Participants carried out another meaningful activity at the event: attaching leaves to an environment ‘tree’, each being a commitment message related to environmental action. Photo Courtesy of For Vietnamese Stature Foundation

HÀ NỘI — The environmental situation in Việt Nam and the role of young people in addressing environmental issues were discussed at a workshop in Hà Nội on Wednesday

Participants also carried out another meaningful activity at the event organised by non-profit organisation For Vietnamese Stature Foundation at the Women and Development Centre: attaching leaves to an environment ‘tree’.

Each leaf had a message of commitment to take environmental action to make people aware of their responsibility towards the living environment and building a green, clean world.

Communication activities aimed at raising awareness of saving, effectively using energy, increasing the use of renewable and clean energy, reusing and recycling waste, fighting against plastic waste, and protecting water sources and wildlife, and thus fulfilling the objectives of coping with climate change, protecting the planet and achieving sustainable development.

The workshop also introduced the ‘For a clean air - Green city’ Initiative Fund to enhance understanding and promote the participation of community-social groups, especially of youth and schools, in environmental protection activities, to improve air quality across the country.

A skit titled "Dog human - human dog" performed by the Green Eyes team at the event depicted the extreme and difficult lives of the people living around the Nam Sơn landfill due to the effect of the polluted environment.

Green Eyes’ message was, "If we don't change, we will lose the people we love the most."

Last year Việt Nam ranked fourth world-wide in the amount of plastic waste dumped in the ocean.

The workshop was part of ‘Youth for Environment’ which receives funding from the 2020 Asia Pacific Media Grant given by the Earth Journalism Network, a global network established in 2004 to promote media activities related to environmental issues, and Bắc Á Commercial Joint Stock Bank.

The project will help young people build a communication channel for environmental issues and establish partnerships, connect with other stakeholders such as policy makers, journalists, researchers, activists, and businesses to mobilise resources to jointly resolve environmental issues. VNS