Hanoi raises environment protection awareness with writing contest

The Hanoi Environmental Protection Writing Contest, which conveys messages and perspectives on environmental protection, has received enthusiastic support from many local people, especially students from many schools in the city.

This is the third time that Kinh te & Do thi (Economic & Urban) Newspaper, in cooperation with the Hanoi Department of Natural Resources and Environment, held the contest, which received more than 2,360 submissions, nearly five times more than last year.

Five months after its launch, the award ceremony for the third Hanoi Environmental Protection Writing Contest was held on December 1 in Hanoi.

Nguyen Trong Dong, Vice Chairman of the Hanoi People's Committee, speaks at the award ceremony. Photo: Duy Khanh/The Hanoi Times

Speaking at the award ceremony, Vice Chairman of the Hanoi People's Committee Nguyen Trong Dong said the city has taken various solutions to reduce environmental pollution, including treating surface water, improving air quality, and speeding up the construction of waste and sewage treatment plants. 

"I hope the contest will raise awareness for protecting our environment and encourage people to take more practical actions in this regard. It is also an opportunity to call on the whole society to unite in protecting the environment so that our capital city becomes greener, cleaner, and more beautiful," Dong said.

The contest has introduced role models, experiences and solutions on technologies and eco-friendly products, and encouraged residents to participate in environmental protection.

The contest also aims to raise awareness and responsibility for environmental protection at all levels, sectors, organizations, and individuals, proactively respond to climate change, and improve people's life quality for the sustainable development of the city.

Nguyen Thanh Loi, Editor-in-chief of the Economic and Urban Newspaper, speaks at the award ceremony. Photo: Duy Khanh/The Hanoi Times

Nguyen Thanh Loi, Editor-in-chief of the Economic and Urban Newspaper and head of the program's organizing committee, expressed his happiness that many readers have shown interest in issues related to environmental protection.

"Based on the success of Hanoi's environmental protection writing contest, the newspaper has received approval from Hanoi authorities to expand it into an environmental protection communication program," Loi said.

The writing contest is in a series of activities including seminars and lectures on environmental protection, and other programs at schools and in residential areas.

"The environment is life, to love the environment is to love ourselves. The contest is one of the opportunities for people to unite for environmental protection actions. Through the contest, we hope to raise awareness and responsibility for environmental protection among Vietnamese citizens at home and abroad, as well as foreigners living, studying and working in Hanoi and Vietnam," Loi said.

Nguyen Thi Hong (center in red), Headmistress of Ba Trai A Primary School, on behalf of the school, at the award ceremony held in Hanoi on Dec 1. Photo: Duy Khanh/The Hanoi Times

"Plastic waste pollution has been one of the most serious growing global threats in recent decades. In response to the communication program, we encouraged students to reduce plastic waste through small actions such as replacing disposable plastic items with economical eco-friendly products," Hong told The Hanoi Times.

She also reminded her students to wrap books and notebooks in paper instead of plastic covers, which they enthusiastically follow because they are aware of the harmful effects of plastic waste. In addition, the students did not release balloons on the first day of school as they had done in previous years.

"Saying no to plastic waste is an action that should be taken on a daily basis and practiced by individuals, groups, and the community," Hong stressed.

A lesson on environmental protection at Ba Trai A Primary School. Photo: Anh Kiet/The Hanoi Times

Promoting the competition into an action plan

Nguyen Ngoc Han, an award-winning student (14 years old) from class 8A2, Ngo Si Lien Secondary School, Hoan Kiem District, said she was very happy to learn that her work was highly rated by experts, reporters and veteran journalists specializing in the environmental field.

Han, who came up with the idea of the Plustrabin, a double-sided sorting garbage bin, explained that the bin is divided into two compartments for organic and inorganic waste. "The bin is equipped with a filter membrane and some sensors to detect food and liquids and automatically separate the organic and inorganic waste," Han added.

“The writing contest is a great encouragement to students like me. It is a motivation for us to do more environmental protection activities, and to develop an awareness of environmental protection in the subconscious,” Han shared with The Hanoi Times.

As a scientist with many years of environmental research, Hoang Xuan Co, former director of the Environmental Modeling and Monitoring Research Center under the University of Natural Sciences, believes that it is a vivid form of communication that has created publicity for the writing contest on "Environmental Protection in Hanoi".

"The organizing committee must draw up a roadmap, offer initiatives and solutions, and work with other organizations and residents to fully utilize all internal resources and encourage the participation of many experts, businesses, and social organizations," Co told The Hanoi Times.

He stressed that the contest has brought together different thoughts to create an overview of Hanoi's environmental protection activities, bringing different perspectives and voices, helping people from different professions to better understand each other.