Editor's note: Bobsy Gaia, the man credited with the greening of Lamma Island, is on a lifelong mission to raise awareness about climate change. He tells China Daily Hong Kong how switching to a plant-based diet can help mitigate the impact of global warming.

Q: Recently you spoke on a panel hosted by Jacada Travel after the screening of Matthieu Rytz's documentary Anote's Ark. How does the impact of climate change in Kiribati resonate with Hong Kong?

A : Climate change is relevant to all of humanity and Hong Kong being a coastal city we should be alarmed. Coastal cities are at high risk of flooding, and global warming cannot be halted anymore because the damage is done. Temperatures and the water levels will continue to rise as a result. If tomorrow all of humanity woke up and became vegan, we still will face climate change and global warming. It's inevitable.

There is no doubt humanity is waking up (to this coming crisis), exponentially, but then our natural resources are depleted beyond our current rates of consumption. So yes, Hong Kong needs to be alarmed.

Q: Is Hong Kong bracing for the day when the catastrophe hits us?

A : People are getting more educated and aware of climate change. Scientists are working day and night (to come up with strategies to cope with the disaster). The private sector is putting a lot of money into data research and technology development. Millions of people are going vegan. This gives me hope, but we have to understand that global warming - the depletion of our oceans especially - is a real and imminent threat.

Q: Would you like to unpack your slogan "Diet change, not climate change" for our readers?

A : The production and consumption of meat, fish and dairy is responsible for over 50 percent of all global warming, loss of habitats, environmental migration, loss of indigenous cultures and depletion of our natural resources, to name a few of the most pressing challenges facing humanity today. So let us please change our diets and not contribute to climate change.

"Diet change, not climate change" is a slogan I use a lot at school lectures, and they get it straightaway.

Q: And what's the feedback from the young people you have been talking to?

A : Well, many of them are vegan. A girl told me she has to practice being a vegan behind her parents' backs, because they think she needs animal protein. The fact is our bodies are not designed to digest the vast amounts of animal protein that people consume. The famous The China Study (T. Colin Campbell and Thomas M. Campbell, 2016), conducted over 25 years, concluded that animal protein results in modern ailments like arthritis, heart disease and cancer.

Q: Trying to adhere to a sustainable lifestyle could be tricky in Hong Kong. For example, it might be impractical to ditch the elevator for the staircase when there are 35 floors to climb

A : I've always said, don't waste your time by walking up the stairs, I don't think that has any significant impact. Instead, become a conscious consumer, avoid single-use plastic ware if you can, consume wisely. Cutting down on air travel has such a minuscule impact on the environment compared to changing your diet. If you switch to a plant-based diet you're doing more than what a thousand people can do by not flying. Switching off the tap to stop water waste or switching off the lights when you leave the room - these have very little environmental impact compared to diet change.

Q: Would you like to give us a checklist of eco-sensitive travel?

A : On a flight, make sure you order plant-based meals, bring your own cup, request the stewardess to fill it up with warm water. They will be very happy to do that. Don't take the plastic cups of water they offer you.

Q: Life Cafe - the first organic plant-based eatery you opened in downtown Hong Kong in 2004 (not counting Bookworm Cafe in Lamma Island started in 1997) - was shut down in 2015. So when you started Mana! in 2011, did you do anything differently?

A : I pulled out of Life Cafe in 2010 when it was still functional, primarily to manifest a vision called Babylon! An Inspired Cafe, Lounge and Community (to state its name in full), featuring food, music, festivals, yoga, whole foods store, organic cocktails, all under one roof. I have been unable to do that yet, sadly.

So in the interim we opened Mana!. The idea was to create a form of plant-based fast food which we called "flats" (short for flatbread).

But I am still looking for a space upward of 6,000 to 7,000 square feet in the greater Central area. There will only be one Babylon! in the city and it's going to be everything we're missing in Hong Kong under one roof. We'll have kirtans (devotional Hindu songs), live music, juice bars turning into organic cocktail bars in the evening, space for TED talks. We don't have a hub in Hong Kong where the conscious tribe can gather. So that remains my vision for Hong Kong and I am very hungry for it.

Q: You have a very multicultural team running the day-to-day operations at Mana!. Did that happen organically?

A : It did. We have Filipinos, Chinese, Nepalese, Indians, Pakistanis, Caucasians, a few mixed-race people on the staff. We've got a good United Nations of people.

Q: What's the biggest stumbling block to running a zero-waste eatery in Hong Kong?

A : We separate our waste. If even one customer pours leftover soup into the paper collection bin, he's ruined our recycling effort. There are five bins in Mana! - rubbish, compost, glass, paper, plant-plastic. All it takes is one customer to ruin the whole batch and it costs money. We have such unprecedented challenges in this city. That's what motivates us to be who we are. We have inspired many millennials. Our customers are getting younger by the day.

Q: How might the local government help support your mission?

A : They could subsidize us or maybe even just recognize the work we're doing. We started a petition asking the government to do something about recycling of plant-plastics which cannot be composted in Hong Kong or separated from regular plastic. We're drowning in plastics in Hong Kong. So why is the government not subsidizing recycling plants or building a state-of-the-art composting facility?

So we need enlightenment and leadership within the government. We need our leaders to step out and do something that benefits everyone. Hong Kong people are supportive of all such efforts.

Q: For 25 years you have been at the forefront of sustainable lifestyle practitioners in Hong Kong. What's the biggest change between then and now in terms of people getting more eco-sensitive?

A: Many more people are aware. The sheer number of people getting involved in environmental issues, NGOs and charities is mind-boggling. There are over 500 organic farms in Hong Kong, run by young college-educated people who want to be farmers because they want to give Hong Kong good food. Plant-based, zero-waste establishments are going to be the new normal in 10 years. People eating huge amounts of beef and animal protein will be in a minority.So in a nutshell, awareness is key. It is the most sustainable resource.

Interviewed by Chitralekha Basu.

This interview was conducted with support from Jacada Travel, www.jacadatravel.com.

(HK Edition 07/13/2018 page11)