Hoi An Event Recap: Going Green 2018

In November, Travel Massive Hoi An and Da Nang members got together to celebrate the Refill My Bottle launch and learn about other sustainable initiatives taking place in the central area of Vietnam.

This event recap is written by Natalya Smolenskaya – founder of Travel Massive Hoi An/Da Nang. Natalya is originally from Russia and has been living in Vietnam for over five years. She’s the co-founder of SecretEATS global experiences.

The meetup took place at FatFish restaurant that was one of the first places to sign up as part of Refill my bottle project. The guests came to listen to the four speakers representing different green initiatives and to network afterwards.

The Speakers

Nick Wade, Assistant GM of Khiri Travel Vietnam and co-founder of Impact Vietnam introduced the Refill my bottle project and its upcoming mobile app.

David Saiia, founder of Reuse Everything Institute (REII) was speaking about the technology of reducing the lifecycle of plastic. David and his colleagues brought the plastic reuse machine prototype and demonstrated its work to the guests along with the products it created.

Christopher Dunn, CEO and Founder of Grow Your Life – Social Premaculture Institute spoke about the importance of reusing plastic products and replacing it with biodegradable materials. He introduced the bamboo straws, cutlery and take away packaging made of 100% cellulose fiber. All products are compostable.

Alison Batchelor was representing Refillables – the first zero waste store she’s opening in Hoi An. The shop will focus on refilling old containers and offering other sustainable alternatives to the abundant use of unnecessary plastics.

The Interviews

While it’s clear how biodegradable products can be implemented in the travel industry and daily life, we were curios how Refill My Bottle and REII can impact the travel businesses.

To learn more, we interviewed Nick and David and asked them similar questions.

Q1: Please explain the idea of your initiative

Nick: “Refill My Bottle was originally set up in Bali, Indonesia. The core principle of RMB is to reduce the number of plastic bottles used in communities and to promote the idea of a more sustainable society. In Vietnam, IMPACT Vietnam is taking the lead in promoting the expansion of the Refill Station network, bringing together different industries to help each other.”

David: “The initial idea was to find creative solutions to help solve the problem of waste plastic. Our mission evolved into improving the natural environment while building strong local economies. Much of environmental pollution hits the poorest members of the community hardest and creates a vicious cycle of more waste and environmental destruction.”

Q2: What is unique about Refill My Bottle?

Nick: “Refill My Bottle offers an amazing app for users to be more interactive in the use of the network. From GPS navigation to a refill station to logging your refills and gaining points that can be redeemed at participating businesses, RMB is trying to make the idea of reducing plastic bottle usage more appealing to the public and to businesses alike.”

Q3: You created a unique plastic reuse machine. What types of plastic can be recycled in it and what products can be made?

David: “At this point in time we are creating a process to reuse PET 1 plastic and HDPE bottles. We first make a continuous ribbon out of short ribbons cut from waste plastic bottles and collects them onto reels. These reels are then used in other machines to make plastic thatch roofing, woven sheet products and agricultural fencing.”

Q4: How can travel businesses benefit from cooperating with you / using your products?

Nick: “Any business can be a refill station. We do not limit it to the travel industry. Gardening shops, museums, cafes, housing agencies, clothes shops – any registered business can offer to be a refill station. For the travel industry, we will look at the tours we offer and routes taken, then find suitable businesses and help them set up refill stations along the route, reducing the number of plastic bottles used. For the business, it is free marketing on a continually growing network, increased foot traffic who may visit the business to refill their water bottle but end up buying something else. Most importantly, I hope that everyone involved realize they are part of a worthy cause, supporting a project that has benefits for the country we live and work in.”

David: “REII is helping to create healthier communities and a cleaner natural environment – those public goods make for a better places to travel. When our roofing and other products are commercially available, encourage people to stay at places that use reused products such as our roof and sheets products in the construction and operation of their travel businesses.”

Q5: How are you creating a positive future of travel?

Nick: “As members of the travel industry here, IMPACT Vietnam recognizes that this whole country is essentially the product that we sell. If Vietnam is no longer attractive, we all lose. We feel it is our responsibility to set standards and be part of the solutions to make sure that Vietnam remains an incredible place to visit.”

David: “As I indicated above, better, healthier, more prosperous communities with clean environments make for a better places to travel, vacation, and relax. Beautiful natural, clean scenery is a balm for the soul and a recharge for the spirit.”

Special thanks to the event sponsors and supporters:

FatFish Da Nang Restaurant for hosting the event and sponsoring welcome drinks and snacks.

Hoi An Express for the free round transfer from Hoi An.

NVRLAND Creative for marketing support

Da Nang Coworking Centre for providing the equipment

Fred Wissink for amazing photographs

Thanks to Hoi An and Da Nang Travel Massive members who joined the discussion and showed they care about keeping their businesses green.

See more photos from the event on the Discussion Lounge. 

Thanks Natalya for the write-up! Join the Da Nang / Hoi An Travel Massive community if you’re living in or visiting the area.