Von Hernandez is the Executive Director of Greenpeace Southeast Asia, leading the environmental group’s programs and campaigns regarding climate change, forests, sustainable agriculture and toxics pollution. As an environmental activist for more than 20 years, Von initiated and led a number of campaigns including the approval of landmark laws such as the Ecological Waste Management Act and the Clean Air Act in the Phillipines. In 2003, Von was awarded the Goldman Environmental Prize for his work which led to the first national ban on waste incineration. The Goldman Prize is considered to be the equivalent of the Nobel Prize for grassroots environmental activists.