Eco-Warriors, On The Watch

Amid alarming reports that we are at the cusp of irreversible global warming, four passionate environmental activists refuse to give up hope. They share their personal and professional agenda to fight climate change with Lily Ong

- Lily Ong

At the end of last year, industry leaders from across the continent joined the Asia Tatler Sustainability Forum at Soneva Kiri, Thailand. The assembled group brainstormed ideas to save Mother Earth for the future generations.

REPRESENTING MALAYSIA WERE royal couple Tengku Datin Paduka Setia Zatashah Idris and Dato’ Setia Aubry Rahim Mennesson, together with another husband-and-wife duo Daryl Foong and Melissa Lam. The foursome formed fast friendships with their fellow eco-warriors during the forum, and shared that everyone from the summit still keeps in touch and would often arrange catch-ups in cities all over Asia during their travels.

“I enjoyed meeting these wonderful, intelligent and passionate people, who are committed towards the cause, like the EcoDrive co-founders from Hong Kong as well as the Branellecs from the Philippines; basically everyone was just so amazing,” enthused Tengku Zatashah, whose #sayno2plastic campaign has propelled her to public awareness since 2016.

Melissa, who is the general manager of property development company Senja Aman, recalls eagerly noting down ideas related to the service industry, especially those brought up by the team behind the forum’s host, Soneva Kiri. “Senja Aman is currently kick-starting our sustainable procurement process for our resort. It is eye-opening to witness how Soneva Kiri upholds sustainable practices—from its zero waste food policy to how it responsibly grows and sources its own produce!” she says.

Dato’ Setia Aubry, the executive director of Cold Stone Creamery Malaysia also relates how the forum helped him find an alternative to the plastic spoons previously used at their outlets in Malaysia. May Mei, the executive director of the GoldBlue Low Carbon Development Centre in Mainland China, directed him to a Taiwanese manufacturer with the capacity to do so.