創辦人
FOUNDER
Eric Swinton (史濟民)
Founder (創辦人)
“V Cycle stands for virtuous cycle. Our mission is to create a sustainable cycle that does good both at a human and an ecological level. We recycle waste materials and transform them into sustainable and contemporary products like tote bags, umbrellas, table lamps and hangers. We raise awareness by educating and giving waste management training to businesses and schools. Social inclusion is also at the heart of our virtuous business model. We work with vulnerable and elderly social groups, such as the cardboard collecting elderlies, to involve them in the sorting of recyclable waste to provide job opportunities and a safe and caring work environment. We also assist them with seeking medical help, dealing with work, family-related issues and some basic housing issues. We would eventually love to build a thriving community centre for this population.”
「 V Cycle 嘅意思係 “virtuous cycle”, 一個良善嘅循環。我哋嘅願景係希望建立一個對人類、對整個生態都係可持續嘅循環系統。我哋會收集廢棄嘅物料，將佢哋重新打造成為再生同時新嘅產品，例如帆布袋、遮、臺燈同埋衣架咁。我哋亦都會提供回收教育活動同埋技術支援俾商界同埋學校，提高佢哋嘅環保意識。社會共融亦係我哋良善營運模式嘅一個核心理念，我哋會同弱勢社群同埋基層長者合作，好似啲執紙皮嘅公公婆婆咁, 請佢哋一齊做回收分類，為佢哋提供安全, 有關懷嘅工作環境同機會。我哋都會協助關顧佢哋喺健康同埋工作, 家庭或者房屋方面嘅需要。我哋好希望有朝一日能夠開設一個溫暖嘅社區中心俾呢班公公婆婆。」
“I had a personal transformation when I met my Buddhist mentor 10 years ago. He really helped me to develop my compassion and triggered in me a real need to learn to help others. One of the key teachings that he taught me was to hold up two mirrors in life: one to magnify the good in others, and the other to minimise the bad. I remember seeing images of birds eating plastic, animals entangled in rings and nets, and knew that I had to do something about it. I started V Cycle four years ago. In the first 9 months, we over-recruited inexperienced people who were not familiar with the recycling industry and ran into cash flow problems. I ended up being the only full-time person left running the company for several months. When running a start-up you have to be persistent and fight for every single opportunity. I learned from my mistakes and we are beginning to get over this hurdle. We now have an amazing team of passionate and kind volunteers. We have been lucky in that every time we come across some challenges, by some divine intervention a person, opportunity or project appears to tide us over.”
“I was born and raised in Hong Kong. As a kid I was terrible at school, all I wanted to do was to play football. My parents decided to send me to boarding school in the UK when I was 12 years old. The first day I arrived, I cried. By the second day, I was ecstatic. I felt a taste of freedom for the first time and quickly made friends playing football. I also became passionate about music and played the guitar obsessively. At university, I would DJ at parties and of course party a lot myself. I always did things to the extreme and even got arrested once for a driving offence. Things have really changed since then. In my mid-thirties, I began to see clearly that the things I used to indulge in back then were all just distractions. I also became more aware of the passage of time - days pass by so quickly, in the blink of an eye! I now devote myself to my work, which I find so much more purpose and meaning in. You work seven days a week when running a start-up, but it’s all worth it.”
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「我喺10年前遇到我嘅佛教啟蒙老師，自己有咗好大轉變。佢真係幫咗我去發現自己嘅同理心，激發咗我心入面想要學識幫人嘅動力。佢教我嘅其中一課，係叫我好好利用生命中嘅兩塊鏡：一塊鏡用嚟放大他人嘅善，另一塊鏡用嚟縮細佢哋嘅惡。我曾經見過雀鳥喺度食塑膠、動物被膠環同埋網纏住嘅畫面，嗰陣我就知道我要做一啲嘢去改變。四年前我開始咗 V Cycle。頭九個月，我哋請咗太多對環保行業無經驗嘅人，現金流出現咗問題，之後有幾個月得返我自己一個全職去撐住間公司。搞初創企業，你要好有毅力，要爭取每一個機會。我喺錯誤裡面汲取經驗，好彩能夠開始渡過難關，而家我哋集合到一班好有善心同熱誠嘅義工一齊工作。我哋一直都好幸運，喺每次遇到挑戰嘅時候，都好奇妙咁遇到一個人、一個機會或者一個計劃，令我哋順利撐過。」
「我喺香港出世同埋長大，細個嗰時完全冇心機讀書，淨係掛住踢波。喺我 12歲嗰陣，我父母決定送我去英國嘅寄宿學校讀書。到埗嘅第一日，我不停喊，但到咗第二日，我已經好興奮，第一次感受到咩係自由，同埋好快就識到一班朋友一齊踢波。我嗰時仲迷上咗音樂，會花好多時間彈結他。讀大學嘅時候，我會喺啲派對度做 DJ，當然會落場玩好多啦，嗰時我成日玩到好癲，仲試過因為交通意外被人拉。嗰次之後我就真係開始改變。踏入 30歲之後嗰幾年，我開始睇清楚，以前我沉迷嘅嘢只係一啲雜念。同埋，我更加意識到時間真係過得好快，日子眨下眼就過﹗ 我而家專心投入自己嘅工作，喺裡面我搵到多好多目標同埋意義。搞一間初創公司，一星期要做足 7日，但所有付出都係值得嘅。」
