Ambassadors (South and South-East Asia)

Alex Rendell: Alex Rendell is a Thai actor who has starred in films such as The Tesseract (2003), Indiana Joai; Elephant Cemetery (2003) and 13 Beloved (2006). Alex is a passionate conservationist dedicated to educating and raising awareness on environmental conservation. Mr. Rendell co-founded the Environmental Education Centre Thailand (EEC) in 2015, whose mission is to educate and influence kids from 4 years and older to recognize their involvement in the conservation of natural resources around the world. He has over 1.6 million followers on Instagram. On Earth Day 2020, he posted a video answering 6 questions from Earth Day Network. The video has over 200,000 views and 500+ comments.

Bibi Russell: Under the Slogan Fashion for Development to save craftspeople and help revive their dreams, Ms. Russell set up Bibi Productions in 1995. The brand has provided work for thousands of weavers and artisans. Development of handloom fabrics with colours that are non-chemically produced, thus environment friendly. Ms. Russell has received the title of Artist for Peace by the UNESCO in 2001 and is also the UNESCO Special Envoy. Ms. Russell won the Peace Prize by the United Nations Associations of Spain in 2004 and is the UNAIDS Goodwill Ambassador.

Bombay Jayashri Ramnath: was born into a family of musicians and represents the fourth generation of music practitioners in her family. She is one of the most sought after Carnatic musicians in India today with a career spanning over thirty years. Her performances cross the breadth of India and close to twenty other countries. Prominent venues include Rashtrapathi Bhavan, the National Centre for Performing Arts, the Sydney Opera House, and Carnegie Hall, where she historically became the second ever Carnatic musician to perform after MS Subbulakshmi. In the US, she has performed at the Lincoln centre for the performing arts, Carnegie hall, Kennedy Centre for performing arts World Music Institute – New York; University of Arizona – Tucson; University of Texas – Austin; MIT – Boston; University of Louisiana – New Orleans; Cornell University and Amherst College. She has also performed in Sydney Opera house (The first carnatic Musician to perform there).

Dasho Paljor J Dorji: Called as the Godfather of Conservation in Bhutan, Dasho Paljor J. Dorji has had a distinguished career with the Royal Government of Bhutan, serving three kings in the capacity of Magistrate of Paro District 1969-1972, High Court Judge 1972-1974, acting Chief Justice of Bhutan 1974-1985, Chief Justice of Bhutan 1985-1987, Deputy Minister for Social Services 1988-1991, Ambassador to the United Nations and European capitals 1991-1994, Deputy Minister to the National Environment Commission 1994-1997. Dasho is also the Founder of the Royal Society for the Protection of Nature in Bhutan (RSPN), Bhutan’s First Environmental NGO and the Founder President of the Bhutan Ornithological Society as well as the Bhutan Ecological Society launched in the year 2010. He is also the Ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva, also accredited to Austria, Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Netherlands, EU (Brussels), IFAD (Rome), and FAO (Rome). Dasho initiated the Bhutan Trust Fund and also facilitated multiple environmental conservation efforts in the country. At present, Dasho serves as a Special Advisor to the National Environment Commission under a Royal Command from His Majesty the Fourth Druk Gyalpo.

Dr. L Subramaniam: Dr. Subramaniamis an Indian violinist, composer and conductor, trained in the classical Carnatic music tradition and Western classical music, and renowned for his virtuoso playing techniques and compositions in orchestral fusion. He is often referred to as India’s violin icon: “The Paganini of Indian Classical music”, “the God of Indian Violin”. Constantly propelled from Singapore to Paris, from Delhi to Los Angeles, he has conquered every audience with the elegance and virtuosity of his style.

Passionate about music, Dr. Subramaniam was also dedicated to science. He studied medicine, finishing his MBBS at Madras Medical College and registered as a General Practitioner. Subsequently he did his Master’s Degree in Western Classical Music in California and he finally decided to dedicate his life to music. 

