We Are The Last Generation

I'm writing this issue at Mana Ubud, a next-gen eco hotel run by an NGO called Earth Company. Tomo Hamakawa started the hotel with his wife Aska in 2018 with the goal of showcasing what sustainable tourism can look like. The profits from the hotel fund Earth Company’s work to support changemakers across Asia Pacific.

By now, most people have acknowledged climate change is a reality. Question is - what are we doing about it? Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard's decision to turn the company into a trust that combats climate change has gotten a lot of attention in the past couple of weeks.

When I learnt about Yvon Chouinard's decision to make Earth Patagonia's only shareholder, I wrote 'imagine the world we'll be living in today if we had a hundred more entrepreneurs like Yvon Chouinard.' Well, I just met one in Tomo, so ninety nine more to go. What he wrote about us being the last generation that can save our future struck a chord with me.

For too long we've been complacent about the impact our lifestyle has on the planet, and now we're suffering the consequences. There is no simple solution to a humanity-scale challenge like climate change, but it comes down to two things - action and education. What Earth Company does sits at the intersection of doing (building an eco-hotel to show the world what sustainable tourism can look like) and educating (letting young people experience first-hand the challenges our world faces, and meeting changemakers combating these challenges).

What's incredible about Earth Company is the ecosystem they have built to not just effect change themselves, but also to empower and support changemakers who are realising social change for future generations. Earth Company's Impact Heroes programme reminds me a lot of the Obama Leaders programme. I wrote about Obama Leaders and what makes some of them exceptional couple of issues ago.

Getting kids into nature and appreciating all that nature has to offer is a good way to help the next generation become more climate conscious. Check out this video of Saturday Kids Unplugged in Karuizawa to see how city kids respond to being in nature. We've received multiple inquiries about when we are restarting Saturday Kids Unplugged. We are looking at both Karuizawa and Ubud as possible options for a 3-5 day camp next March and June during the Singapore school holidays. If you're interested in joining us, please take 30 seconds to fill in this form and we will be in touch once details are firmed up.

I acknowledge the irony of encouraging families to travel and contribute to carbon emission in order to experience nature and learn about climate change. The reality is that people are not going to stop going for family vacations. If families are going to travel anyway, we can help by making them more eco-conscious.

Mana Ubud's earth-bag villa constructed from natural materials