Community
ECO/CONSCIOUS
with Tanya Parmanand
GOLDEN YEARS If the pandemic has shown us anything, it’s that our city’s senior citizens are often overlooked and under-supported. If you or someone you know is over 65 and struggling with isolation, here are a few great local programmes that cater to Hong Kong’s elderly through training and employment opportunities.
K11 MUSEA K11 MUSEA runs an internal scheme that hires and trains senior citizens to help create upcycled umbrellas from single-use plastics. Working with V Cycle (vcycle.com.hk), a social enterprise that supports Hong Kong’s elderly by providing dignified work in materials collection and recycling, K11 MUSEA pays senior citizens a fair wage to clean and sort plastic collected from participating retailers. The processed plastic is then upcycled by machine into special K11 branded umbrellas. Since its launch in April 2021, the programme has saved over 7,000 plastic bottles from the landfill. Most of the umbrellas are given back to retailers or can be rented by K11 MUSEA customers. But if you’d like to get your hands on your own, you can also purchase one online at the mall’s online store. 18 Salisbury Rd., Tsim Sha Tsui, 3892-3890 16