Juhi Chawla: Juhi Chawla Mehta is an Indian actress and film producer. Chawla has worked predominantly in Hindi language films, in addition to Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Punjabi, Bengali and Kannada language films. A leading actress of Bollywood, Chawla has garnered particular praise for her comic timing and on-screen persona. She made her acting debut in 1986 with the movie Sultanat, and received public recognition for her movie Qyamat se Qyamat tak, where she won the prestigious Filmfare award for Best Female Debut.

Kaushiki Chakraborty: Kaushiki Chakraborty is an Indian classical musician and playback singer. She has lent her voice to several popular songs in Hindi, Bengali and Tamil films in the course of her playback singing career. Significant among Kaushiki’s discography are the films Water (2005), Chaplin (2011), Thirumannam Ennum Nikkah (2014), Rajkahini (2015), Mirzya (2016) and Aroni Tokhon (2017). Chakraborty has been the recipient of many awards. She received the Jadu Bhatta award in 1995, favourably mentioned and appreciated after her opening song at the 27th annual ITC Sangeet Sammelan in New Delhi in 1998, and received Outstanding Young Person in 2000. She received the BBC Award (2005) for outstanding achievement in music when she was 25 years old.

Le Nguyen Bao Ngoc: EARTHDAY. ORG is proud to announce Vietnam’s well-known public figure Ms Le Nguyen Bao Ngoc as our Ambassador in Vietnam.  

Ms Le Nguyen Bao Ngoc repeatedly demonstrates her concern for the environment by speaking about climate change-related issues at platforms she is called upon to address. Ms Bao Ngoc leads awareness campaigns that educate people about how anthropogenic activities affect our environment and, conversely, how humans suffer from increased pollution levels (air/water/soil) and the benefits to humanity of efforts to restore our Earth increase the green cover and reduce carbon footprints. ‘ She says:  ‘I am keen that we widen awareness about ways to mitigate climate change. No act is too small. Any efforts that yield positves for our planet benefit all, for we are all inhabitants of one common home – Earth’.  

In October, 2022, Ms Le Nguyen Bao Ngoc became the first Vietnamese ever to win the title of ‘Miss Intercontinental 2022’. As she strongly believes in the ‘Power of Beauty’, she has intensified her outreach of environmental-friendly messages to other countries as well.  

We look forward to working with Ms Bao Ngoc on several initiatives beginning with commemorations for the upcoming Earth Day 2023. 

Mariyam Maeesha: Ms Maeesha is an enormously popular singer, much admired for her down-to-earth attitude.  She has captivated the hearts of Maldivians who refer to her voice as exemplifying the waves on a beach. Ms Maeesha rose to fame when she was declared Runners-Up in the Maldivian Idol competition.  Building on this significant breakthrough, her very busy schedule today has her perform across the many islands that make up the Maldives.  Ms Maeesha has her own band called “Musigarun” (which means musicians in Maldivian Radheef).  She is their lead singer and is known by her stage name “Raalhu Mariyambu”.  Ms Maeesha is Goodwill Ambassador for The World Health Organisation (WHO) for Hepatitis Prevention in The Maldives. She has been an ambassador of the newest and qualitative domestic airline Manta Air and is an acting ambassador for “Dhiraagu”, the leading telecom company of the Maldives.

Melissa Tan: Melissa is a TV host and producer, actress, climate activist and zero waste advocate. She co-founded a social movement organisation, The Green Guerrilla, and regularly works with major brands and NGOs on environmental projects.
Melissa connects to a wide, mainstream audience through her social media and website, creating digital content in sustainable living and fashion, climate action and other areas of the circular economy. A passionate environmental speaker, she produces events like The Conscious Market and Clothes Swaps to engage the public in sustainable living. Melissa represented Malaysia in Asia’s Next Top Model Cycle 3 and The Apartment Season 7. She hosts and produces on Tech360.tv, a regional online tech channel.

