Eco-esti

Eco-Esti is your go-to destination for insightful reviews on the latest climate change books, documentaries, and the best plant-based dining experiences. Join me as we explore sustainable living, eco-conscious media, and plant-based gastronomy - all with a passion for protecting our planet.

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Review: East, Auckland

East in Auckland’s CBD represents a refreshing evolution in plant-based dining that proves sustainable eating does not require sacrificing bold flavours or culinary sophistication.

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Review: Gorilla Kitchen, Auckland

Gorilla Kitchen has established itself as more than just another vegan restaurant, it’s a custodian of tasty food that’s redefining plant-based dining in New Zealand’s largest city.

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Air New Zealand Vegan options

Air New Zealand has become one of the most progressive airlines when it comes to sustainable dining, and their expanding menu deserves recognition from environmentally conscious travellers. With aviation accounting for 2-3% of global carbon emissions, every effort to reduce the industry’s environmental footprint matters - and dietary choices play a surprisingly significant role.

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Review: Wild dark shore

McConaghy crafts a tale that reads like a love letter to a dying planet. The environmental changes she depicts feel visceral and immediate, you can almost taste the salt spray of encroaching seas.

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Mooncakes!

It’s Mid-Autumn Festival and that means it’s time for mooncakes!

The Mid-Autumn Festival has over 3,000 years of history, originating from ancient Chinese moon worship practices and harvest celebrations. It became an official holiday during the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD) and is now one of China's major festivals.

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Documentary Review: The True Cost (2015)

A decade after its release, "The True Cost" (2015) remains an essential watch for anyone committed to sustainability and ethical living. Directed by Andrew Morgan, the documentary exposes the devastating environmental and human costs of the fast fashion industry, a system build on exploitation, overconsumption and environmental destruction.

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Documentary Review: Before the Flood (2016)

Nearly a decade has passed since the release of Before the Flood (2016), the powerful documentary directed by Fisher Stevens and fronted by environmental advocate and actor Leonardo DiCaprio. In many ways the film remains a hauntingly relevant call to action - a mirror held up to humanity, reflecting the environmental crossroads we faced then and still face today. watching it now in 2025 feels like revisiting a warning siren that blared loud and clear, yet was only partially heeded. 

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Review: Ocean (2025)

Watching "Ocean" (2025), the latest documentary from Sir David Attenborough, feels like bearing witness to a planetary emergency. With haunting underwater footage, the film reveals the brutal reality of bottom trawling—industrial fishing vessels dragging weighted nets across the seafloor, reducing centuries-old coral forests to deserts of broken skeletons. If you haven't watched it yet, it's time...

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Documentary Review: 2040 (2019)

I needed a break from climate doom, so I decided to watch "2040" - and it might be the most refreshing environmental documentary I've seen in years. Directed by Damon Gameau in 2019, this isn't your typical climate film. Instead of spending 90 minutes telling you how screwed we are, it asks a simple question: what if we actually implemented all the climate solutions we already know work?

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Documentary Review: Breaking Boundaries - The Science of our Planet (2021)

I finally got around to watching "Breaking Boundaries: The Science of Our Planet" on Netflix, and honestly, I wish I'd seen it sooner. Released in 2021 and narrated by David Attenborough (because of course it is), this documentary does something most climate films don't: it actually explains what "planetary boundaries" are and why crossing them should terrify us more than it apparently does.

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The Poore & Nemecek Study: Food's Environmental Impact

I keep seeing this study mentioned everywhere.The "Joseph Poore study" has become shorthand for "science proves meat is bad for the environment," but I realised I'd never actually read what the researchers found. So I dove in, and wow - it's both more nuanced and more comprehensive than what the general consensus suggests.

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Documentary Review: What the Health (2017)

When "What the Health" dropped in 2017, it sent shockwaves through Netflix queues and dinner table conversations alike. The documentary, produced by Kip Andersen and Keegan Kuhn (the team behind "Cowspiracy"), made bold claims about the links between animal products and chronic disease while questioning why major health organisations weren't sounding louder alarms.

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Review: Cheaper Faster Better by Tom Steyer

Tom Steyer's "Cheaper, Faster, Better" presents a paradox that's hard to ignore. Here's a billionaire who made his fortune in hedge funds – an industry with deep ties to fossil fuel investments – now positioning himself as a champion of renewable energy and climate action. The author's voice in non-fiction carries the weight of their lived experience and credibility in ways that fiction simply doesn't. When Tom Steyer writes about climate solutions we can't separate his billionaire hedge fund background from his arguments the way we might separate a novelist from their fictional characters.

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Documentary Review: The Game Changers (2018)

If you haven't watched "The Game Changers" yet, this Netflix documentary might just change how you think about food, performance, and environmental impact. Following elite athletes who've adopted plant-based diets, the film makes a compelling case that what's good for our bodies is also good for our planet.

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Documentary Review: Forks over Knives (2011)

Forks over Knives is a documentary that advocates for a whole-food, plant-based diet, primarily from a health perspective. It follows the work of Dr. T. Colin Campbell and Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn, who argue that many chronic diseases - including heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and come cancers - can be prevented or even reversed through a low-fat, plant-based diet.

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Review: Here, Quarry Bay

If you're plant-based in Hong Kong, chances are you've already heard of Here - the east-side offshoot of the beloved Years. Tucked into quiet corner of Quarry Bay / Taikoo, this spot has become my weekly ritual, and honestly, choosing a photo to post each time is getting harder than picking what to eat.

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Documentary Review: Our Planet (2019)

Our Planet narrated by David Attenborough, was a major shift in nature documentaries. Unlike previous series, it directly connected the beauty of the natural world to the reality of climate change and human impact. It showed not just wildlife, but how rising temperatures, deforestation, and overfishing are disrupting ecosystems.

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Review: City Super Deli

City Super Deli in Hong Kong isn't a fully vegan destination, but it does offer a few reliably tasty plant-based deli items that are perfect for a quick lunch or snack. 

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Documentary Review: An Inconvenient Truth (2006) (A Prophecy)

When An Inconvenient Truth premiered in 2006, it did something that no other climate documentary had done before - it turned a PowerPoint presentation into a cultural phenomenon. Directed by Davis Guggenheim and centred around former U.S. Vice President Al Gore's climate advocacy, the film was a sobering, scientifically grounded call to action. Nearly 20 years later, its warning feel less like speculation and more like prophecy. 

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Hong Kong Vegetarian Food Expo 2025

The Hong Kong Vegetarian Expo once again brought together an incredible mix of plant-based innovation, cultural flavours, and eco-conscious living. We scoped out the place for the best vegan dishes and products on offer. 

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