Emily Lam-Ho

What does spring mean to you?

Spring means renewal. It means new life. But at the same time, it means a cycle. Everything comes in a cycle. I think that’s what spring means to me.

What role does nature play in your lifestyle?

I hope everybody knows that I’m very big on sustainability. I think nature plays a huge part in not just my life, but in my family’s life. As a family, we love a lot of outdoor sports. We’re a big skiing family and we love hiking. I think even with products that I use, whether it’s skincare or clothes, we try to source as natural as possible. Nature plays a huge part in my daily life.

How did you get into sustainability?

Before college, I volunteered to work in Africa for two months. I worked at a village, at a local orphanage and a plantation. That’s when I realised that you don’t need a lot of material things to live happily. They conserve and they use only what they need by their own means. They don’t waste because it’s their way of life. Like, every drop of water you use is based on if there’s rainfall. That trip had had a big impact in shaping me as a person today and introducing sustainability to me and that way of life.

In what ways do you hope to promote sustainability in Hong Kong?

I try to use my lifestyle platform, 8Shades, where I like to give out daily tips about sustainability and hope people will realise that sustainability doesn’t have to be one to 100. But really, it’s about making small changes to integrate sustainability into your life. It can just be taking a cold shower, which is good for your body and a form of sustainability. It can be bringing your own coffee cup to get your daily coffee. It can be very simple tasks that don’t have to cost you much or completely alter your lifestyle.

With Van Cleef & Arpels, what do you like about their brand? What stands out to you?

I have to say Van Cleef & Arpels is a special brand to me. When I was working in banking, the first time I made money, it was actually a pair of Van Cleef & Arpels earrings that I bought. Later on, my husband got the matching necklace for me when I told him that story.

I see it as a very girly brand with a lot of floral and nature aesthetic to it. That’s what I love about it, the very floral and girly aesthetic. But at the same time, it’s very empowering as nature is very empowering to me and that’s how I relate to the brand.

What would you say are your intentions for this year?

I intend to push sustainability a lot more. At EcoDrive, we’re in the preparation process of our new campaign to push sustainability so I’m very excited. Springtime is usually when we start pushing out our annual Enough Plastic campaign.

With Covid, we had to use so many masks, protective equipment and single-use plastics. I wish to promote sustainability as a beautiful lifestyle that everybody needs to be a part of – not just because it’s good for the next generation, but because it’s also good for us.