Green Success Stories puts Bao Hoang, founder and CEO of SPACE ASEAN, in the Green Spotlight. Bao describes his path from business administration studies to founding SPACE ASEAN, with the aim of promoting sustainability in Southeast Asia with the help of the US. SPACE ASEAN provides consulting services on carbon credit project development, carbon credit trading, ESG reporting, climate risk assessment, clean tech transfers, and other sustainability-related issues, especially paying attention to farmers and farm cooperatives in the region. Bao points to the enormous potential environmental and economic opportunities for Southeast Asian and US businesses, and for consumers as well, in sustainable development.

Tell us a bit about your sustainability journey.

I am originally from Vietnam. I came here in the U.S. as an international student to pursue the Master’s and PhD programs in Business Administration. I graduated from the PhD program at Louisiana Tech University about 4 years ago. I then became an Assistant Professor of Management at Southern Arkansas University. I established SPACE ASEAN about 2 years ago. The organization is to promote sustainability in Southeast Asia with the help of the U.S. The ASEAN region has approximately 700 million people with a dynamic economy. This region has become a significant trading partner of the U.S. It has been receiving a great amount of American FDI. Promoting sustainable development in this region actually helps the U.S. in terms of trade, talents, and food security.

Tell us a bit about the product or solution you offer.

SPACE ASEAN provides consulting services on carbon credit project development, carbon credit trading, ESG reporting, climate risk assessment, clean tech transfers, and other sustainability-related issues. We especially pay attention to farmers and farm cooperatives in the region. We are working with them on adopting sustainable practices for crops. In addition, we also apply carbon credits for their sustainable agriculture. This creates significant extra stable income for small farm shareholders.

Share a green success story with us – how have you helped customers or other businesses in the fight against climate change?

Together with Global Sustainable Future Networks (GSFN), SPACE ASEAN has launched the US-ASEAN 100 program. I visited 4 countries in June. On this trip, I met about 25 high-ranking government officials, business executives, and academic leaders to introduce the program. As of this point, almost 100 individuals with sustainability-related projects have registered for the program. They are from most countries in Southeast Asia. Some of the registered projects aimed to develop new agricultural technology to help farmers in the ASEAN region.

In addition, we have been working with several farm cooperatives and helping market their sustainable products in the U.S. This will help American consumers have more sustainable products to use and improve income for farmers.

Last month, we successfully organized two online forums. The first one focused on trade diplomacy between the U.S. and ASEAN. The second conference was about the carbon credit opportunities in Indonesia. This online conference was attended by more than 120 academic and industry leaders.

What would you do with $1 billion dollars?

I would develop a digital platform to connect farmers around the world so that they can share sustainable practices in agriculture. On this platform, they could provide quotations for their products. In addition, potential buyers could directly approach sellers, reducing the intervention of traders or middlemen. This provides cost-savings for buyers and provides extra income for sellers.

What do you envision your industry looking like in ten years?

In 10 years from now, more and more small and medium size enterprise companies in developing countries, including ASEAN nations will pay attention to sustainability. Under the pressure of customers, national institutions, and international organizations, the SMEs in the region will have to show their stewardship toward the environment, contribute to the vitality of the community, and foster economic growth. As a result, our services will become more vital in the coming years. In addition, Southeast Asia will become more vital in the American food supply chain. Improving the sustainability and resilience of agriculture in the region will boost food security in the U.S.

What would you like readers to take away from this article?

First, sustainability is not all about the environment. Indeed, sustainability is the balance among the three pillars including environmental stewardship, social well-being, and economic growth. It is not right if we allocate all resources to one or two pillars. Second, farmers or small shareholders play a significant role in moving us toward a more sustainable world. Indeed, they are the ones who provide us with more nutritious and healthier foods. Lifting up this group does tremendously good things for us. Third, sustainability is a global issue. It cannot be achieved by a single country but by collective efforts.

How should readers get in touch with you and/or your organization?

If readers are interested in the work of my organization, please do not hesitate to email me or call me at 6014672805.

Kudos

Many thanks to Bao Hoang and SPACE ASEAN. Green Success Stories is happy to support and highlight your efforts! We invite you the reader to do the same.

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