For this first CLOSE UP, we have invited Esther Roling - co-organiser of the Adventure Clean Up Challenge - to share a bit more about herself, how the ACUC was conceived, her passion for the outdoors and her commitment to work for a cleaner Hong Kong.
A bit about yourself
I have been over 6 years in Hong Kong, a place I instantly fell in love with because of the unlimited outdoor activities, beautiful nature and beaches. My main sports are trail running, climbing, adventuring and skiing. I love exploring new places especially with my daughter Zaya
What inspired you to do the Adventure Clean Up Challenge?
In May 2017 Paul Niel - my husband - and myself organised the first circum navigation expedition around Hong Kong Island. During this 6-day adventure, we mapped all the pollution we saw on the way.
We were shocked about what we saw and felt we had to share our findings with the public. We created a website - www.pollutionmaphk.com - and inspired by it, the idea was born to organise a big coastal clean up involving the sports community.
I teamed up with Sole Riestra and it has been a great pleasure to organise this meaningful event with her.
What’s your message to the audience about the challenges of land and coastal pollution in Hong Kong?
Change starts within ourselves. To make our lives more sustainable we need to come up with solutions for our trash, particularly plastic. The Round The Island expedition made me much more conscious about the use of plastic within our household.
We are hoping with the Adventure Clean up Challenge to raise awareness around coastal pollution and encourage people in Hong Kong to do our bit on a day to day basis to minimise waste, especially plastic.
