My Journey into Social Entrepreneurship: From Southeast Asia to the world of Impact
Travel in South East Asia
My journey into social entrepreneurship began with a profound experience in Southeast Asia. As I traveled through the Island of Sumatra, I couldn’t help but notice the devastating impact of Palm Oil Plantations, Plastic Waste, and communities struggling to meet their basic needs. It was a wake-up call that ignited a sense of purpose within me.
A Communitarian Project in Bukit Lawang, Sumatra
In Bukit Lawang, Sumatra, Indonesia, I took my first steps into the world of social entrepreneurship. This small village sits at the doorstep of the Leuser National Park, home to the last Orangutans on Earth, surrounded by Palm Oil plantations. Here, I embarked on a journey to make a difference.
My vision was to create a Precious Plastic Project at a local school, where we could build plastic recycling machines to clean the environment, create jobs, and raise environmental awareness. With determination, I researched, designed a fundraising campaign, and set the wheels in motion.
The Challenges of Fundraising and a synchronistic connection that led to the largest recycling village in the world
One thing I quickly learned was that fundraising was no walk in the park. It took for ever to raise the first few hundred Dollars, and felt really weird to ask people for donations. Before I could see my vision come to life, I had to leave the country due to Visa issues. However, as life plays its games… Months later, my friend Sebastian Keilholz called me and asked where he should go on his South-East Asia travels. I told him to go to Bukit Lawang and connect with the local school there, that we planted a seed of a project and he could possibly pick it up. And indeed! He went all the way to Bukit Lawang, carrying the torch of this project. He stayed longer in the village, connected with the locals even more and the new initiative called Project Wings was born, working towards building the largest recycling village in the world. Now, five years later the community where my journey started has changed. Bukit Lawang today is the largest Recyling Village in the world and the Project Wings team dear allies and friends working very aligned with me and my projects. So happy to see how the power of synergy can make great things happen!
Returning to Costa Rica: Spreading the Message
After I travelled South East Asia I returned to my home-country Costa Rica and wanted to really build those plastic recycling machines. I collaborated with a group of students in San Jose. The technical college in Calle Blancos, known for its innovative nature, was where I decided to plant the seeds of change. Right after my high-school at the age of 18, I started giving workshops on plastic recycling and circular economy at the school while the technical students helped me to build the machines.
As the machines took shape, I took my message to various festivals, speaking events, and locations, nurturing the first seeds of what would become numerous projects to follow. The first iteration of the project was called “Metamorphosis Plastica” and consisted of jowellery, keychains and souvenirs made of recycled plastic waste.
Project Earth Mini-Festival: Uniting Like-Minded visionaries of local change
Inspired by the power of simple actions, and the positive feedback going on in Costa Rica I felt inspired about the solutions that exist on our planet. I felt like everyone had something to share, a project or a solution to bring to the table. Somehow, I wanted to share this positivity and hope with others and brought together a group of friends to collectively organize a mini festival called Project Earth in Bamberg, Germany. Within a few weeks, we just wanted to organize an open space to exchange ideas, bring together solutions and create more strategic partnerships with local organizations.
It was here that I found a community of like-minded individuals—family members, friends, and passionate individuals who shared my vision of a more sustainable world for future generations. Project Earth brought together different NGOs and social enterprises from the city, we prepared different workshops and organised a conference about innovative solutions and approaches. The event was such a success that we continued to organise it in 2018 and 2019.
Foundation of Gaia Protection Non-Profit: A New Beginning
Project Earth was the beginning to my journey towards local change, towards a path of purpose-driven learnings and soooo much to discover. What started as a small event, became more formal by our youth-led NGO Gaia Protection.
On November 11, 2018, Gaia Protection, the nonprofit organization that would play a pivotal role in my path as a social entrepreneur, was reborn. Why reborn? Because the name actually comes from my dear dad, who already had a Foundation called Gaia Protection back in 2002. However, he passed away when I was five years old and was never able to continue his service to the protection of rainforest as he wanted to. Therefore, those first steps were very important and emotional for me. It really felt like taking on my father’s legacy and his left project, just with a different touch of time, youth and perspective. Here is another story on the history of Gaia Protection and my dad.
A journey fueled by passion, purpose, and the unwavering belief that we can create a better, more sustainable world for all. As my story unfolds, you’ll see how these early experiences shaped the path I walk today, dedicated to making a positive impact on our planet and its people.