From 18–21 July 2024, the city of Osaka, Japan, welcomed Let’s Do It World (LDIW) leaders from across Asia for four days of connection, collaboration, and growth. Thanks to the incredible efforts of the organising team, the Let’s Do It Asia Leaders’ Academy 2024 brought together passionate leaders from 15 different nationalities to share knowledge, find solutions and co-create an ever-more vibrant and effective network for the region.
Hosted by World Cleanup Day Japan and supported by leaders from Indonesia, Taiwan, and Singapore, this event was carefully planned with four goals in mind: to foster closer cooperation among LDIW Asia teams, understand regional challenges, share best practices, and learn from Japan's advanced waste management strategies.
Here’s a little insight into what our wonderful LDIW Asia leaders got up to in their days together.
High profile pre-meetings
In the lead-up to the Leader’s Academy, Heidi Solba, our LDIW President & Head of Global Network who was over from Estonia, took the opportunity to pay a visit to the Embassy of the Republic of Estonia and meet the Honourable Ambassador, Mr. Mait Martinson. She was joined by Takao Asai, Let's Do It Japan’s Leader and the main organiser of the Let’s Do It Asia Leaders’ Academy, along with Hideko Arai, a Let's Do It Japan team member who also leads the Japan-Estonia Friendship Association.
The whole of the Let’s Do It Japan team also had the pleasure of joining Heidi for a meeting at the Ministry of the Environment of Japan. There they met with Mr. Naoki Nakayama, Director of the Environmental Management Bureau, who showed support and interest in their efforts to keep Japan clean.
The Leader’s Academy itself kicked off with a warm and lively welcome dinner on the evening of 18 July, once everyone had arrived and settled into their accommodations. Leaders gathered to connect over tasty yakitori skewers at a cozy Japanese restaurant nearby, greeting their new LDIW friends and reuniting with old ones.
Day two featured a conference at Osaka Satellite Campus, with the cooperation of Doshisha University. The event began with opening remarks from Takao Asai, WCD Japan Country Leader, Heidi Solba, LDIW President & Head of Global Network, and Agustina Iskandar Crombach, LDIW Regional Director for Asia.
The morning session featured enlightening speeches from external experts including Mr Yashumi Nagami, from the EXPO 2025 Environment Department, Mr. Sadao Harada, an Associate Professor at Doshisha University, and Mr. Junichiro Furusawa, a representative from local environmental non-profit Umisakura.
Leaders then got stuck into internal group workshops on mapping the biggest World Cleanup Day challenges for Asia, and brainstorming sustainable solutions to the waste problem across the region. The conference wrapped up with a session from LDIW Regional Director for Oceania, Pal Martenson, on zero waste in the Asia-Pacific region.
A highlight of the third day was the opportunity to participate in a Climate Fresk workshop, led by Chun Hui Suen, Country Leader of Singapore. Climate Fresk is a powerful tool developed by a French non-profit, which is accessible to anyone. In just 3 hours, the collaborative workshop teaches the fundamental science behind climate change and empowers participants to take action.
The rest of the day was focused on sharing best practices, which involved some valuable social media training led by Let's Do It Indonesia’s leader, Andy Bahari and some important knowledge-sharing on the United Nations Plastic Treaty from Let's Do It World's Laos Leader, Serge Doussant. The day finished with a walk around the centre to learn from the local best practice of providing reverse vending machines on the city’s busy streets.
The fourth day took on the LDIW spirit of “less talk, more action”, as the group rolled up their sleeves for a local cleanup action at the Yodogawa River, coordinated by non-profit Umisakura. Despite the scorching heat of nearly 40C, leaders donned their gloves and worked tirelessly, alongside local partner Blue Santa, to clean up the waste.
As Heidi Solba, LDIW President & Head of Global Network, shared, the action gave important insights into the necessity of taking action on a global scale: “A lot of the riverside waste had come in from the ocean. Which just goes to show, you can have all the good education, waste management systems and best practices in a country like Japan, but waste pollution doesn’t know borders. This creates complex global problems, which our global network is working to address.”
For those who could stay on for a fifth and final day, there was an optional extra study visit to the internationally renowned Kamikatsu Zero Waste Center. The visit offered a glimpse into this small town’s pioneering efforts in waste management, and showcased practical applications of zero waste principles that could be adopted by other regions. Residents of Kamikatsu separate their waste into 45 different categories, for maximum recycling and minimal landfill use. Something we can all take inspiration from! Watch this space for a blog about this visit coming soon.
Throughout the event, the energy and enthusiasm of the participants were palpable. LDIW leaders from diverse backgrounds co-created new models for sustainability, exchanged best practices, and laid the groundwork for even greater collaboration in the coming months. As always, the success of this Leaders’ Academy was driven by the incredible collaborative spirit and positive energy of the LDIW network leaders.
A special mention and heartfelt gratitude for the hard-working organisational team behind this year’s Let’s Do It Asia Leader’s Academy: Takao Asai (Country Leader, Japan), Chun Hui Suen (Country Leader, Singapore), Agustina Iskandar Crombach (Regional Director of Asia), Andy Bahari (Country Leader, Indonesia), Juanita Ho (Country Leader, Taiwan), alongside other valued members of their respective teams. Huge thanks also go out to all partners who provided the necessary resources to make this Leader’s Academy possible.
All in all, the event was the perfect boost needed to keep up energies in the lead-up to an even bigger and more impactful 2024 World Cleanup Day campaign this September. And an excellent reminder that together, we are making a difference!
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