Posted by
sorchului
15 yrs ago
How do you tell your helpers about ' Living Green' such as saving energy, water, use less detergent etc? I find that they do not have much knowledge about environment issues, also they don't seem to care much as we, the employers are paying for all the bills. Advice please....
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Just like anything else, it is a matter of communication. You need to tell her clearly what how you think she should act. It may be hard going to actually convince her.
Green thinking is very much a rich society thing. In poorer societies, most people would never dream of paying more for, say, "green" detergent. Such things are a luxury to them and they are not conditioned like we are to "going green". Sure, saving energy and water SAVE money, but they are still very much behaviors of the societies we come from.
In any case you're the boss and your rules go. If she thinks you're a bit nuts, that's fine, as long as she goes through the motions.
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vabu
15 yrs ago
"Green thinking is very much a rich society thing" Axptguy, your comment is so true, but what about expecting the helper to understand the concept of not wasting? How to be convincing and not too controlling? For example, I did show my helper how much detergent to use (the first couple of times), and then I trusted she would follow my directions. Yet, we go through boxes of detergent, softener ( and any other cleaning supply) like never before. Shall I make a point of always being there when she runs the dishwasher or the washing machine? If you ever had this issue with a helper, how were you able to convey the message? Thank you for your input.
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I agree. Some helpers don't understand how very little detergent is actually needed. They also run the washer for 3 items of clothing.
I don't want to stereotype but I get the feeling that they see their employers as being pretty well off so what's the big deal? Green doesn't come into it.
I think perhaps skirt the green part and just tell her it is wasteful and you would rather she didn't waste.
Just as in any other issue, a good helper will listen, change her behavior, then apply the knowledge to other things. A bad helper will not, or will take more work (i.e. feedback sessions) to get to change.
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vabu
15 yrs ago
Well, back to the "detergent issue", I'll try to be patient and talk to my helper again.
At least I can trust her about recycling plastic and paper.
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Patience is certainly the way. Also a word of praise if she gets it right.
Re. not saving the planet, I have observed the same as Mark Jones. For example, I am out on the trails a lot and it is appalling to see all the garbage people strew about them. Plastic bottles and styrofoam food containers are all over the place. The more creative people don't just throw them out, they stick them in trees. Never mind the (for hiking trails) rather frequent bins. What with all the campaigns aimed at educating the populace, as it were, how about one about not littering in the country parks?
There is no "maybe" about education. That is certainly it. Unfortunately there is seemingly no stigma against littering.
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Could you imagine introducing Carbon Credits into Hong Kong for CNY.
"Hi Security Guard, I hope you don't mind but I don't have a red packet for you this year. Instead I have bought you HK$250.00 of Carbon Credits to off-set against your Carbon Footprint. It shouldn't all be about the money... Just think, you can now catch a mini-bus for a month with a completely clear conscience"
"Ah domestic helper. I don't have a red packet for you either and instead of a bonus I have bought you an Oxfam goat for HK$1000.00. You will never see this goat, a little chap in Africa will see it (I hope), you can sleep easy in the knowledge that the goat will be carrying little Mbopo's laundry miles everyday saving his little feet".
I can see that going down like a knackered lift.......
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Ed
15 yrs ago
I'd have to disagree with the comment that people in Asia don't give a hoot about the planet...
I'd suggest that most Asian people have not been educated to give a hoot about the planet...
I recall being a kid growing up in northern Canada - it was quite common to toss your garbage out of a car window or onto the street... then there was a govt education campaign to stop this and it because a no-no to do so...
Likewise the massive recycling campaign pushing people to use Blue Boxes was a huge success as well changing people's habits.
It's all about educating the masses and in Asia that has not happened (yet) in most countries... left to their own devices I don't most people would do the right thing by the planet...
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Ed is right. It's not that they don't give a damn. It's that they don't know they sould give a damn. The thing he describes in Canada happened in Sweden and many other countries. A generation or two later, we "care".
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cd
15 yrs ago
Re the original post, we had to have several chats with out helper when he first arrived from the Phillippines about wasting water. I remember one day we asked him to wipe down the garden chairs, we realised about an hour later that he was still washing them, with the hose that had been running all that time. I explained that all he had needed was a bucket and a cloth. I honestly don;t think he realised we had to pay for water, neither did my previous helper. Just go over the basics again, (i.e. my helper also used to go through a whole can of polish each time he dusted the house), show her agaon how much of each item she should be using. My helper is much more frugal now.
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When I first hired a FDH way back in the 80's, she used up a bottle of pledge within one week and our whole flat have that smell and once or twice I nearly fell down because the wooden floor was slippery as she just sprayed on everything thus letting some drippings dropped on the floor.
This is just an example but if you tell and teach them and if they are good helpers, they will listen and learn.
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Truth is, the Carbon Footprint of a typical Hong Kong resident is pretty small compared with the whole of the West. Small living space, easy to heat/cool, no car, little overseas travel etc.
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