Introduction: More to read about Green Youth Collective & REED Regenerative

How do locally-led actions create system-level change?

Many environmental challenges today—waste-caused pollution, ecosystem degradation, pressure on livelihoods—are not caused by a lack of awareness or policy alone. They persist because the spaces where problems emerge most clearly are often local, informal, and fragmented, and therefore difficult for large systems to reach or sustain engagement with.

Green Youth Collective (GYC) and REED are formed to work precisely within these spaces.

1. How did GYC and REED come into being?

Green Youth Collective (GYC) began by turning ideas of ecological gardens and biodiversity into practical, community-based action. Working closely with local villages, we made use of locally available materials and resources, combining them with place-based knowledge to restore soil health and support small-scale ecological practices. These early spaces also served as learning environments, where young people—particularly those from more challenging backgrounds—could develop practical skills linked to sustainable living and livelihoods.

As tourism expanded rapidly in the region, GYC’s work gradually evolved to respond to new and emerging challenges. We began exploring ways to reuse and circulate surplus resources generated by the tourism sector, connecting environmental concerns with local economic needs. This shift laid the foundation for developing adaptive livelihood models that address both the growing issue of tourism-related waste and the increasing pressures of climate change on local communities. Over time, this evolution led to closer engagement with tourism businesses and the formation of REED (RE.generate E.cological D.iversity) as a complementary, sister social enterprise focused on regeneration at the destination and sector level.

We are based in Hoi An – Da Nang – Vietnam.

Hoi An lies within the Thu Bon River basin—a region rich in cultural heritage and ecological diversity, yet increasingly affected by climate change, pollution, mass tourism, and resource depletion.

The challenges faced here—unpredictable flooding, soil degradation, plastic waste, and the loss of traditional knowledge—mirror those faced by communities worldwide. By responding locally, we contribute to global learning on how regenerative transitions can happen in real places, with real people.

2. What kind of organization are we?

GYC & REED are community-based environmental organization that operates through long-term presence rather than short project cycles. We work at the intersection of environment, livelihoods, education, and social systems.

We are small by design, locally rooted, and largely self-mobilized.

This way of operating allows us to:

Work patiently within communities where trust takes time
Test ideas through real-life practice before scaling or replicating
Stay adaptive in contexts of rapid environmental and economic change

3. Who do we work with?

Our work is shaped by the realities of groups that are often less visible in formal sustainability conversations:

Small farmers and rural households
Village women and informal workers
Waste pickers and micro-entrepreneurs
Youth and families navigating climate and economic transitions

By working closely with these groups, we aim to ensure that environmental solutions remain practical, culturally grounded, and socially inclusive, rather than abstract or externally imposed. We also work alongside local authorities, NGOs and funders, businesses and social enterprises and informal sector, as well as everyone who wants to explore the learning journey of living more regeneratively.

4. How do we approach complex environmental systems?

GYC and REED often play an intermediary role, helping to translate:

Policy intentions into workable local practices
Scientific and technical knowledge into simple, applicable solutions
Financial and institutional support into community-led action

This approach has taken shape through areas such as:

Integrated solid waste and organics management
Zero waste and circular practices in tourism destinations
Community agro-ecosystem restoration
Community Schools for Regeneration as long-term learning spaces

5. What kind of change do we aim to contribute to?

Much of the change we seek is quiet and gradual. It includes:

Shifts in how public–private partnerships function at the local level
New skills and livelihoods emerging in response to environmental change
Small but meaningful redesigns of how people live, work, and manage resources

We believe that these grounded changes, when sustained over time, can contribute to broader environmental and social transitions.