepare for ourselves would be a true skin-and-ocean-lover!<\/p>\n\n

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    \u201cCoffee Grounds Body Scrub\u201d workshop \u00a9 Greenpeace \/ Patrick Cho<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

    Ingredients<\/strong> (each portion of the coffee grounds body scrub is about 80-100 grams in quantity):<\/p>\n\n