Do Green/Sustainability Initiatives really matter?

We see lots of initiatives talking, educating, and advocating around the topics of green and sustainability nowadays. From the broad public to the education system to the business settings. Many concepts become popular: Sustainable development; ESG; CSR; etc.

Have you asked these questions: "Do these things make any sense? Do they have real impacts? Do all the efforts and resources put into them pay off?"

18 months ago, I had no clue what sustainability, ESG, or green growth is. I felt skeptical about the activities or communication efforts labeled with these terms.

When I started my journey at University Of Economics Ho Chi Minh City , I had some first understandings of the fields. Thanks to seminars and competitions for students of different scales to special initiatives like the UEH Green Campus program, I gained a certain level of awareness and interest toward sustainability.

Since then, I have actively dedicated to the initiatives, being a contributor myself:

• May-August, 2023: Being a core organizer of a student debate competition (as part of ISB Academic Team ) with the topic Green Growth & Sustainable Development. It required me to do a lot of research and consider multiple dimensions of the topics due to the nature of the debate.

That was a significant chance to immerse myself in the field and learn about it critically. I naturally formed a sustainable mindset. It doesn't mean I want to work in the field of sustainability or ESG or anything, but to incorporate it into my approach to the business world in the future.

Also, from then on, I changed some of my behaviors without external pressure. Some simple acts such as reducing plastic use and food waste,... or consciously choosing products from companies with green practices. Another behavior is to always keep an eye on the "sustainable side" of things, regardless of the academic or industrial landscape.

• October-December, 2023: I took on the role of Chair Organizer for another business competition (YFOE) for UEH - International School of Business students. The big theme this year was Green Finance, which posed a great challenge to me. It was not easy to navigate the strategic direction and manage the operations at the same time.

Recognizing my lack of knowledge, I sought chances to learn more from experts in the field. One was the event "ESG: Business Stories to the Future of Vietnam" organized by Dear Our Community , British Chamber of Commerce Vietnam , and ICAEW Vietnam, to spread the ESG practices of leading companies in Vietnam – Unilever Vietnam, AIA Vietnam , and BDO .

Especially, thanks to this event, I got to know Dear Our Community and chị Tuyen (Kelly) Vo . They later on accepted our invitation to be a Strategic Partner of the competition and contributed significantly to our success.

I also got to know and learn from many other great people, both online and offline: Mr. Sachin Sharma , who generously shared great ESG insights on LinkedIn; chị My Tra Vu and anh Tung Anh Nguyen , who were part of the Board of Judges for the competition (Special thanks to anh Tung Anh for a 2-hour coffee talk that opened my eyes on the landscape of Sustainable Finance 😊);...

It can be said that, all the initiatives from student organizations, universities, businesses, and all other kinds of organizations, collectively have transformed me. In just one year, I transitioned from being a skeptic to becoming an advocate.

And in Jan-Feb 2024, I received a referral from chị Tuyen (Kelly) Vo and DOC Talent of Dear Our Community for the Communications Internship at ESGs & Climate - SUSTAINIFY and LinkPower . It does not only mark the start of my professional career but also my starting point as an activist for sustainability.

Currently, I'm part of the team fostering the journey of sustainability, green transition, and net-zero emissions, working in both fields of corporate communication and marketing communication.

It feels surprising to reflect upon my own journey. My answer to the question: "Do Green/Sustainability initiatives really matter?" must be a big YES. Just see how it did to me just within under 2 years.

Not so much storytelling or captivating things in this article. What I want to convey — by listing these things — is to emphasize the real impacts that these initiatives can bring to people like me.

Thus:

• To Advocates/Activists: Your efforts matter. You are making a difference to this world, by impacting lives like mine, and by pushing our society to a greener, more sustainable future.
• To Skeptics: There is no wrong to be skeptical, but let's be skeptical critically. Instead of simply questioning if a green action is meaningful and worthy or not, asking yourself how can you help to make it more impactful. Perhaps it's part of your responsibilities...