Unilever is an Anglo–Dutch multinational consumer goods company. Its products include foods, beverages, cleaning agents and personal care products. It is the world's third-largest consumer goods company measured by 2011 revenues and the world's largest manufacturer of ice cream.

Unilever owns over 400 brands, amongst the largest selling of which are Aviance, Axe/Lynx, Ben&Jerry's, Dove, Flora/Becel, Heartbrand, Hellmann's,

Knorr, Lipton, Lux/Radox, Omo/Surf, Rexona/Sure, Sunsilk, Toni

& Guy, TRESemme, VO5, Wall's and PG Tips

Unilever gave me the first chance to speak as a Tunza Regional Eco-generation Ambassador in its campus tour. The purpose of this tour to the top universities in Ho Chi Minh City, Can Tho, Da Nang and Hanoi is introducing the brand new competition for economics students. In this competition, students will use the business lens and their knowledge in commerce and economics to solve the problem related to social issues and increasing the profit of business at the same time.

In this year challenge, Unilever would like to introduce the case about Comfort 1-rinse, that instead of rinsing 3 times, households can clean the clothes by just 1 time rinsing and save a great amount of water. But, many people use Comfort 1-rinse but still use 3 times of water. In this competition, students will make a research to understand the reason prevent people using Comfort 1-rinse in proper way and find to solutions.

As a speaker of campus tour, I was there not to make a presentation but to tell a story, not to advise or teach anyone something but to inspire other young people by my own story.

It's a 'Zero to Hero' story but not a fairy tale

My story is about the transformation from an invisible student in university to an environmental ambassador and then dedicates more to the environment, the need of young people to 'do something' of their own for the community and how an environmental project or program can change their life.
Many young Vietnamese are confused to start doing something because they are afraid of that they do not have enough abilities to launch their project, they just sit at a place and imagine how difficult it will be! I was just similar to them, but the different is that I could start. I am not a very outstanding person, but I am brave enough to begin. That's the point!
It's not the story about 'possible' or 'impossible' but about 'want' or not. If you want, you can do anything or find the way to turn 'impossible' to 'possible'.

The environmental project of a business student
Before being a young activist in environmental issues, I am a business student.

Many people that: 'So is it confusing when you are a business student and now you work on environmental activities?'

I just simply told them: 'Business and Environment should walk hand in hand for a sustainable development. And, I use the business lens in my environmental project'.

There is a philosophy that I admire very much in business: 'We don't sell what we have, but we sell what the customer need'. And, I applied this philosophy to my environmental project. The target audience is the customer. The project is a product. And, young environmental activist should have the customer-focus spirit of business, bring the listening and understanding target group to the top priority.

For example, in my first project – 'Green Handbook for Housewives', housewives were my customers. The handbook was my product. And, I was the service provider. (Maybe, in this case, the customer did not pay for the provider). And, I tried to listen to housewives in every step of my project through many surveys: Before, during and after designing the handbooks, survey about the design and the contents, survey about the effectiveness? I applied my knowledge in marketing and market research into the surveys to insight the people I want to change in the society.

That is how a business student doing an environmental projects.

I believe it will become the new trend in the environmental activity in Vietnam soon. Sooner, the youth in Vietnam had many programs and competitions about business only and about the environment only. Now, we have a playground with the connection between business and environment. I hope it will be the first step to raise awareness in the youth that environment could not go individually and we should use our major knowledge and our different view to solve environmental problems.

Make a change in your own way

Not only business students, but also students from other aspects: science students, arts students, IT students... We have diversified abilities and all of that can be used to help the environment. It will be much more effective that we can do different ways to solve the same problems and much better if we can have a connection between all majors. Science students can work with business student or arts students and IT students in a same project. We share our knowledge and help others approach different view, enhance the strength and complete each other.

It is the network power!