About Me
Annabel is a passionate and inquisitive high school freshman at the German Swiss International School. She has a deep love for music, playing both the piano and guitar, and enjoys immersing herself in books. She enjoys collaborative problem-solving, and working with friends on various initiatives, including Kids4Kids, UNICEF HK, and Refugee Union. These experiences have not only enriched her skill set but have also broadened her understanding of critical issues, both locally and globally. Engaging with these organizations has fostered her leadership abilities and enhanced her capacity for empathy and teamwork. Annabel’s journey has inspired her to think creatively about solutions to societal challenges, reinforcing her commitment to making a positive impact in her community and beyond.
Project Description
Wastewise is an organisation aimed to reduce consumerism through circular fashion. We want to reduce waste in local communities by taking gently-used clothing and giving it to those who need it.The problem is the long-term liabilities, environmental pollution, and health risks the waste generated by those discarding their outfits after one or two wears causes. Our primary actors are residents of cage/coffin houses in HK, who live in tiny bunks and often lack basic living necessities due to reasons such as not qualifying for social-welfare or unreasonably high housing prices. Wastewise collects clothes and takes them to organised community events where residents can attain quality clothing, targeting SDGs 12, ‘Responsible Consumption and Production’ and SDG 11,’Sustainable Cities and Communities’. We will collect the clothing through various schools through drop-off boxes, and promote our mission through social media and posters as well as encourage donors with the prospect of one ‘house point’ per item donated. The clothing collected is delivered to residential buildings or community centres, specifically New Lucky House in TST, where residents can take their pick of a new outfit and interact with their neighbours in a sociable environment. Any leftover donations will be reused in the next event, therefore creating a zero-waste circular fashion system. The social impact I aim to have is for residents in buildings like New Lucky House to no longer have to live in cheap clothes. Instead, I hope their quality of life will be improved through being able to wear higher quality clothes that are usually out of their socioeconomic reach. This also reduces the amount of textiles that will go to a new owner instead of a landfill.