Meet Our Team
Co-founder & Co-Director
Esther Röling
In May 2017 Esther, together with Paul Niel, climbed around the entire coastline of Hong Kong Island. During their 6 day adventure they encountered huge amounts of pollution and photo logged 163 trash sites which were subsequently shared on www.pollutionmaphk.com and also in their film documentary “The Loop”.
The pollution map sparked the idea to run a bigger event around the findings to engage the general public to take action.
Esther is an avid outdoors lover, trail runner and climber.
Co-Director
Roland Sharman
Roland is a passionate outdoor enthusiast and environmentalist who has spent years exploring Hong Kong’s diverse landscapes. His adventures go beyond personal pursuits, as he actively collaborates with NGOs like EcoDrive, Adventure Cleanup, and The Last Glaciers Movement to promote sustainability and conservation.
After overcoming personal challenges and conquering his fear of heights, Roland became an avid climber and canyoneer. This transformation led him to establish HKOutsider, a platform aimed at fostering personal growth and deeper connections with nature.
Co-Director
Nick Tsao
Nick first joined ACUC as a participant, when his team took first place at the 2021 Trails Edition. Through his own experiences of coasteering, hiking, hash running, and camping, Nick has seen first hand the most polluted areas of our beloved backyard.
As a native Hong Konger, he loves to uncover unexpected local history through clean up events, such as the decades of tourist trash under Lugard Road, or the demolished squatter settlements in Tin Hau.
In his professional career, Nick spent over a decade in architectural design before transitioning to a papercutting artist.
How It Started
In 2017, ACUC co-founder Esther Roling and her husband Paul Niel completed a full cicumnavigation of Hong Kong Island across 6 days. They collected water polution samples, mapped out all trash locations, and shared their experience through the documentary "The Loop".
Esther later teamed up with Sole Riestra to create the first Adventure Clean Up Challenge, inviting a larger community to take action against the environmental pollution around us.