In 2013, two young girls aged just 12 and 10, began to think about what they could do to make the world a better place. Sisters Melati and Isabel Wijsen were born and raised in Bali, and were studying at the ecologically conscious Green School. Inspired by the lives of reformers like Mandela and Gandhi they were reading about, they decided that what they really wanted to do was help clean up the beaches of their beloved home. They started a campaign and an organization called Bye Bye Plastic Bags with some of their friends.
Beginning with beach clean-ups, they were soon giving presentations in other local schools. Before long, numerous adults were joining in their efforts.

That was just the beginning. In 2014, the girls made their first international presentation at the Bangalore-based INK Talks. Word spread quickly and other cities joined the “Bye Bye Plastic Bags” campaign. In January 2016, Melati and Isabel gave a widely acclaimed TEDx talk that has recorded over a hundred thousand views on YouTube. By reaching out to other young people, they have turned the focus onto the feelings of many young adults around the world; all of whom want to make the world a better place. This dynamic duo was further honoured when they were named on Forbes’ Most Inspiring Women list in 2017, and invited as guest speakers to the World Oceans Day 2017 commemoration at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.

Though the sisters caught the attention of local media, the problem they wanted to tackle required government help. Repeated requests fell on deaf ears until they threatened a hunger strike. The governor of Bali relented, and they got their meeting with him. This produced a written promise that Bali would become a plastic-bag-free zone by 2018. The ban has still to be implemented, but there is hope that it will happen, with continued pressure from this inspiring organization.