Old habits die hard and ignorance is bliss – that is until mankind runs headlong into a global eco-meltdown, on the back of such clichéd living. Catherine Touzard warns of environmental catastrophe in the face of inaction in her book Going Green in Hong Kong. Hongkongers are part of the problem, points out Touzard. If everyone in the world suffered from Hong Kong’s “affluenza”, three planets would be necessary to support the population’s living habits. And in these carbon-challenged times, Hongkongers produce, on average, 6.5 tonnes of carbon dioxide per person, almost double that of the world average and more than Tokyo or London.

Going Green in Hong Kong reads half like a Greek tragedy, peppered with factoids showcasing how an ill ecological fate is met through human greed and hubris, and half like an exhaustive lists of dos and don’ts, with the desired effect of instilling Hong Kong with an as yet undiscovered environmental ethos. But unlike some environmental literature, Going Green in Hong Kong appeals not just to one’s morality, but more so one’s inner pragmatist and survivalist. “Caring for our habitat, our food, our water and our air is the most reasonable way to care for ourselves,” argues Touzard. Or to tone it up a bit: wake up people, the story is no longer about saving pandas because they are cute but keeping toxins out of the environment because they are literally killing us.

The book is laid out in a very easy to read, how-to and here’s-why-you-should manner. Each chapter addresses major lifestyle components, for example: food, home, body, shopping, waste, water, energy etc. and details the flaws with our usual modus operandi and how little changes can make a big difference. It’s a lot of information to take in, particularly for the aspiring tree huggers and hypochondriacs among us – but Touzard thankfully offers basic green tips at the start of each chapter that make the task of greening your lifestyle a bit less daunting.

And for the skeptics, who embrace rose-tinted notions of Hong Kong’s environmental well being, Touzard provides websites and other resources to back her data. (And here I feel compelled to add that the AFP reported just a few weeks ago that despite government “efforts” to improve the situation, last year Hong Kong pollution reached its highest recorded levels.)

Going Green in Hong Kong is a book that every Hongkonger should own. And if you are among the 20 per cent of Hong Kong residents who, according to a recently released survey, is considering leaving Hong Kong because you are weary of huffing smog, you may want to consider buying Going Green in Hong Kong in bulk and passing it along to those who remain unconvinced that the time for action to save the environment is now. For starters, Chief Executive Donald Tsang may need a copy.

Pua Mench