Making Green Change Happen With David Yeung, Founder of Green Monday

“Make change happen, make green common” is the motto of David Yeung, a Hong Konger dedicated to motivating the world to live a sustainable lifestyle and institute health-conscious, earth-friendly eating habits to make the future greener.

As co-founder and CEO of Green Monday Group social venture, David has strived to tackle climate change, food insecurity and public health with his 10-year-young business, innovating on what Hong Kong and nations beyond can do to change the way we eat, live, and think in an era of precedent environmental changes.

David conflated his driven vegetarian diet and influence of familial Buddhist traditions in establishing Green Monday in 2012 to push real social change, a movement to educate and encourage others to give up meat in the diet.

The environmentalist has made his mark founding OmniFoods and OmniPork, a revolutionary foodtech company under Green Monday Group recasting perceptions and habits on eating protein, and the plant-based retail, dining, and shopping network with Green Common, the world’s first plant-based concept store with seven stores across the city.

David’s achievements in the sustainability and business space speak for themselves, recognised by Fortune’s 2020 as a “Change the World Company,” awarded “Social Entrepreneur of the Year” by the World Economic Forum in 2018, and ranked “Ten Outstanding Young Persons Hong Kong” in 2015. The Beat Asia sat down with David to dive deep into his dedication to a sustainable and green future.

Why did you want to endeavour on this green journey to combat climate change and secure the food for the future, David?

"When Green Monday was launched on Earth Day 2012 which was 10 years ago, it was an initiative taken by a group of passionate people who shared the same belief to Make Change Happen. The clock is seriously ticking, we need to take urgent action that combats climate change and various global crises. Also as a father, I want to establish a sustainable living environment for next generation."

Why did you create Green Monday Group? What principles do you strive by in your work at Green Monday?

"There are many problems our world is facing: climate change, food insecurity, public health issues and population explosion. The nexus of these urgent global crises is the food industry, or more specifically our overconsumption of meat. The Green Monday movement was established to provide a common platform that institutions and individuals can join to contribute to sustainability and health."

"One of the main ways to alleviate climate change is by cutting meat consumption, to convince people that plant-based diets are as delicious and diverse as meat-based ones, I opened Green Common to showcase plant-based products and provide plant-based experiences to customers, and later on launched OmniFoods to produce plant-based meat to offer a nutritionally superior alternative for the masses. It was always about creating impact through diets, climate change is imminent, and the current meat industry is unsustainable, therefore using a multi-aspect approach is an effective way to solve the crises on our planet."

What did you want to achieve with OmniFoods? Have you seen success in Hong Kong and beyond with innovating on how we eat meat?

"We founded OmniFoods because we see that developing meat alternatives as a key drive to meet people where they are. We can’t ask carnivores who eat burgers and steak to suddenly shift to tofu and salad. That’s why we need all this variety of plant protein alternatives. Since launching OmniPork in 2018, consumers have embraced our products, and we successfully expanded to over 20 markets globally."

"The popularity of plant-based eating in general is rising dramatically, evidenced by the growing number of vegan/vegetarian restaurants in town, as well as the growing green menus in hotels, restaurants and QSR such as McDonald’s HK, Café de Coral, Tang Court and Maxim’s. Just like most metropolis, taste, convenience, trendiness and affordability are the factors that will include what people decide to eat and consume."

Why is Green Common important for Hong Kong? What “change” have made happen in the city and what is planned for the future for the local brand?

"Green Common is a one-stop plant-based platform combining retail, distribution and dining service. With the motto “Make Change Happen, Make Green Common”, we empower people to shift to a healthier, more sustainable diet by providing everyone with easily accessible and affordable solutions, and serving in our restaurants innovative and wholesome food choices. All food and products in Green Common are plant-based. Once people realized that the possibilities of plant-based products are endless, they would be more prone to adopt plant-based diets."

"While obviously our clientele includes vegans, vegetarians, and health lovers, many of our customers are simply seeing this as a new food trend and are impressed by the new-age plant-based offerings. Green Common will continue as a regular go-to restaurant for vegans or vegetarians, and a showcase for many Food 2.0 brands and innovations that attracting and convert meat-eaters in the city!"

What do you hope for the future of Green Monday and your green ventures in Hong Kong and abroad?

"We have many exciting innovations in the pipeline. Plus, with Green Monday and Green Common, what we represent is the full synergistic ecosystem, with advocacy, distribution channel and our own plant-based lifestyle hub. Green Monday will strive to dedicate our best innovation and efforts to contribute to a carbon net-zero future."