Our Story
A small lily pond under threat, plus frustration about waste, recycling and public facilities prompted local residents on Lamma Island to join together to find solutions.
Living Lamma was founded in 2009 by residents, who wanted to contribute to improving the environment of the island for all.
Lamma Island is a vibrant place, with an eclectic mix of people who appreciate nature, village life and the friendly community. There are no cars or high rises and the stunning natural scenery make Lamma a wonderful place to live, and a popular place for Hong Kong residents and tourists to visit.
Throughout the New Territories and Outlying Islands residents are concerned about illegal dumping in scenic areas and farmland, and Lamma is no exception. The dumping of building waste in Yung Shue Long valley in north Lamma in 2009 was the impetus for forming an official organisation to represent the views of residents.
Living Lamma began by engaging in the consultation process: attending meetings, hosting site visits for government departments, writing papers and presenting evidence to Legco in response to requests from the HKSAR government to provide views from the community about issues including: recycling, littering, waste management, design of public spaces and bicycle parking.
Over the last decade Living Lamma volunteers have also rolled up our sleeves to help clean up our home. We organise beach and neighbourhood cleanups, we supported a glass recycling trial programme and more.
These initiatives have had a more tangible impact upon our community. Cleanups have taught us about the environmental challenges we share with everyone on the planet. Through picking up rubbish and thinking about ways to manage waste more effectively and in particular the global challenge of excessive plastic usage. We also learned to think more about reducing our consumption than just recycling.
Today, Living Lamma takes regular actions to tackle marine pollution on our shorelines by cleaning up beaches and continuing to learn about global and local waste issues. We share our experiences and knowledge in schools and organisations seeking to turn the tide on single-use plastic and marine pollution.
Aims
- We want to protect the environment of Lamma Island for the benefit of the Hong Kong community through the improvement of community facilities and the promotion of conservation and environmental issues.
- We support other groups and individuals engaging in environmental and community improvement and share information with them.
- We undertake specific actions for the protection of the environment of Lamma Island and to support the development of appropriate projects for the benefit of the Hong Kong community.
- We also work and co-operate with Hong Kong residents, governmental and non-governmental organisations on specific issues relating to the above three goals
People and groups we work with
-under construction-