By Grace Lam
Chinese New Year is right around the corner. Let me introduce you to ways to make this CNY sustainable as we paint the town red!
Decorations
It is a tradition to decorate in red during Chinese New Year, as this color plays a big role during the holiday, symbolizing luck, happiness and wealth for the upcoming year. Some of the decorations include red lanterns, door couplets, Fai Chun and more. However, the decorations we use will then be wasted after the season, and are hazards to the environment. Thus, we must reuse decorations, as well as opt for new decorations without the Chinese zodiac animals. With these acts, we can surely make a change, and reduce the negative impacts Chinese New Year celebrations bring to the environment.
Red Packets
We all know that opening red packets (Lai See) can be exciting. But with all that money you receive, where do you usually put your empty red packets? Do you toss them in the bin? Or, save them for next year? Although many will do the former, the latter is most certainly the best option. This is why we should avoid Chinese zodiac animals, so that we can reuse the empty envelopes the year after!
If there are ones that can’t be reused, consider the Lai See Reuse and Recycle Program by Greeners Action, a campaign reminding people to protect the environment while enjoying the New Year Tradition.
The consumption of 320 million red pockets by Hong Kong people is equivalent to deforesting 16,300 trees. Small action matters.
Food
The Chinese New Year candy box (Chuen Hup) and the Family Reunion Dinner are two customary traditions of CNY. And, all of that involves… food!
To start off, the Chuen Hup includes candies, nuts, sugared lotus, and seeds, symbolizing a sweet start of the year, while the Family Reunion Dinner, is the best time of the year to meet your relatives. In the dinner, there is a wide variety of dishes, like Whole Chicken symbolizing luck and wholeness, and spring rolls symbolizing wealth.
However, when buying all this food, there is a lot of waste due to plastic packaging, worsening the environment. When shopping for ingredients, choosing packages with less plastic, or thinking before you buy will definitely be a changemaker.
As we celebrate Chinese New Year, let’s practice the 3 R’s to minimize the negative impact on our environment!
-------------
Works Cited
8Shades, 8 Ways to Make Chinese New Year Traditions More Eco-friendly, https://www.8shades.com/8-ways-chinese-new-year-traditions-eco-friendly/, Accessed on 13th January 2023
Thermos, 8 Ways to Combine Sustainability With Chinese New Year Celebrations,
https://www.thermos.com.sg/blog/8-ways-to-combine-sustainability-with-chinese-new-year-celebrations/, Accessed on 13th January 2023
YoungPost, 5 Ways to Be More Environmentally-Friendly this Chinese New Year, https://www.scmp.com/yp/discover/lifestyle/features/article/3071239/5-ways-be-more-environmentally-friendly-chinese-new, Accessed on 13th January 2023
Greeners Action, Lai See Reuse and Recycle Program, https://www.greeners-action.org/load.php?link_id=250561, Accessed on 13th January 2023
The Woks of Life, Chinese New Year Recipes: Menu Planning Guide, https://thewoksoflife.com/chinese-new-year-recipes/, Accessed on 13th January 2023
Comments