In 2022-23, Dalat experienced severe climate change consequences, with significant floods, forest fires, and landslides that shook the entire community. As a result, the region had to grapple with extreme weather conditions, including powerful storms and heatwaves, which had a great impact on Dalat’s agricultural sector. As a native of Da Lat, Nghi have observed the absence of an effective waste classification system in public areas and schools, leaving students unsure of how to get involved in environmental protection or volunteer work.

Additional, vulnerable communities, who are often disadvantaged and most affected by plastic pollution and deforestation. With an ambitious dream of providing more opportunities for young people and vulnerable communities, our initial concept aims to cultivate a ecosystem and generations that cares for Dalat, envisions a green and clean city, and is motivated to develop Recycle Dalat into the first pioneering environmental project in the region. Our mission is to provide support and resources to foster the development of future leaders by joining eco-friendly activities, learning about environmental issues and serve as a reliable partner to vulnerable communities, ultimately improving their quality of life while conducting activities with cost-effectiveness in mind.

Recycle Dalat aims to protect the environment and develop a green community in Da Lat, Vietnam through 3 criteria: Cognition-Recycle-Restoration. These criteria are linked to 3 respective parts of the project: (1) Raising awareness on environmental issues and support for vulnerable communities; (2) Classifying and recycling plastic wastes; (3) Planting trees in national parks to restore degraded forests. Recycle Dalat aims to develop a green community in Da Lat through our activities. We place particular emphasis on youths and vulnerable communities, helping them embark on a journey to a more sustainable and responsible lifestyle.

Our project primarily focuses on Dalat, Vietnam, a small but popular tourism destination for domestic-visitors over the last decade. The city’s economic growth, which regrettably brought the issue of waste pollution, significantly impacted the quality of life for its residents. The Dalat landfill receives over 200 tons of unclassified-waste, directly threatening the well-being of 13,938 nearby residents, especially vulnerable communities like local ethnic groups and waste collectors known as “Ve Chai.”

Our project aligns with several UN SDGs (1-8-11-12-13-15) and serves as a platform for nurturing future leaders in Vietnam and Southeast Asia. Our goal is to empower these youth to become catalysts for positive change, fostering cooperation in environmental protection and capacity building.

Additionally, we seek to enhance our involvement with local vulnerable communities. By partnering with them to address environmental challenges, we can simultaneously improve their quality of life and conduct activities more cost-effectively.

Furthermore, our tree-planting efforts in farmlands and around National Parks will help mitigate environmental issues while bolstering local capacity and generating economic benefits.

Yes, we actively support and promote various environmental initiatives. We collaborate with organizations, participate in campaigns, and encourage our community to get involved in efforts that align with our mission.

Yes, we are committed to environmental education and awareness. We are happy to share our educational resources, collaborate with schools and universities, and organize events to promote environmental education

To always have back-up plans. From the start of our project, we constantly experienced partners who canceled on us last minute despite numerous confirmations on their end. This means that as much as possible, the team has learnt to complete tasks in-house and organise our own events instead of relying on other organisations. Adopting a safe-than-sorry mindset is draining on our resources, but also provides a peace of mind that the project can still run smoothly in the event of a worst case scenario.

To always be professional. What can you do? You’re so young and inexperienced! This are sentiments you will hear and feel as you engage others. Don’t let your emotions get the better of you and always stay professional. Only when you stand your ground and show your expertise will you garner respect from those you work with. This will then help them build trust in your brand and project, and break their stereotypes.

Have fun. Work is hard and sometimes the situation looks bleak. In times like this, have fun with your friends and volunteers. Many inspirations on how to grow the project doesn’t come from serious discussions, but fun chatters that sprout cool new ideas. Having fun also just keeps morale high when times are down. You can’t control the circumstances, but you can control how you react to it.