Rethinking Priorities

What was the catalyst for your move?

We were always interested in growing food and leading a more sustainable life. For many years in Hong Kong, we would grow herbs and vegetables on our rooftop garden, like basil, rosemary, mint, kales, tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, courgette, etc. We even had a worm farm where we recycled our kitchen scraps and made our own fertilisers. Our rooftop garden was our sanctuary to connect with nature amidst the hustle and bustle of the city. It is so rewarding to watch our vegetables grow from seeds. At that time, it seemed like a dream to be able to grow food on a bigger scale… something we wanted to do one day, perhaps after we retired.

In June 2020, the pregnancy test from our 7th round of IVF fertility treatment came back negative. That’s when we decided it was time for a lifestyle change, to a slower pace of life, closer to nature, to give ourselves the best chance of starting a family. Within a week, we resigned from our corporate jobs, and sold and gave away most of our belongings. After serving our 3 months notice at work and bidding farewell to our friends, we moved to Taiwan in October, where Jeff is originally from.

Jeff always aspired to building a house with his own hands. Buying a piece of land made sense, to also grow food on a bigger scale. We spent about half a year travelling and getting to know Taiwan, volunteering in natural building projects and scouting for a piece of land we could call home.

Come to think of it, our circumstances led us to chase our dream 20 years ahead of time!

Tell me about the house you built from scratch and how did you learn the skills?

We spent about a year designing and building the house, from mixing concrete for the foundation to welding the metal framing, putting up the roof and walls to wiring and plumbing, selecting our favourite paint colour to making furniture like wardrobe, bed, kitchen cabinet, sofabed, etc.

For me, the best thing about our house is the fact that we designed and built it with sustainability in mind. For example, we harvest rainwater for daily use which reduces carbon footprint from treatment and pumping of mains-water, and we use composting toilets which greatly reduces water usage and provides nutrients for our soil. Leveraging passive design concepts, we built our house facing south to take advantage of winter sun, designed the layout to maximise cross ventilation and used proper insulation to help moderate unwanted heat gain and loss. These features, plus the small size of our house means it requires fewer resources to run and maintain, significantly reducing energy consumption.

Both of us have Masters degrees in engineering, but most of what we learned were from books, the internet (including YouTube), some volunteer work and a lot of trial and error. There are so many resources out there; for example, the Australia government website has detailed expert advice on sustainable building practices.

How are you feeling with your move?

Our house was completed in August 2022, and we moved in since. It is amazing waking up to nature everyday. When we lived in the city, we had to get away to really connect with nature. Here we wake up and we are immediately spoiled by nature.

I love that we have bountiful vegetables at our doorstep. It sparks a lot of inspiration. Both of us love cooking and it is such a privilege to have fresh organic produce that we can forage from our garden. We eat much healthier now, we don’t eat out much and don’t eat a lot of processed food. It is so satisfying to be able to grow the food on our plate. There’s a kind of comfort knowing where our food comes from, and knowing that we are reducing carbon footprint and reducing plastic packaging waste that unfortunately comes with a lot of store bought products.

As we grow our food based on permaculture principles, we also feel much more connected and feel we are doing our part to give back to the earth in our own small way. For example, by not tilling the ground, composting and using cover crops, we are helping store carbon from our atmosphere, where it is harmful, and pulling it back into the earth, where it is useful.

We also live a less consumerist lifestyle, we don’t need as much stuff, and don’t have this constant craving of wanting more stuff.

Any ideas on how a city dweller can live more sustainably?

Living sustainably doesn’t have to involve moving to a rural area or growing your own food. It starts by being aware of your carbon footprint. Little things like saying no to disposable cutleries, avoiding single-use water bottles, bringing reusable bags to a store, making your own coffee/ food at home, using energy efficient light bulbs/ appliances, thinking twice before buying something new “will I still need this in 3 years?”, opting for “slow” fashion that is better quality and longer lasting, using more public transportation, can bring about change. All of us have the power to make a difference. Quoting my mentor in faith, Daisaku Ikeda

“A great human revolution in just a single individual will help achieve a change in the destiny of a nation and, further, will enable a change in the destiny of all humankind.”

A bountiful harvest of fresh produce from the land

Wina Appleton is of mixed British and Malaysian-Chinese heritage. After 12 years in finance, she is now reconnecting with nature and learning to live more sustainably. She is an active member of Soka Gakkai International (SGI). https://www.sokaglobal.org