Report no. 1: Nationwide Green Hour HCMC – Binh Duong

Green Talk 2014 has gone a long journey on its way to “speak up” and has achieved a fair amount of success. From the kick-off event Open Day on 5^th Jan, Green Talk has been conducting a continuous series of Green Hour including the Nationwide Green Hour today. This is the only Green Hour in the whole year that involves many cities and provinces across the country. Moreover, it is also the closing event to capitulate all the activities of Green Talk in 2014.

At 8 am on Sunday 4^th May 2014 – “Nationwide Green Hour 2on the theme of “Green Hour for Young Generation was joined by 7 cities and provinces: Ha Noi, Hue, Da Nang, Ba Ria-Vung Tau, KienGiang, Can Tho, Binh Duong and HCMC. The event created a huge wave since this time it was joined hands by not only the volunteers but also “little citizens” from Phu My campus 1 primary school and An My high school students. The Green journey from Binh Duong to HCMC was an exciting competition for 5 Teams: Event, Marketing, HR, Design and Communication with mixed volunteers from Green Talk, Bridgestone Vietnam Co. Ltd and Binh Duong Department of Natural Resources and Environment.

For more details, go to this TV report: VTC14 – Giờ xanh toàn quốc 2014.

Participants in Nationwide Green Hour HCMC – Binh Duong

As usual, 5 teams in this event would have 5 distinctive ribbon colours as a way to enhance the team spirit for the environment mission. The winning team with the most significant contribution to today Green Hour event would receive special gifts from Green Talk. The winning team would be determined by quick – clean –aesthetic factors (i.e. their quickness in performing activities, cleanness and aesthetic of their area they are in charge) and all the teams were supervised by Green Talk controllers to make sure fairness among the teams. The event was thoroughly and meaningfully organised, living up to the Green Talk volunteers’ expectation. It was such a success thanks to the companion of Bridgestone Vietnam Co. Ltd and Binh Duong Department of Natural resources and Environment as well as the support from Dutch Lady – FrieslandCampina Vietnam.

Green Journey HCMC – Binh Duong

The accent of the program was “Green Journey” conducted along the way fromBen Thanh Market (District 1, HCMC),Binh Duong Martyr’s cemetery (ThuanAn, Binh Duong) to Phu My Campus 1 Primary school (Thu Dau Mot, Binh Duong). The destination was also the place where all the students joined the volunteers to perform Green Hour activities.

The first place in Green Journey – Binh Duong Martyr’s cemetery – Green Talk volunteers performed activities as a way of gratitude to the older generation.

The clock did not strike 6 o’clock yet but over 50 Green Talk volunteers were ready to set off from HCMC to Thu Dau Mot. After a drive of more than 30 kilometers, the whole team arrived at Binh Duong Martyr’s cemetery. Together with the entire country celebrating 39 year anniversary of liberation of South Vietnam on 30^th Apr, Green Talk volunteers along with Binh Duong Department of Natural resources and Environment Youth Union members and Bridgestone staff paid the martyr a visit and joined hands in cleaning the area as a way of gratitude towards the older generation who fought and sacrificed their lives for a free and united Vietnam.

Red ribbon is Event team, Green is of Marketing, Pink is for Design, Yellow for Communication and Blue for HR.

Let’s get ready Marketing! (Green ribbon)

Mr Hiroyuki Saito – General Director of Bridgestone Vietnam Co. Ltd and the volunteers together cleaned the cemetery – a beautiful act from a foreigner to Vietnam.

                        

Ngoc Han, Miss Vietnam – the ambassador of the event at Binh Duong Martyr’s cemetery

Waiting for Green Journey to arrive at Phu My school

Meanwhile, Phu My primary school was a crowded place full of fun and valuable activities that can help build a strong awareness about environment as well as students’ soft skills such as Green Stand, environment quizzes, tree planting how-to, making recycled products, flashmob practice, etc.

 

 

Meat-free cakes wrapped in banana leaves at Green Stand – a way to encourage people to use environmentally-friendly products and funded milk from Friesland Campina.

 

On merging Binh Duong and HCMC teams

All the students were all set in teams, ready for merging into Green Hour teams from HCMC. The first team to reach the destination was welcomed with open arms by hundreds of ‘little Greentalk-ers’.

 

 

 

Continuing the event at the main stage

 

Paving way for living economically – An My High school students designed and performed their own recycled clothes with the experience passed on by Green Talk volunteers.

 

Miss Vietnam – Ngoc Han and the volunteers joined live with all other volunteers from 5 out of 7 Green Hour teams across Vietnam.

Planting trees for younger generation.

One of the main activities in “Green Hour for Young Generation” was planting trees and painting recycled stools at school. 7 KelatOil trees (Syzygium campanulatumKorth) were planted out at Phu My primary school. These trees were especially given to 5^th grade students with the aim of both generating shades and creating memories in one of the last moments in primary school. This humane act was carefully considered by the Green Talk organizers when they chose the school as a Green Hour destination.

