Rafael Dionisio

Co-Founder and President, Make A Difference (MAD) Travel

Has spoken about:

Bio

Raf works on the regenerative economy transition with indigenous people, farmers and fisherfolk through ecosystem restoration, food security, agroforestry through MAD Travel and low carbon construction + Acoustics through AVD Green Builds. A 4x TEDx speaker on sustainability, his MAD team has planted over 129,000 trees, collected over 12 tons of plastic waste, and won awards for work on biochar, reforestation and waste reduction. His team’s work has reduced waste in their events by 10,000 pcs and growing. They help companies and schools implement ESG/ Sustainability programs to decrease cost and increase impact and provides innovative products and consulting to help reduce the effects of climate change. His AVD team provides recycled plastic lumber, bamboo wood and acoustics to buildings and advises on energy and carbon saving builds.

Raf’s team has won awards such as the DENR Green Legacy Award, DOT Sustainable Tour Operator Award,  WWF Force of Nature Award, the Ten Outstanding Youth Awards, Good Design Award Japan, and Circular Economy Award for APEC. He is a Young Business leader with the Asia New Zealand Foundation and the US Embassy. He dreams of planting 10M hectares of forest in his lifetime and building the green economy in the Philippines where the tourism and construction industry heals nature and builds with it rather than destroys it.

He studied in Ateneo De Manila University, University of International Business & Economics Beijing, and MIT Boston.