Recognising that plastic waste does not only affect people's life but also causes many negative consequences for the living environment, Muong Chieng commune in Da Bac district has strived to conduct communication work, urging people to reduce and tackle plastic waste.
Teachers of Tuong Doi Commune kindergarten in Muong Chieng commune (Da Bac district) utilise plastic bottles to build a flower garden, creating the landscape for the school.
There was a time when Chieng stream in the centre of Muong Chieng commune was filled with garbage. They included tree branches, plastic bags and bottles of all kinds which were washed away by water from the upstream after the rain. However, the situation has been improved. Thanks to communication campaigns launched by local authorities and agencies on limiting the use of plastic waste and bags in daily life, public awareness on environmental protection has been raised significantly. Throwing litter, especially plastic bags, indiscriminately into the environment no longer exists and areas contaminated by waste have been collected and treated as well.
Many people have become volunteers in environmental protection. Twenty-five additional trash bins and three trash carts have been provided to residential areas near the commune’s centre and central market.
According to Bui Van Huong, Vice Chairman of the Muong Chieng communal People's Committee, in addition to signing a contract with a unit that takes charge of collecting and treating domestic waste, the commune has actively mobilised people to protect the environment and not discharge waste indiscriminately into the environment.
There are many ways to change people's mindset and awareness about protecting the living environment. For example, the commune has encouraged local residents to change their crop structure, planting valuable timber trees such as xoan (Melia azedarach Linn) and bo de (Ficus religiosa) to replace some seasonal crops that use a lot of pesticides such as corn and rice, limiting the source of plastic waste such as nylon packaging during the production process.
A plastic bottle collection campaign has also been launched at schools for recycling.
Seeing waste such as plastic soft-drink bottles thrown into the environment or washed away from the upstream of the Da River, the school had taken an initiative to mobilise parents to collect them and utilise them to make flower pots, creating landscapes or school supplies to serve teaching and learning, said teacher Mui Thi Hao from the Tuong Doi Kindergarten.
By encouraging parents to contribute plastic bottles, the school collects and recycles thousands of plastic bottles each year. This method not only solves difficulties with school supplies but also contributes to educating children about environmental protection awareness, urging parents on joining hands in collecting and treating plastic waste in daily activities.
With the above-mentioned efforts, the Party Committee, authorities and people of Muong Chieng commune strive to fulfil criteria No. 17 relating to the environment in implementing the National Target Programme on building new-style rural areas in the near future, Huong said.
More than just an information technology teacher, Bui Van Nien is an inspiring figure who has nurtured the scientific curiosity and creative spirit of students in Vietnam’s ethnic minority communities.
Da Bac is the most disadvantaged mountainous district in Hoa Binh province, with ethnic minorities accounting for about 90% of its population. Over the past years, the district has mobilised resources to implement ethnic policies to improve the quality of life of local people.
In recent years, Hoa Binh province has consistently prioritised the protection, care, and education of children, particularly those from ethnic minorities and disadvantaged backgrounds, by creating a safe, healthy, and nurturing environment for their all-round development.
The Steering Committee for Tobacco Harm Prevention and Control of Hoa Binh province, in coordination with the Tobacco Harm Prevention and Control Fund, held a ceremony on May 28 in response to the World No Tobacco Day (May 31) and the National No Tobacco Week (from May 25 to 31). The event was chaired by Nguyen Van Toan, Standing Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee and head of the Steering Committee.
Since 2021, the Center for Industrial Promotion and Industrial Development Consulting (CIIDC) under the Department of Industry and Trade has been implementing a school lighting model as part of the plan for using energy efficiently and economically in Hoa Binh Province in the pẻiod of 2021 - 2025. This model not only aims to improve the learning conditions and enhance the education quality, but it also promotes the message of energy saving, energy security, environmental protection and contributes to the goals of socio-economic development.
In the 2024 - 2025 school year, the entire Hoa Binh provincial education sector includes 520 educational institutions and schools. Among them are 13 ethnic boarding schools with 153 classes and 4,487 students. Four of these schools have met national standards, reaching 30.7 percent.
