From Vietnam to Bloomington: Giao’s experience through YSEALI Fellowship

In September, the City welcomed Giao, a participant in the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI) Professional Fellows Program. Giao is a project manager at Evergreen Labs in Vietnam and spent a month with the City’s solid waste team to learn about sustainability and waste management practices. Her focus back home is on recycling and reducing plastic pollution, with a particular interest in pond lining (a practice that protects water quality) and reuse and recycling.

During her time in Bloomington, Giao worked on preparing the City’s recycling event and observed waste management practices, including a tour of the organic waste facility. She was able to explore different approaches to community involvement in waste management and hopes to adapt some of the strategies she observed to her work in Vietnam.

Giao also enjoyed exploring the area, biking around Bloomington and visiting the sights of Minneapolis. She was particularly impressed by Minnesota’s natural water treatment methods, which she plans to advocate for in her own environmental work.

“This has been an amazing opportunity,” Giao said. “I’ve gained new knowledge, built relationships and will take what I’ve learned back to help address environmental issues in Vietnam.”