We’re back and this time we’re 100% vegan and zero-waste. Check out what’s new this year…
After a super successful first iteration in 2018, we are thrilled to announce that The Conscious Festival by Green Is the New Black (GITNB) is heading back to Hong Kong and this time with some serious upgrades. The sophomore edition spans April 13th and 14th and is free to enter for everyone who is looking to live more consciously (talks will run you a few dollars but a portion of that fee will go to an environmentally focused charity).
Born out of Singapore, the festival empowers individuals to take #LittleGreenSteps to #LiveMoreConsciously – which is our fun way of helping people improve the way they live, consume, work and travel while doing more good in the world. While this is fun for us to do every day, twice a year (once in Singapore and once in Hong Kong) we create a place where fun and social environmental responsibilities go hand in hand.
Last year, Hong Kong saw 4,500 conscious warriors in training flock to the first event to mix and mingle with the best in local and international conscious brands, speakers, and social entrepreneurs who are making meaningful change in their industries. We hope this year, you’ll help us grow and while you’re there, here are a few things we think you should know before you go:
We are zero-waste and vegan
We are tremendously proud to report that this year’s Conscious Festival will be entirely vegan, a first for the Hong Kong event. Attendees can head to the Marketplace vegan-friendly products and tantalizing vegan treats. Here you will also find 80 mindful brand pop-ups, 20 edutainment booths by NGOs, a series of activism through art, mini-workshops as well as a lively atmosphere with local bands and entertainers.
Our official F&B partner is award-winning restaurant group Maximal Concepts who have promised nutritious and delicious festival food. When they create brands (think Mott 32, Blue – Butcher & Meat Specialist, Stockton, Brickhouse, Limewood, Mercedes me, and more recently John Anthony and The Flying Elk), they operate them on strong ethical sourcing practices which goes back to the fundamentals of cooking; knowing where the food comes from and trying to sustainably source the best flavors to maximize each dish. For example, they examine the journey that each ingredient goes through – how a cow was fed, how a fish was shipped, and how a vegetable was handled. Also, all of their venues use straws that are either made from metal, 100% recycled paper or biodegradable potato starch, with the latter only served on request.
We’re taking over the Kerry Hotel
After opening its doors in April of 2017, the Kerry Hotel became the first new-build hotel to open on the Kowloon waterfront in over two decades. The five-star urban resort takes full advantage of its waterfront setting with a multi-level podium space and elevated outdoor landscaped gardens – making it a perfect home for The Conscious Festival. Nicholas Smith, the General Manager of Kerry Hotel, agrees.
“It is indeed our greatest honour to host the Conscious Festival at Kerry Hotel this year. We share the same vision with the Conscious Festival in taking positive actions to save our planet Earth. We implement and certainly will continue to execute various green initiatives in the hotel, including but not limited to, stopping the use of plastic straws in restaurants, committing to recycling 10 tonnes of plastic bottles annually and launching MSC sustainable seafood menus.”
Go naked with LUSH
Photo courtesy of LUSH
Imagine walking into a festival and it smelling like a LUSH store? Right, well that was our dream too when we teamed up with LUSH. As an eco-friendly brand, LUSH is going to launch a series of activities focusing on the ‘naked’ concepts at The Conscious Festival with the aim of encouraging people to live a greener life. Expect a series of fun activities like a fresh handmade workshop and a Knot Wrap how-to demonstration, as well as a market place of exclusive naked products from the Lush naked concept store (which means package-free), you will be inspired with plenty of ideas to reduce carbon footprints and lead a lifestyle that is friendlier to the environment.
Listen and learn
Inspirational, educational and transformational TALKS are abundant this year and sessions have been carefully curated with heaps of juicy actionable insights that will empower you to change your life including inspiring keynotes, engaging workshops, wellness breaks, and action kits by thought leaders like David Yeung of Green Monday to innovative minds like Chef Tom of Invisible Kitchen and strategists like Anita Varshney of SAP Next – Gen. Check out the schedule below:
LIVE – Altruism & Resilience (Sat 13 April, 10.50am – 1.30pm)
WORK – Intrapreneurship for Good (Sat 13 April, 2.20pm – 5.00pm)
CONSUME – Slowing Down (Sun 14 April, 10.50am – 1.30pm)
TRAVEL – Out(inn)er Exploration (Sun 14 April, 2.20pm-5.00pm)
The return of Revolv
Our friends at Revolv, who look to cut single-use plastic from food and drink takeaways through a container rental service, will be onsite with reusable cups. Revolv’s containers, which are made from stainless steel and borosilicate glass, are helping us to achieve our zero waste goals. Check them out at The Conscious Festival. They also recently were winners of the NextGen Cup Challenge.
We don’t believe in paying for water!
…and so we’ve teamed up with Urban Spring to keep you hydrated with free filtered water. Water machines will be stationed around the site that also tracks how many water bottles are saved over the course of the event. Neat, isn’t it? At last year’s event, a combined 1,600 bottles (500ml) were saved and only five bottles were rented from them meaning a good portion of the community brought their own bottles to begin with.
What do I do when I get there?
There is so much to see and do spread across two days, including various wellbeing activations and workshops. For example, don’t miss an outdoor experience by Liv Lo (@livvlo), founder of FitSphere and Reebok Brand Ambassador, when she leads a special session of her own unique blend of fit-yoga. Book after Friday 8th March here.
Find more information on talks, speakers, and schedule here register for free entry here and pick tickets for TALKS here.
The Conscious Festival by Green Is The New Black takes place on Saturday 13th April & Sunday 14th April 2019 at the Kerry Hotel 38 號 Hung Luen Rd, Hung Hom Bay, Hong Kong.