Recovering from an eating disorder to becoming a youth environmental activist

Do you know the feeling of being immersed in something bigger than yourself?

When the reality of your daily life does not fulfill your values, why not try exploring the world, the environment, and the people around you? I recognized this when I was 12 years old, diagnosed with anorexia nervosa, and sent to the intensive care unit for a week. Anorexia nervosa is a type of eating disorder, also known as the most fatal mental illness. During my journey of struggling with anorexia, I found myself obsessed with losing weight, dieting and exercising. Although my anorexic brain told me that such obsession will make me happier and better, I gradually felt a negative sense of control eating me up.

I did not like how anorexia restricted my view of the world and made me closed-minded.

With the support of therapy and my mom, I mustered the courage to start something new in my life. I started watching news and documentaries to expand my vision and took walks around the city to relax my mind. While doing those activities, I pointed out to my mom that plastic pollution is aggravating in the city. I told her I feel uncomfortable passing by heaps of plastic cups and straws randomly littered on the ground because they do not disappear from the planet quickly and sustainably.

This conversation inspired me to join Greenpeace Korea as a volunteer for its No-Plastic Picnic initiative. Meeting with strangers to discuss plastic pollution and planning a campaign held by a well-known NGO, I felt a sense of belonging- the realization that my contributions are significant to myself and others.

I used to be very shy and taciturn, and I never cared a lot about local issues.

Yet, facing problems that are bigger than me sparked a light inside of me. I grew a passion of wanting to learn more and taking action to solve the problem. Plastic pollution is an immense topic, even today I still struggle to grasp the whole concept because it is complicated. 

I chose to immerse myself in environmental activism, and my determination only grew as I learned the impacts of different environmental isssues on present and future lives. During the winter of the same year, I created a website and online blog called Greener is Cleaner to raise awareness on environmental issues among my school peers.

Teachers and students at school started to appreciate my minimal efforts, so I decided to take a step further and lead by example. I wondered, “Why am I not taking action when I want the issue to be solved?” I was not just going to sit back and watch my future disappear. My next step was launching the first middle-school environmental club in my school, Greener is Cleaner, where club members and I created proposals for eco-friendly school facilities. These efforts proved to be a success, and I saw the potential to bring Greener is Cleaner international, empowering youths worldwide to take action for the environment and their futures.

Now, Greener is Cleaner is an international youth-led organization that has been running for over 4 years.

We host online and offline conferences, competitions and challenges to make environmental education more accessible and fun, while mobilizing local actions in different countries that members come from.

Other than serving as the founder/ executive director of the organization, I also got elected as the chairperson of the National Environmental Education Center youth steering committee, ambassador of World Nature Day, and the representative of youths for the Ministry of Environment’s resource circulation campaign. I often get busy and experience fatigue, but my initial motivation still propels me forward. I derive genuine joy from taking action for the environment, amplifying youth voices, and raising awareness on the burning climate crisis.

To me, taking action not only leaves a huge impact on the purpose itself, but also offers a feeling of fulfillment from serving others, the environment, and myself. Taking action is a long-term, maybe even a life-long journey that may enhance your life, so don’t hesitate to go ahead and take action for something bigger than yourself!

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Picture of Cherry Sung
Cherry Sung

Cherry Sung is a 16-year-old youth environmental activist from South Korea. She is the winner of the 2020 Global Social Leaders Global Goals Competition, one of the 2021 International Young Eco Heroes, and the recipient of the 2021 Youth Leads Award. Cherry works closely with Greenpeace Korea and the Ministry of Environment, and she is also highly interested in international relations, thus incorporating activities around the international fight against climate change. She founded Greener is Cleaner, a youth-led organization fueled by "people-power" that leads by example to empower youth worldwide to take action for the environment and thus their futures. Cherry wishes that her initiatives at Greener is Cleaner help share what she has learned from her journey of climate advocacy.
Follow Cherry & Greener is Cleaner on IG: @cher_rr.y @greeneriscleaner

Picture of Cherry Sung
Cherry Sung

Cherry Sung is a 16-year-old youth environmental activist from South Korea. She is the winner of the 2020 Global Social Leaders Global Goals Competition, one of the 2021 International Young Eco Heroes, and the recipient of the 2021 Youth Leads Award. Cherry works closely with Greenpeace Korea and the Ministry of Environment, and she is also highly interested in international relations, thus incorporating activities around the international fight against climate change. She founded Greener is Cleaner, a youth-led organization fueled by "people-power" that leads by example to empower youth worldwide to take action for the environment and thus their futures. Cherry wishes that her initiatives at Greener is Cleaner help share what she has learned from her journey of climate advocacy.
Follow Cherry & Greener is Cleaner on IG: @cher_rr.y @greeneriscleaner

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