Go green or go home! Little Steps has put together a list of eco-friendly adventures and outings for your family to enjoy. From rooftop gardening to crayon recycling, this guide will have you and your kids, actively involved in making the earth a better place.
What could be better than an eco-tour that provides both education and a way to expend energy? Eco-cycling does both, with cycling tours of cultural spots. BiciLine has a few tours to choose from, that also include heritage villages and trails. The Tsim Bei Tsui tour takes riders through Lau Fau Shan and Tsim Bei Tsui, and covers wetland and mangrove awareness, sustainable fish farming and a seafood lunch.
Eco-cycling With BicLine, http://biciline.tungwahcsd.org/
Based on the beautiful beach of Pui O on Lantau, Treasure Island offers a whole range of outdoor adventures; from surfing and canoeing, to orienteering and camping. As well as school holidays camps and family adventure packages that give you the opportunity to do these things, the group also runs Leave No Trace awareness workshops. The workshops are based on helping people to enjoy the outdoors responsibly and ethically, and they make a great addition to any outdoorsy adventure. If you camp or hike regularly with the family, these courses are worth checking out.
Treasure Island, http://www.treasureislandhk.com/. They offer awesome summer adventure and surf camps for kids - click here!
Based on Lantau Island, Ark Eden has been a leader in environmental education for many years. Offering workshops, tours and camps with a focus on sustainability, you're sure to come away with a better understanding of how to reduce your impact on the planet. Visit the wild buffalo, search for native insects, plant trees or delve into eco-building practices and design - there are many options here - and support the Ark Eden foundation to really make a positive change for good.
Ark Eden, https://www.arkedenonlantau.org/. Be sure to check out their nature-based summer camps too!
A rarity in Hong Kong, the Wetland Park at Tin Shui Wai in the New Territories is a genuine wildlife reserve. The 61-hectare park is home to over 250 species of bird, 170 species of butterfly, and dozens of insect, reptile and plant species - and thanks to conservation efforts these numbers are on the rise. Different habitats have been created around the park to encourage native wildlife to flourish, while efforts to protect plants and animals from invaders are actively taken. Spend a day learning more about wetland plants and animals, conservation, and Hong Kong's incredibly diverse wetland ecosystem. If you go at different times of the year the flowers and birds will be different too, depending on the season. It's also a really nice place to get away from it all!
Kids love honey, and there are many benefits to the sweet sticky stuff - especially if it's locally grown. There are a number of intrepid urban farmers in HK who have taken to bee keeping, producing some delightful blends of honey from HK's native flowers. You can visit a farm to learn more about the process, and pick up some honey while you're there. Check out our guide here. HK Farms also offers workshops on building and tending to a hive if you're super keen.
Guide To Visiting Local Bees In Hong Kong, Click here
HK Farm, http://www.hkfarm.org/tours_workshops.html
The pre-packaged, plastic wrapped fruit and veg at your local Park 'N Shop is a far cry from the produce's humble origins. If your kids are keen to learn - or you're keen to teach them - where their food comes from, a local farm is a good place to start. Rooftop Republic offers workshops for all ages and abilities on the art of organic farming, and they can even help you to create your own patch of edible greenery, no matter how much space you have. Check out their website for details of upcoming tours and events. Want more - here are other urban farm options in Hong Kong.
Rooftop Republic, https://www.rooftoprepublic.com/
More Urban Farm Options In Hong Kong, Click here
Every little one knows the tune Old MacDonald, but how many of them have actually set foot on a farm? From seasonal strawberry picking to vegetable farming, here are a few fields far from the city where the whole family can get a breath of fresh air and their hands a little dirty. Go on now... before the season is over (end of April!). The hot new trend now is the Pineapple Park - you can find out more about this fruit adventure here.
Little Steps Guide To Organic Farms And Strawberry Picking, Click here. Check out our video!
Pineapple Park, http://www.gogreenlife.com.hk/e/
Hong Kong waters are home to the endangered and rare Chinese pink dolphin. HK Dolphin Watch is the only approved operator of eco-tours to see the dolphins in their native habitat - the waters off Lantau island's west coast. As the dolphin population diminishes sightings aren't guaranteed, but you will learn more about the dolphin's plight, and how to help them. For more information on tours check out our guide here!
Pink Dolphin Watch, Click here! Watch our video here!
Hong Kong Cleanup is an initiative that was created in 2000 as a one-day clean-up event. Today the challenge runs all year, and all you have to do to participate is register your team, and spend a day cleaning trash from the coast, country or city. Your contribution helps to raise awareness of the trash problem in Hong Kong, and if you provide data of your clean-up, you may even win a prize. Get the kids outdoors and make a real impact on one of the city's biggest issues! The HK Cleanup team can help you organise your clean-up if you want to plan something on a larger scale.
HK Cleanup, http://hkcleanup.org/
Bring the garden home! Mongkok’s Flower Market is teeming with options that will help clear the air. Point your kids toward spider plants, snake plants and peace lilies to remove indoor pollutants like benzene and formaldehyde in your home. We have also recently spotted a new company focused on indoor plants that also help clean your air - check out Air Plant Club!
Mongkok Flower Market, www.littlestepsasia.com/hong-kong/articles/play/day-trip-mongkoks-flower-market
A Plastic Ocean is a sobering watch, with startling images and a distressing message that will hopefully spur action by young and old alike. Older kids will dig the dramatic Nature is Speaking videos from Conservation International on YouTube, which pairs stars such as Julia Roberts and Harrison Ford with the earth's elements to describe their plight in first person. Penelope Cruz is Water, Kevin Spacey is the Rainforest, and we are all chastened. Or, head to Hong Kong Space Museum where you can watch the current IMAX movie on The Amazon.
A Plastic Ocean, www.plasticoceans.org/film/. Buy or rent it on iTunes
Nature is Speaking, Click here
The Amazon, Click here
Get Crafty:
Little Steps Eco-Inspiration DIY Projects For Kids, www.pinterest.com/littlestepsasia/eco-inspirations/
Recycle Your Crayons:
The Crayon Society, www.facebook.com/thecrayonsociety/
Donate Your Clothes In Hong Kong
REtykle, https://retykle.com
REdress, www.redress.com.hk/our-work/consumer
Yo Yo MaMa HK, www.facebook.com/YoYoMaMaHK/
Swap It HK Mommies Club, www.facebook.com/groups/swapithkmommiesclub/
Swap It HK Baby Club, www.facebook.com/groups/swap.it.hk.baby.club/
Salvation Army, www.salvationarmy.org.hk/en
OxFam, www.oxfam.org.hk/en/theoxfamshops.aspx
Cool Podcasts For Kids
Green Books For Kids
The Lorax, Website
The Last Gibbon, Website
The Supernatural Kids’ Cookbook, Website
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