Von Hernández was planning a life dedicated to literary criticism and the humanities, inspired by his passion for the poetry of Rainer Maria Rilke and the novels of Gabriel García Márquez, when Typhoon Thelma hit Ormoc City in central Philippines in 1991, taking the lives of thousands of Filipinos who were swept to sea by raging floods that cascaded down from denuded mountains surrounding the city. His participation in the rescue mission following that tragic event was a turning point for him, and he made it his life mission to campaign for environmental causes, fighting logging of natural forests, polluting incinerators, and other environmentally destructive projects–all of which granted him the Goldman Prize in 2003. Now, after almost a decade of serving the Break Free From Plastic movement as its Global Coordinator, Von goes back to his roots in local campaigning as he leads Oceana’s Philippine team.
We caught up with him to talk about his reflections on building a global movement and being persistent in the fight against plastic pollution and other environmental issues throughout the years.
BFFP: What do you think is key to building a strong, diverse global movement, and how can we remain resilient in the face of various global threats?
Von: A resilient movement is rooted in strategic solidarity, not uniformity. This means we shouldn't demand or expect that everyone should be the same. In BFFP [Break Free From Plastic] for example, we are aligned behind a common, compelling vision to achieve a future free from plastic pollution—while respecting the different paths that each group takes to get there. A grassroots community in Manila fights or campaigns differently than a lobbying group in Brussels, but both are essential to our mission.
“We are a constant current shaped and powered by many streams, not a single wave that crashes and recedes.”
BFFP’s resilience comes from this diversity. When one tactic is blocked, another finds a way through. When a door is closed in a policy forum, a community-led protest kicks it open. When a corporation greenwashes, our researchers and scientists provide the data to expose them. We are a constant current shaped and powered by many streams, not a single wave that crashes and recedes. We endure because our members anchor their work in the fundamental and unwavering needs of people and the planet—a safe and healthy environment, food security, a dignified life, justice. These are truths that outlast any disruptive political developments or global threat.
BFFP: Amid challenges and setbacks over the years, what keeps you optimistic about the fight against plastic pollution and environmentalism?
Von: My optimism isn't based on baseless hope, but forged and hardened by what I've already witnessed and experienced in my many years of activism. I have seen the smothering haze from factories and incinerators, and watched the bay of my childhood become a cesspool and graveyard of plastic trash. But I have also seen former dumps rehabilitated into beautiful community gardens. I have witnessed communities and local leaders implementing the right solutions to deal with the waste crisis confronting their cities. I have stood with communities whose creativity and will to fight back is more powerful than any corporate polluter. Nature will regenerate when given a chance.
These are not small stories. The proven resilience of nature and the human spirit behind these stories stands as proof that a different world is possible. Every time a community wins a local campaign, a local group secures a policy victory, or a youth leader holds a polluting corporation accountable, it creates a ripple effect that becomes a wave of change we can all ride together.
BFFP: You have been part of the Break Free From Plastic movement since its inception. What would you say is the movement's proudest moment or a moment you found most inspiring over the past 9 years or so?
Von: While policy wins at the local, national, and regional levels are monumental, our proudest achievement is the irreversible shifts we’ve accomplished in the public discourse and narratives around plastic pollution.
BFFP systematically exposed the myth that plastic pollution is primarily a consumer litter and waste management problem. Through our global brand audits—where we literally hold corporations accountable through their own branded trash—we successfully shifted the blame onto its true source: the fossil fuel companies producing more and more plastic, and the corporations that profit from purveying their products in throwaway, single use plastic. Plastic trash turned into corporate indictments.
That moment, when the conversation globally turned from "recycle more" to "produce less," was a profound victory for our movement. It was people power, married to science and strategy, slaying a Goliath of a lie, and seeing the truth become mainstream. We empowered the public to start demanding systemic change.
BFFP: The climate crisis and other sociopolitical issues worldwide are threatening our lives and future. Any advice for younger climate activists?
Von: My advice is something you’ve likely heard from others before: to see our collective campaigns as a marathon, not a sprint—and if I may add, to run this marathon with a tribe.
First, anchor yourself in community. Campaigning for change is a relay race, and you are not the first runner. I stand on the shoulders of those who fought before me, and you can stand on ours. Find your allies, build your "big tent," and draw strength from collective action. You cannot carry the weight of the world on your own shoulders alone.
“Find joy in the struggle itself, in the solidarity of your comrades, and in the knowledge that you are on the right side of history.”
Second, protect your hope by celebrating the small victories. The path is paved with setbacks, but each protected coastline, each defeated incinerator, each policy win is a brick in the foundation of a new world and system that we are building. Find joy in the struggle itself, in the solidarity of your comrades, and in the knowledge that you are on the right side of history.
BFFP: What do you wish for the Break Free From Plastic movement to achieve in the next 10 years?
Von: In the next decade, I want the movement to achieve what was once unthinkable: to make the single-use plastic economy a relic of the past. This means going from defense to offense, beyond clean-ups and bans to fundamentally break the plastic production cycle. I envision a just, robust and legally binding Global Plastics Treaty that caps and dramatically slashes plastic production. I see a future where reuse and refill models are the vibrant, accessible norm, not the alternative, and where the communities most impacted by pollution are the ones leading the design of this new, regenerative system.
We will know we have succeeded when the next generation looks back on throwaway plastic with the same disgust and historical disbelief that we now associate with asbestos, DDT, and indoor smoking.
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As Von transitions to his new role at Oceana, he continues to work on campaigning and policy advocacy against single-use plastics. He recently convened other Philippine organizations for a strategic planning to outline common priorities for the next three years in the fight against single-use plastics in the country. Aside from working on single-use plastics issues, Oceana’s work in the Philippines aims to ensure sustainable fisheries and vibrant marine ecosystems while securing food sources and livelihoods. Oceana is a core member of the global Break Free From Plastic movement.
Prior to his role at Break Free From Plastic, Von spent most of his career in Greenpeace, campaigning against toxic waste, serving as Executive Director of Greenpeace Southeast Asia then Development Director for Greenpeace International. His campaigning work led to the passage of landmark legislations in the Philippines such as the Solid Waste Management Act and the Clean Air Act which made the Philippines the first country to ban waste incineration. He was awarded the Goldman Environmental Prize in 2003 for his work on pollution and waste, and in 2007, Time Magazine named him one of the Heroes of the Environment.
We deeply thank Von for his nine years of service with the Break Free From Plastic movement.
