(Blogged by Priscilla Zhang)
After a nights rest from a 13 hour flight from Seattle to Hong Kong VIA AYLP students and staff members tried to adjust to the time change. After a delicious breakfast from Cafe O, the group headed to the Conservation International (CI) Office. They met the staff and interns of CI and enjoyed a wonderful presentation by Jude Wu; students learned about CI's program and had an introduction to Ecological Economics.
After a nights rest from a 13 hour flight from Seattle to Hong Kong VIA AYLP students and staff members tried to adjust to the time change. After a delicious breakfast from Cafe O, the group headed to the Conservation International (CI) Office. They met the staff and interns of CI and enjoyed a wonderful presentation by Jude Wu; students learned about CI's program and had an introduction to Ecological Economics.
Afterwards the group headed to a Chinese vegetarian restaurant where students stuffed themselves with delicious food. Later on, the group headed to Hong Kong Recycles, a social enterprise which aims to provide convenient waste management. The group was introduced to Cage homes, a type of residence in which there is only enough room for a bed, where thousands of people in Hong Kong live. VIA AYLP also experienced it through a walk through of a replica Cage Home.
They also went on to interactive stations where they played games to learn about waste management. This was followed by a presentation about what Hong Kong is doing to become more sustainable. At the end of the presentation students were to think about how to relay the message of recycling to others and what policies should be in place for tenants living in cage housing.
Later on, the group enjoyed their free time in Hong Kong, enjoying the beautiful culture that was before them. The day wrapped up with dinner then a reflection of their first day in Hong Kong. The group then attempts to rid their jet lag during their second night sleep. Good Luck!