Gugumelo, a colourful and lively animation IP, is created by Loretta Lai that aims to give people a glimpse of true happiness each day. Recently, she turned her hobby in puppet making into a career. Lately I talked with Loretta about the origin of Gugumelo, she told me that the idea of Gugumelo begins with "Fu Fu" (in Chinese means Tiger). "Fu Fu'' is a doll sewn by her mother during her childhood. Her mother used a baby towel that Loretta used to carry with her always, folded the towel in half and sewed it up. She also used an old shoulder pad as the treasure pocket for Fu Fu and sewed on the body of the doll. Each thread sewed brought happiness to this little girl, she does not only sewed a dream but it also represented the love of a mother.

Everyone will inevitably produce garbage and carbon footprints each day. Upcycling old clothing is a start to implement sustainable actions regarding environmental protection. It is essential to recycle our daily commodities and prolong the life of unwanted clothing, giving them a second life using our imagination and creativity.

In Mr. Bill Gates’s new book “How to avoid Climate Disasters” mentioned that, “5.1 billion is the number of tons released globally every year and 0 is what we need to achieve. In recent years, we have received a large number of figures through online media with environmental protection messages such as “global warming” and “climate crisis”. Natural disasters seems far away from us but yet it is something between you and me. Environmental friendly should not be just a slogan, it is an alert and there is no time to delay.”

Plastic bags, takeaway boxes or styrofoam are rubbish that surround us everyday, are they going to disappear automatically one day? Is time for us to think about “reducing the excess”. Methods to protect the environment vary from person to person and minimalism would be an ideal way to start. We should think twice before purchasing or disposing of an item. Do what we can do to reduce the burden of the earth, enhance a sustainable lifestyle to save the environment and be proud of yourself.

                                                               Curator

Crystal Fong