Young residents of big cities like HCM City and Hanoi are expressing their concerns about pressing environmental problems by urging residents and authorities to actively take part in reducing pollution levels.
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| Youth volunteers clean up the Binh Phu residential area in HCM City. Young people have become actively involved in activities to raise public awareness about proper disposal of waste. — VNA/VNS Photo The Anh |
Duyen said shoppers were relying on plastic bags for convenience, throwing them away after a short period of use and thus, heavily polluting the environment.
She said that improvements in usage should come from both residents and authorities.
"There is a lack of rubbish bins in my neighbourhood, and this drives residents to drop waste on the roads, even though many of them try to care about the dumping of waste," Duyen said, adding that there were not enough public rubbish bins in District 6, her neighbourhood.
"Many of my neighbours try to sort rubbish at their homes, but the public collectors mix the waste together in a basket so it is easier for them to carry," she said.
HCM City is developing a system of rubbish sorting and has piloted a sorting model in several residential areas. But, for the system to work well, collectors might have to receive training from the city.
Duyen won first prize for her essay in the recent writing contest, which attracted 400 essays judged on content and English writing skills. The contest was held by the US Consulate General in HCM City on the occasion of Earth Day in April.
The contestants raised their concerns about several issues, including air pollution, traffic congestion, canal pollution and overuse of fossil fuels.
Eleventh-grade student Chu Ha Thanh of the Ha Noi Amsterdam High School said transport vehicles contributed to about 70 per cent of pollution.
She said the city should develop a sustainable-development plan to reduce the number of vehicles as well as air-pollution levels.
Student Tran Huy Hung of the HCM City University of Technology also said that vehicles on the roads had polluted the air and contributed to overuse of fossil fuels.
He urged the city to build better traffic infrastructure and develop more means of public transport.
Bio-technology student Nguyen Bich Han, who won third prize, recommended that more research be conducted on producing biofuel so that residents could rely less on fossil fuels, which contribute to carbon emissions and global warming.
Recognising that formal clean-up programmes are proceeding at a snail's pace, students have become actively involved in activities that raise public awareness about the proper disposal of waste.
Han said that most of her classmates interested in recycling programmes were conducting research on the use of high technology for the waste recycling.
Meanwhile, Duyen, a banking and finance major, is active in a campaign run by the district to keep her neighbourhood streets clean.
She has been awarded a Certificate of Merit from District 6, where she lives.
"I'm creating a website calling for the participation of youth in environmental activities and improvement of residents' awareness of environmental protection," she said, adding that she would seek the help of friends majoring in information technology to create the site.
