Hong Kong – March 9, 2013: At the end of each day, an estimated nine Hong Kong residents may have suffered premature deaths due to Hong Kong’s worsening air pollution, and another estimated 8,000 tons of discarded food waste will have found its way into the territory’s landfills.
“Hong Kong is one of the most important and fascinating places on the planet right now,” asserts architect and LEED® AP Tom Schmidt, author and illustrator of the new book Bumbling Through Hong Kong. “In today’s era of population growth, wasteful consumption, environmental contamination and loss of marine and terrestrial habitats, the worsening quality of life in the world’s urban areas is a very serious issue – and Hong Kong is a case in point.”
Bumbling Through Hong Kong is an educational yet comical adventure through the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, and its many manmade and natural environments. The reader is taken on an entertaining journey of discovery by following the misadventures of a fictitious cast of bumbling characters as they stumble across the cultural traditions, natural assets and historic relics of Hong Kong; including the numerous environmental and social challenges faced by one of the most densely inhabited places on the planet. With over 190 beautifully hand-drawn black and white illustrations, the book’s day-by-day account of the bumbling backpackers’ journey through Hong Kong seeks to instill the reader with an environmental and cultural awareness of the territory’s rapidly changing situation and an appreciation of its natural and cultural assets. Schmidt contends that the unique graphic format of the book series appeals to both young adults, who are already accustomed to comic book formats, as well as more mature audiences in helping to create environmental awareness. Greenpeace HK notes, “Bumbling Through Hong Kong does not provide tips of where to shop or dine out, but exposes the true cost of being a metropolis and the vivid urban pollution that residents and tourists face on a daily basis. A good snapshot of another face of Hong Kong!”
Bumbling Through Hong Kong is the third volume in the award-winning Bumbling Traveller™ Adventure Series, a book series that seeks to promote environmental and cultural awareness through entertaining mysteries and adventures. Bumbling Through Hong Kong is scheduled to be launched on 18 April 2013 in Hong Kong at the Prince’s Building branch of Bookazine; the book will be available in regional bookstores beginning in May 2013, and can also be ordered from the publisher, Kakibubu Media Limited (www.kakibubu.com).
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Tom Schmidt is an award-winning architect, writer, illustrator, musician, and part-time stand-up comedian. Born in the United States, following his studies of Architecture and Environmental Design at the University of Colorado, his wanderlust has carried him through various bumbling adventures in over 70 countries around the world, while based in the Asia-Pacific region. Schmidt is a licensed US architect, a LEED® Accredited Professional, a founding member of the Hong Kong Chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA), and a member of the American Society of Architectural Illustrators (ASAI). He has resided in Hong Kong since 1997, and is founder of Sepia Design Consultants Limited, an architectural consultancy specializing in sustainable hospitality design.
BOOK STATISTICS:
| Title: | Bumbling Through Hong Kong |
| Author: | Tom Schmidt |
| ISBN: | ISBN 978-988-18066-7-3 |
| Category: | Travel / Environment / Humor |
| Length: | 144 pages |
| Retail Price: | US$12.95 |
| Binding: | 6.14” x 9.21” (15.6 cm x 23.4 cm) softcover |
| Illustrated: | 193 B&W illustrations |
| Additions: | Maps, Travel Checklists, Internet Resources |
