Wild Hong Kong: 5 local eco-tours to beat the cabin fever

If you’re like me and used to spend a portion of your year travelling to far-off locales –be it for culture, family visits or (especially in my case) seeing exotic wildlife – then the last couple of years have probably been tough on you. Chances are you’ve been going stir

4 F&B brands to buy from to benefit People and Planet

We’d all like to think that our actions cause no harm to others or to the planet. It’s comforting to think that what we do with our lives has no greater consequence than the achievement or advancement of whatever goal we strive for at a given time. But the reality

Peace and Goodwill to Planet and People – 5 Charitable Causes to give to during the Holiday Season

Christmas is often heralded as the so-called season of giving, a time when we reach out to offer kindness and charity to others. But more often in today’s hyper-consumerist society, Christmas can seem more like the season of getting, a time when giving really means buying only for ourselves and

Getting a pet for Christmas? Make sure you’ve thought of these things first.

So, you’re thinking of getting a pet this Christmas. Maybe your kids have begged you senseless for one for months. Maybe you’ve been swayed by the countless Christmas cards with puppies and kittens on them. Or maybe you just have an inexplicable personal desire to re-enact the opening scene from

I’m dreaming of a waste-free Christmas – 4 ideas for eco-friendly gift wrapping

It’s the most wonderful time of the year … and the most wasteful. Christmas is known and loved across large parts of the world as a time of festive cheer and merrymaking. But amidst all the merriment, something that tends to be conveniently forgotten about is how much waste is

Eco-activist Gary Bencheghib: The remarkable story of his mission to change the world, one river at a time

Standing in waterproof overalls, Gary Bencheghib scans the waterway as it rounds a bend in the lush forest. He is standing in what once was a rushing river, where locals would fish and occasionally jump in to cool off from the tropical heat. What Gary is standing in now, however,

5 Vegan Cafés to eat at in Hong Kong

As plant-based diets become more and more mainstream, it’s easier than ever now to walk into any given café and order yourself a coffee made with plant-based milk. But frustratingly (at least in my experience), in many cafés in Hong Kong, the range of vegan-friendly food is still comparatively limited.

Astrid Andersson: Queen of the Cockatoos

It’s early evening and in Hong Kong Park in Central, most of the visitors are slowly making their way towards the exits to go home. But high up in the park’s observation tower, Astrid Andersson has only just arrived. Indeed, this brief period of twilight is exactly the right time

3 Tips on Reducing Food Waste – What you can do to make a difference

When it comes to the environmental impacts of our modern throwaway culture, we tend to think mainly of the impacts of plastic pollution and the need to reduce them by not disposing of –or better yet, not using– so much plastic. Far less thought tends to be given towards another

The Seabirds Cry Book Review and Editor’s Notes- Why we need to be talking more about Birds

When I first was approached with the topic of “birds” as a theme for multiple pieces of WELL, Magazine’s content, I was hesitant. Birds don’t fall cleanly into our overarching themes- sustainability, purpose for business or conscious lifestyle, I thought to myself. I’m sure our inquisitive readers would enjoy learning

3 of the most underrated therapies that can significantly improve your wellbeing

While in these times, there are more instances of ill health than ever, there are also proportionately many more resources for healing. By resources, I mean the myriad of alternative therapies and modern medicine treatments available. There are a few hundred alternative therapies practiced, and while not all may not

Backyard Birding: 7 Urban Species you can find in Hong Kong

Unbeknownst even to some who live here, Hong Kong is a real hotspot for birds. Over 500 species have been recorded here and –surprisingly given the city’s reputation as an urban jungle– every year it plays host to one of the great animal migrations of the world, as thousands of

4 Best Birdwatching Spots in Hong Kong

To many Hong Kongers, October brings the National Day and Chung Yeung Festival holidays, as well the promise of a welcome, much-longed-for relief from the summer heat. For ardent birdwatchers like myself however, it brings something much more long-lasting, much more satisfying and much more feathery. Each autumn and winter,

The Resilient Barber- How founder of Fox and Barber, Paul Fox, overcame adversity (and a bout with cancer) to re-invent his life and career

Cordial chatter rises and falls above the upbeat music. A pair of scissors produces a steady rhythm of snipping sounds. In the far, chair a beard is being trimmed with a low toned buzz. A customer enjoying a respite from his busy work schedule takes a sip of his gin

Trashwave: The People Cleaning up Sai Kung’s Seas, One Scuba Dive at a Time

One of the many sad truths about marine litter is that 70% of it sinks to the seabed, well beyond the reach of beach cleanups. Down there, it smothers corals and seagrass beds and chokes and entangles tens of thousands of animals to death every year. Hong Kong’s seas have

Utilizing the “5 Capitals”- Tips for a more fulfilling life

I have never forgotten the rather obscure lyrics from “What Do You Want From Life,” a tongue-in-cheek song from the mid-70s by a group called The Tubes. Although quite humorous, it has also had a deep meaning for me in the way it poses a very poignant, existential-philosophical question. In

WWF’s Jean-Marc Champagne: Finance for the Planet

The old saying ‘money makes the world go round’ is an extremely apt one in our hyper-capitalist society, which is heavily driven by finance and economics. However, these are areas that environmentalists, despite their frequent calls to change the societal systems causing our current ecological crisis, have tended to avoid

Teenage depression- A father’s story about his daughter’s mental health struggles

WELL, being a parent is hard. It’s especially difficult to parent children going through mental health struggles. Kids these days face an increasing amount of pressure- social media, pandemic-related social restrictions and anxiety, the constant stream of unfiltered media being thrown at them. As the documentary The Social Dilemma illuminates,

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