【Olympics Series】Carbon Reduction is a Race in Need for Speed
2021-07-16
| Dave Wong, Communication Officer of Friends of the Earth (HK)
Less
than a week left until the Tokyo Olympics, many people have been waiting for
this race that emphasizes speed, endurance and persistence. Saving the Earth
also requires these three elements. We must walk the talk as we need to
urgently decarbonize to solve climate change. This year, Friends of the Earth (HK)
invited a number of local star athletes to serve as the "Team Earth” for "Tree
Planting Challenge 2021" to plant trees, reduce carbon and cool the
planet. This week, let us introduce three of those athletes. How do they
integrate environmentalism into their daily lives? Do they have any
environmental tips they can share with us when they go abroad to compete?

Chiu Hoi Yan, Cori: Reuse cooler bags, drink ice
water, do not rely on air conditioner
Cori Chiu, one of few female international Muay Thai judges in Hong Kong, was
also a member of the Hong Kong Muay Thai team. Now, she is physical fitness and
Muay Thai coach under the Sports Legacy Scheme from the Sports Federation &
Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China. Cori said that rising temperature these
years have affected training performances, especially in summer. Therefore, she
has a bunch of daily routines for decarbonization. She brings her own water
bottle to eliminate the number of one-off beverage bottles used. Also, she
tries to use reusable cooler bags. Cori always spends a lot of time in the Muay
Thai center. Turning on the air conditioner is nearly a must when doing sports
and sweating. However, Cori had learned
about the various methods to cool off without an air conditioner during her
training in Thailand. She suggests Muay Thai centers in Hong Kong also practice the same. ”Muay
Thai centers in Thailand have a tank of water filled with ice for drinking. The
cooling effect of drinking ice water is way better than using an air
conditioner,” she said.

Yip Pui Yin: Extend the life of sneakers by exchanging them with other athletes
As a member of the Hong Kong Badminton team, Yip Pui Yin often trains indoor
and is less affected by hot weather. But playing badminton often requires
smashing, which wear down the shoes quickly. It is common to replace the shoes
every two to three months. To protect the environment, Yip came up with an
idea: since the weight of gravity is mainly placed on one foot, the shoe of the
dominant foot wears down quicker. To avoid waste, she would exchange sneakers
with another athlete who has a different dominant foot. For example, she
exchanged one side of the sneaker with a good condition from a left-footed
player, and then she will have a good pair of shoes.

Chan Ka Ho: To reduce the
wastes, recycle clothes on the starting line
Chan Ka Ho, a current 4x1500m relay Hong Kong record holder, coaches under the
Sports Legacy Scheme from the Sports Federation & Olympic Committee of Hong
Kong, China. Due to his unique experiences of long-distance training all around
the world, the hot weather has always been one of his concerns, leading to his
personal views on environmental protection. He had seen so much waste during
his different international events, especially at places with cold weather. Athletes
will often throw away their coats right before the start of the race, becoming
waste. Fortunately, more event organizers will collect these clothes and
distribute to developing countries. Ka Ho also has some environmental
protection tips he wants to share with us. As he trains a lot, his running
shoes wear down quickly. He would donate less-worn down shoes. He also avoids
using disposable plastic tableware and plastic straw to reduce his carbon
footprint, doing his best to protect the climate.
Epilogue
The interview was done when they participated in the "Tree Planting Challenge
2021” event. The athletes have experience in attending international events,
but they were still very excited to help plant tree saplings and anticipate
their growth. If you want to contribute as well to cool down the world, come
and join "Tree Planting Challenge 2021”!