Just one more month before graduation, 7 5^th grade classes were given 7 Kelat Oil trees to make the green memories of a student life.

Having finished the planting with Ngoc Han at a school corner, Cao Vo Hoang An (class 5 ₇ – Phu My Primary school shared: “I really fancy today planting. It helps providing much shades enabling us to play all traditional games such as O an quan (Madarin Square Capturing), Nhay lo co (Hopping), etc. Trees are beneficial to the environment in both creating beautiful landscape and generating clean air. I do hope that my school will have many more of similar activities so that we students have opportunities in preserving the surroundings.”

In addition, 20 more trees were grown at An My High school offering the school yard the leafy shade After 3 hours of hard work, 40 teachers and students finally completed the mission of tree planting and yet of developing the awareness about the significance of planting trees for students too.

Be creative with ‘little Greentalk-ers’

Another activity that truly expresses a Green Talk spirit is making use of recyclable materials to minimize the waste to the environment. The product Green Talk used this time to recycle was old and worn-out tires. Filled with sands and covered by hi-flex materials, they were creatively painted and transformed into stools.

Kids followed the instructions from the volunteers to make their own clever stools.

On the way to near-by residents 

While the teams at school were being guided to plant trees, build stools other volunteers carried on their journey to approach near-by residents to propagate good habits like keeping the surroundings clean, putting the trash at the right place, exchanging recyclable materials for bio-degradable bags to cut down the usage of nylon bags.

An ending resulted from love

Coming back from their Green Hour routes, 5 teams were given a dynamic welcome. “Vietnam oi” flashmob was performed by both Green Talk volunteers and An My High school students.

It was the same vibrant movements that inspired people with emotions and passion on Green Talk Earth Hour 20^th Apr event. Thus, this was one of the precious occasions that allowed students to learn how to use and apply their artistic enjoyment on the very early stage of student lives.

It is more to be volunteers

When first putting forward the idea of holding the Nationwide Green Hour at Binh Duong, Green Talk Management team purposely opted for excellent volunteers who had had such significant contributions to Green Talk previous event. Green Hour at Binh Duong this time aimed to orient and facilitate a proper understanding about our environment as well as tobuild a strong confidenceto ‘speak up’ among young generations. Mr.Nguyen Trong Hien, the headmaster of Phu My primary school shared, “with all points and purposes in creating a friendly school environment, we incorporate the topic of environment protection into our curriculum so that can encourage students’ awareness about it. Once the students are taught about that in such an early day, they can develop the habits along the way and know how to cooperate with other people to maintain clean, green and aesthetic surroundings for a better future and a more effective education system. Besides the effort of the school, each household should set a good example for them from just small little acts like putting the trash at the right place, etc. And first and foremost, we need to unite as a whole community to make changes to society. Not only just one Green Hour, we should have one ‘Green life’ to sustainably preserve the environment for not only Phu My students but also for all citizens around Vietnam.” The headmaster’s thoughts were also what Green Talk was striving to achieve: focus on the citizens of this age so that we can set a strong and realistic ground on the hope of building a clean – green – aesthetic Vietnam.

 

 

The long journey was completed at 12.05 after more than 6 hours of hard work, yet all the volunteers were overflown with happiness and satisfaction. However, the number of volunteers joining the event was below the expectation of several people who had always cared for the project. Understanding the sensitive thought, MsDinh Vu Thi Trinh, project manager confined, “Well, some people think that the Nationwide Green Hour 2 is not as huge as the first year’s event. However, we know where we are heading. Perhaps our shortcoming is not to fully make our purpose seen from the very beginning. People live on childhood memory; and whether life is beautiful or not is mainly based on that so we want to make that childhood memory. We didn’t accidentally play “Ngoilai ben nhau” at the end of event. We did it on purpose. Because, for each Green Hour our volunteers spend time with these kids, we know that it is more than a common Green Hour; it is the wind of change that gradually build on their memory a harmonious connection, a green life, a voluntary spirit memories.“

Things that each student brought back were little. Bio-degradable bags that they successfully exchanged from recyclable materials collected by their parents, leaflets to encourage their acquaintances building habits for environment protection, meat-free cake wrapped in banana leaves. They were little but yes, Green Talk wants kids to have those kinds of memory. “Back to the old days at school full of dreams and hopes”. It is beautiful. It is Green Talk’s dream. Though as magical as it might sound, it actually did come true today for hundreds of students here. It was Green Hour for them – Green Hour for Young Generation.

(End of part 1)

                                                                                    Writer : Trong Nghia
Translator : Hoang Uyen
Picture sources: Design Team – Benny – PR team