Michelle Dilhara: 24-year-old, Michelle is a Sri Lankan actress, an author, philanthropist and environmental activist. She is also the Founder of Invisible to Visible Movement. In 2018 she won the Asia Inspiration Award at the South Asian Youth Summit held in Colombo for her contribution towards Social invisibility. Ms. Dilhara was also recently featured by Earth Day Network for it’s My Future My Voice campaign along with 49 other prominent young environmentalists from 17 countries of South & South-East Asia region.

In 2019 she received the National Youth Icon Award 2019 at the World Youth Summit held in New Delhi, India for her book Social Invisibility is not a Fiction it Exists and for her theory, Theory of Alternative Social Cogwheel. In 2020 she was nominated as the Best Upcoming Actress and aslo was nominated for the Raigam Tele’es Most Popular Actress Award of the year 2019 in the Raigam Tele’es award ceremony.

Ricky Kej: Grammy Award Winner, US Billboard #1 artist, UNESCO- MGIEP Ambassador & UNICEF ‘Celebrity Supporter’ Ricky Kej is an internationally renowned Indian Music Composer, Environmentalist and Professor. Ricky has dedicated his life and Music to creating awareness on the Environment, and positive social impact. He has performed at prestigious venues in over 30 countries, including at the United Nations Headquarters in New York and Geneva.

Ricky Kej composed and produced his album ‘SHANTI SAMSARA’, which was launched by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Francois Hollande at the United Nations COP21 Climate Change Conference in Paris. In addition to winning more than a 100 music awards in over 20 countries, Ricky has been awarded “United Nations Global Humanitarian Artist” & “Youth Icon of India”. Real Leaders’, has named Ricky Kej as one of the 100 Real Leaders who ‘Inspire the Future’. 

Sonam Wangchuk: Sonam Wangchuk is a Mechanical Engineer by education and he has been mostly working in the field of education reform for more than 30 years. In 1988, just after he finished his engineering studies, he founded SECMOL (Students’ Educational and Cultural Movement of Ladakh), which aims to bring reforms in the government school system in Ladakh. In 1994 he was instrumental in the launch of Operation New Hope, a triangular collaboration of the government, village communities and the civil society to bring reforms in the government school system.

In order to solve the water crisis facing mountain regions due to climate change and fast melting glaciers he invented the Ice Stupa artificial glacier which stores the wasting stream waters in winter in the form of giant ice cones or stupas and releases the water in late spring as they melt just when farmers needs water for irrigation.

Soumik Datta: Mr Datta is a composer, television presenter and virtuoso performer of the 19 stringed fretless sarod.  He has collaborated with Beyonce, Jay-Z, Bill Bailey, Anoushka Sharma, Akram Khan, the London Philharmonic Orchestra, to name just a few.  Born in India, and brought up in London, he connects his Bengali roots with global strands to create innovative music, TV shows and public art.  He continues to champion Indian arts in the mainstream and brings the ancient sarod to the global arena.  His compositions very effectively build bridges between the ancient and the contemporary.  

Nadine Lustre:  Well-renowned Filipino artist with an award-winning career in music, film, and television, Nadine is a champion for the environment and has made conscious shifts in her lifestyle to live more sustainably. Her passion for a cleaner, greener and less polluted Earth has led her to volunteer as an honorary park ranger for Masungi Georeserve and with the Siargao Environmental Awareness (SEA) Movement in the Philippines. Nandine also partners with ‘For the Future’, an organization focused on building environmental stewardship among youth, working towards ecological sustainability, reforesting denuded areas, and increasing the green canopy.

Sugizo: A Japanese composer, guitarist, and violinist, most prominently known for his work with the band Luna Sea, Sugizo’s work also includes music for films, TV commercials, and ‘anime’. Parallel to his work in the music field, Sugizo supports numerous social issues and acts as an influential voice against whaling. As a strong environmental activist, Sugizo helps spread awareness about the need to protect and invest in our planet by reminding everyone if Earth continues to suffer from the impacts of climate change, humans will not survive. 

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