REDSTAR Hangzhou June 2020

广 告 • 人 物 // IN PERSON /
Having spent more than 10 years working
and studying around the world, I have
lived in the most developed countries,
like Austria and Japan, as well as some
of the most undeveloped countries, like
Pakistan and Papua New Guinea. In some
developed countries, I saw the system
providing good welfare, but people had
limitations in noticing the serious issues
happening in the world and tended
to stay in their own comfort zones. In
undeveloped countries, people’s deaths
because of poverty and disease seemed
to be all too common and I felt powerless
as a human being. I tried to avoid the
uncomfortable fact that one wouldn’t
be able to make any kind of change for
a long time, yet my resolve for finding
ways to solve such issues began to grow.
In my 20s, I was focused on making money
as I believed that money could help make
the biggest changes. After dropping out of
university, I started working in companies
and even started my own business. Even
though I succeeded in achieving a certain
level of success recognised by society, I
couldn’t compromise in ways of making
money. Money itself without ethics and
good will couldn’t make changes.
When I became 30, I decided to go to Japan
to learn about bicycle design and frame
building. I learned about sustainable/ecofriendly
mobility while working in the
industry and organised events focusing
on eco-tourism and cultural exchanges.
After that, I moved to Hangzhou and
started a guesthouse that had a bicycle
theme. I met lots of like-minded people
and was able to create a community.
However, by running a certain model
of business, there are still limitations
on making an influence and making
changes. After winding up the
guesthouse business, I wanted to focus
on making sustainable changes.
Therefore, the Eco-venture project was
born: Simple and fun ideas are my focus
on getting people involved. I also want
to prove that there is a balance between
the ideal and the real. I don’t want people
with good will to be disappointed and
stay away from the issues, nor people who
are already doing good deeds to starve
to death by way of their sacrifices. I want
WE ARE SIMPLE, we gather together, explore the
city, hike around and clean up the trail on the
way. We aim for zero waste & leave no trace.
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