Dec 17, 2019

She's known as Thailand's Greta Thunberg. And for good reason. Ralyn Satidtanasarn, also known as Lilly, is a passionate activist making waves around the world ever since she declared war on plastic in Thailand. Through her many initiatives, this young American-Thai teenager has already secured some victories… Here's a look at her fight.

Her battle against plastic

It's a powerful image—a young girl paddleboarding on the Chao Praya River, collecting bottles, straws, plastic bags, and other waste. At just 12 years old, Ralyn Satidtanasarn says she's waging war on plastic. And it's a daunting battle indeed! Ranked as the sixth largest contributor to ocean plastic pollution by Greenpeace, the environmental defense organization, Thailand is drowning in it. The reason is clear: plastic is everywhere. The average Thai person uses 8 plastic bags daily, which adds up to roughly 3,000 single-use bags per year… most of which end up in the oceans!

To confront this environmental crisis, the young girl organizes sit-ins proudly holding signs reading "bye bye plastic bags" and joins numerous demonstrations alongside fellow activists like those coordinated by the Trash Hero cleanup organization. In her fight, Ralyn Satidtanasarn follows in the footsteps of climate action's poster child, Greta Thunberg, becoming in turn an icon and symbol of hope across the Asian continent.

Early victories already won!

While the teenager works to collect plastic waste, she doesn't stop there. She attempted to reach out to Thailand's Prime Minister, Prayut Chan-O-Cha to engage in dialogue; without success. Following that setback, Ralyn Satidtanasarn changes tactics, reasoning that "if the government won't listen to me, I need to speak directly to the plastic distributors". That's how, last June, the young girl scored her first victory by convincing Central, one of Bangkok's largest supermarkets, to stop providing plastic bags to customers one day a week. The company even announced that plastic would no longer be systematically handed out at checkout.

Good news rarely comes alone, as this decision inspired others, and a few months later, several major retail chains, including the famous 7-Eleven, committed to stopping plastic bag distribution to customers starting in January 2020.

At the same time, Ralyn Satidtanasarn is also running an environmental awareness campaign and has managed to meet with Thailand's Education Minister, who is now working on creating courses on environmental development and awareness within school curricula.

One thing is certain: we hope this is just the beginning and that the cause championed by Ralyn Satidtanasarn in Thailand and across Asia in general will see increasingly more victories…

Florine Dergelet

Florine Dergelet

A web writer for over 10 years, Florine Dergelet is a traveler driven by the desire to discover the world with an open heart. Each of her articles is an invitation to slow down, to listen, to understand. For her, traveling is not about ticking countries off a map, but weaving connections—often invisible yet always powerful—with places, peoples, and all manner of creatures. Her creed? Advise travelers with integrity, awaken their consciousness about animal welfare, respect for cultures, and the importance of humble, sustainable tourism. Because the most beautiful memories are often born far from the spotlight, in the shadow of a trail, amid conversation, or in the quiet breath of a world we finally take time to listen to…