And just like that, our #8Shades8Weeks challenge has come to an end! We celebrated by hosting a finale last night (5 August 2021) at Kind Kitchen by Green Common in Sheung Wan, where guests were treated to a delicious three-course meal featuring OmniSeafood and free-flow sustainable wine.
OmniSeafood is Green Monday’s latest venture in the alternative meat world. For starters, guests could choose between an OmniTuna Tartare or O! Crab Toast and for mains, choices included a Spicy Storm OmniFillet, a “fish” fillet fried with crispy garlic and chili served with mixed riceberry rice, and the Lemon Light OmniFillet, a fillet in lemon sauce served with mixed riceberry rice. We hosted the challenge finale dinner on the final night of Kind Kitchen operating in its Sheung Wan venue.
For dessert, guests enjoyed either an apple pie with a vegan snowball or a muffin with fruits. Drinks for the evening were provided by sustainable wine company, La Joya.
Halfway through the evening, 8Shades’ founder Emily Lam-Ho presented the winner of the #8Shades8Weeks challenge with the grand prize, which was one of each week’s prize! Sam Sandiford (@sandifordsam) not only took part in each weekly challenge – he also wowed us with his creativity and efforts at becoming more sustainable in his everyday life.
In total, Sam won a pair of shoes from Lono, a Keep Cup and Cocoparadise gift set, a HK$500 gift voucher from HULA, a bag from Everybody and Everyone, Nanoleaf energy-saving LED light bulbs, an organic veggie food box from the Hong Kong Agricultural Development Association (HKADA), a customised 8Shades reusable water bottle from Casetify and a hamper featuring Omnipork and other items from Green Common!
We had the chance to catch up with Sam during the evening, where we asked him some questions about his sustainability journey and what inspired him to take part in the #8Shades8Weeks challenge:
- Can you tell us a little about yourself?
I’ve been in Hong Kong for about two years now and I work in the cryptocurrency industry. I have a wife and a baby girl who is one year old.
- Why did you decide to join the #8Shades8Weeks challenge?
I spoke to someone who made me aware of 8Shades’ weekly challenge and encouraged me to enter. It seemed like a really good way to be a bit more sustainable in my everyday life. After a few weeks, it became a habit for me to take part in each weekly challenge and most of them were super simple, like carrying a water bottle with me. Most of them were fun, like having to dress up something in my closet. Sometimes though, it took a nudge from my wife to keep me motivated!
- What was your favourite week of the challenge?
Probably Week 3 with HULA, where you had to dress up something that you already have in your closet. I decided to wear a football shirt with one of my wife’s handbags. I originally had another outfit, which is when my wife got involved and we ended up taking around 25 pictures to get the perfect shot!
- Have you always tried to live an eco-conscious lifestyle?
Only in parts. When I was about 11 or 12, I ran in a school election that had a green focus, so it’s something that’s always been relevant to me and that I’ve always been aware of. But that sort of changed the older I became. When I worked in Dubai – which is not the greenest place – I had to drive around a lot and I was flying a lot for work. Equally though, my parents have a farm in South Africa that has a nature reserve, where sustainability is extremely important. And now, having a little girl myself brings me back to when I was 11 and thinking that we need to preserve the planet.
So, I’m very aware of sustainability and that we need to live sensibly, but I do also have to occasionally go on an aeroplane, because some things, you can’t really avoid.
- What have you taken away from this challenge?
This challenge has reinforced the feeling that I have to be committed to some sort of sustainability. It’s made me think a little bit more each day about what I do and how it impacts others and the planet, and it’s inspired me to lead a better life.
Thank you to all of our sponsors for providing prizes for the #8Shades8Weeks challenge, and thank you to all of our readers who participated in the challenge! We hope that you’ve been inspired to be more sustainable in your everyday life and to help make the world a shade greener.
