This article is part of a series on The Chinese Changemakers, where I shine a spotlight on the young Chinese changemakers and community leaders. Today I believe we need a collaboration with the younger generation through their passion, their sense of duty to their families and communities and the urgency of our current climate crisis.
Through this series, you will follow my journey and go deeper into China and the wisdom she holds. How are the changemakers equipped for their future? How will they transform things for our common green future?
The journey is about friendship, passion, strong values, and authenticity.
Leo, The Visionary & Your Local Hero
>>> Chinese version below. 滚动下方查看中文文章
Leo is quite the celebrity in southwest China when talking about sustainability. From Chengdu in Sichuan to Dali in Yunnan, if you mention sustainability, you will be referred to him as someone who is very active in this field.
Originally from Anhui, he lived in multiple large cities in Asia. Before moving to Yunnan, he was in Chiangmai Thailand. He read a story about a very cool wet market in the province and made his way here.
Leo is a natural leader and an environmentalist at heart. He already lived out the values linked to the concept of sustainability and conscious consumption, and when he heard about Zero Waste in Shanghai, he then realized that this was an actual concept. Also, he realized more people shared similar values and ways of living, and that’s how one thing led to another, and he decided to make it his work as well.
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We met in Kunming where we shared a delicious vegan meal in one of his favorite local restaurants, he then proceeded to explain the ecosystem of the multiple changemakers in this part of China. He shared how many establishments are adopting greener practices, local schools show more interest in his services, and more importantly, the huge community he leads here.
He focuses on two main projects of his, the first one is called Green Solutions China, a social enterprise that focuses on raising awareness through programs for schools and companies providing them team building activities with other local organizations in Yunnan. The second project which is also dear to his heart is the zero plastic vegan tours he holds in Dali.
Leo has been vegan for two years. He says it was one of the easiest things he did, having never really craved animal products before.
He’s always on the lookout for new places, new restaurants, and farms that provide whole food plant-based dishes, and then creates tours for tourists who want to visit Yunnan in a more conscious and sustainable way.
A couple of days later we met up in Dali, where he introduced me to an incredible farm just outside of the old town, called Veggie Ark. This farm has multiple animals, they grow vegetables, flowers, and fruits organically. There’s a restaurant inside, a shop with healthy organic produce and local crafts.
This is where we held the first part of the interview.
The following day, we set out on the road to visit one of the few places that still does indigo dye in the traditional ways. The place seemed to be family-owned by a local minority. We then drove to other small towns across the region.
Leo and his community and company are gaining more and more attention and traction in this part of China, as larger companies are looking for exposure and raise awareness with their clients in this part of the country.
Watch the video here:
请在此处观看视频:
If you would like to know more about Green Solutions China, email him here:
hello@zeroplasticvegantours.com
In July 2021 I packed my belongings into a storage space, picked up my #electric car, and set off to go and meet the Chinese #changemakers.
Driving through #China and staying in remote places, immersing myself with locals, and sharing countless hours of discussions with industry experts, entrepreneurs, and community leaders have been quite the adventure.
I gained even more #trust & #confidence in my convictions of this country and the path they are forging for #sustainability, the #circulareconomy #climatechange #environment, and the #world.
I am deeply passionate about human and planet wellbeing, and the complexity of striving for a balanced bottom line People – Planet – Profits. Together with my team, we ran over 150 workshops and seminars in China alone, spoke at Tedx, and appeared on over 15 media channels in the world, including but not limited to The New York Times, Elle China, CGTN, China Daily, Time Out and many more.
I am also a speaker at waste management and sustainability conferences. Currently, I am consulting large international companies in sustainability, while also being on the road for the KAILU Project.
If you're interested to work with or consult me for a project related to sustainability, you can email me at alizee.ccm@outlook.com.
LEO, 你当地的英雄
在谈到可持续发展时，狮子座在中国西南部是相当有名的。从四川的成都到云南的大理，如果你提到可持续发展，你会称他为在这个领域非常活跃的人。
他原籍安徽，居住在亚洲多个大城市。在移居云南之前，他在泰国清迈。他读了一篇关于该省一个非常凉爽的湿货市场的故事，然后来到这里。
狮子座是一个天生的领导者，也是一个环保主义者。他已经实践了与可持续发展和有意识消费相关的价值观，当他在上海听说零废物时，他意识到这是一个实际的概念。他还意识到，更多的人有着相似的价值观和生活方式，这就是一件事对另一件事的影响，他决定把它也作为自己的工作。
我们在昆明见面，在他最喜欢的一家当地餐馆里，我们分享了一顿美味的素食餐，然后他接着解释了中国这一地区众多创新者的生态系统。他分享了有多少机构正在采用更环保的做法，当地学校对他的服务表现出更大的兴趣，但更重要的是，他在这里领导的庞大社区。
他专注于他的两个主要项目，第一个是“绿案中国”，这是一家社会企业，致力于通过为学校和公司提供的项目来提高认识，并与云南其他地方组织开展团队建设活动。第二个项目是他在大理举办的零塑料素食旅游。
利奥已经吃素两年了。他说这是他做的最简单的事情之一，以前从未真正渴望过动物产品。
他总是在寻找新的地方、新的餐馆、农场，这些地方提供全套以植物为基础的食物，然后为那些希望以更自觉和可持续的方式访问云南的游客创建旅游线路。
几天后，我们在大理碰面，他把我介绍给一个位于老城外的农场，叫素食方舟。这个农场有多种动物，它们有机地种植蔬菜、花卉和水果。里面有一家餐馆，一家有健康的有机农产品和当地手工艺品的商店。
这是我们进行第一部分采访的地方。
第二天，我们出发去参观少数几个仍然用传统方式染靛蓝的地方之一。这个地方似乎是当地少数民族的家族。然后我们驱车前往该地区的其他小镇。
Leo及其社区和公司在中国这一地区正获得越来越多的关注和吸引力，因为大型公司正在寻求在中国这一地区与客户接触并提高他们的知名度。
两个月前，我把我的东西放进一个储藏室，拿起我的电动汽车，出发去见可持续发展领域的中国创新者。
开车穿越中国，呆在偏远的地方，与当地人一起沉浸，与行业专家、企业家和社区领袖分享无数个小时的讨论，这是一次令人惊异的冒险。
我对这个国家的信念以及他们为可持续发展、循环经济、气候变化、环境和世界所走的道路获得了更多的信任和信心。
我对人类和地球的福祉以及努力实现人类-地球-利润平衡底线的复杂性充满激情。我们与我的团队一起，仅在中国就举办了150多场研讨会和研讨会，在Tedx上发表演讲，并在世界上超过15个媒体频道上露面，包括但不限于《纽约时报》、《Elle China》、《CGTN》、《中国日报》、《超时》等。
我也是废物管理和可持续性会议的发言人。目前，我正在咨询大型国际公司的可持续发展问题，同时也在进行 KAILU 开路项目。
如果您有兴趣与我合作或咨询与可持续发展相关的项目，您可以通过电子邮件向我发送电子邮件至: alizee.ccm@outlook.com.