Stronger together
“There is a possibility here to create long-lasting relationships, and because everyone here is powerful and connected to other powerful people, this enables positive change,” Julie told the delegates on the first day of the inaugural three-day forum in November last year.
Julie was also inspired to launch the forum because of her work as co-founder of EcoDrive, a Hong Kong-based organisation that fights single-use plastics by running educational programmes and partnering with corporations to help them implement eco-friendly practices. Among other initiatives, EcoDrive has bought a licence to screen the documentary A Plastic Ocean in schools for free, and has partnered with organisations, including the Jane Goodall Institute and WWF, to run weeks-long workshops for thousands of students.
It has also advised multiple corporations—including Hong Kong's Sino Group and the local office law firm Clifford Chance—on how to reduce their plastic use. Following the workshops with EcoDrive, some of these companies have reduced their consumption of single-use plastic bottles by tens of thousands. The organisation was founded by 11 women, five of whom—Julie, Emily Lam-Ho, Yolanda Choy-Tang, Claire Yates and Laura Derry Southwood—took part in the forum.
Investing in our future
Just as EcoDrive was founded with the idea that we can achieve more together than we can individually, the forum was organised around a string of roundtable discussions during which everyone could contribute their thoughts and suggestions. The topics included "Waste To Wealth," where delegates brainstormed ideas on how to build more circular economies, and "The Power of Influence," focusing on how to make a difference through impact investing. The lively debates often overran their time slots as impassioned speakers shared concerns, ideas and possible solutions.