ECODIT Holds Earth Day Event for Schoolchildren in Vietnam
By Celia Zeilberger, ECODIT Communications Manager
On April 22, 2018, ECODIT held an Earth Day event for hundreds of Vietnamese schoolchildren in Thua Thien Hue Province, Vietnam. The event was part of the USAID Green Annamites Project, USAID’s flagship four-year, $24 million environmental project in Vietnam.
The theme of the event was “Working together to end plastic pollution.” More than 450 students learned about the negative impacts of plastic waste pollution on biodiversity, humanity, and the environment through videos, presentations, and group discussions. The children put these lessons to action by picking up trash in the area, making art projects using recycled materials, formulating green action plans, making posters to promote environmental awareness, and planting 200 trees.
The event followed the project’s official launch in Tam Ky, Vietnam on March 27. USAID/Vietnam Mission Director Michael Greene, Vice Chairman of Quang Nam Le Tri Thanh, and the ECODIT project team were in attendance at the event, which was covered extensively by the Vietnamese media.
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“Conserving biodiversity, preserving forests and supporting these provinces to pursue sustainable, resilient and inclusive economic growth programs is an important part of the U.S. commitment to Vietnam,” said Greene at the launch.
In addition to its work to educate schoolchildren and communities about environmental conservation, the project undertakes a wide variety of activities to facilitate conservation and promote sustainable livelihoods in Vietnam. It builds the capacity of provincial government staff to improve management of forests, mobilizes private sector investment in conservation, trains park rangers and other staff of protected areas in biodiversity monitoring and natural resources management, and helps members of vulnerable communities to boost their livelihoods by teaching them new, more sustainable income-generating activities.
ECODIT is a leader in promoting responsible management and use of natural resources worldwide. The firm has implemented large, complex, multi-year conservation projects as well as quick environmental assessments and evaluations in more than 50 countries worldwide.