Tidy work: Ha Noi students take part in efforts to beautify and protect the local environment, under a grassroots environmental campaign. — VNA/VNS Photo Dinh Tran

HA NOI — Officials and students nation-wide have joined forces to plant trees and protect the local environment as part of a campaign to make the world a cleaner place.

The campaign, which has the slogan All is yours, hopes to raise awareness of pressing environmental issues and persuade people from all walks of life to take part in projects which both protect local wildlife and cut pollution.

The Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment (MoSTE), in conjunction with the People’s Committee of the northern mountainous province of Ha Giang, began the programme at a ceremony last Friday, with over 1,000 local officials and students taking part.

Local authorities and youth groups in Ha Noi also took part in the initial activities, organising an event in Phan Chu Trinh Secondary School last Sunday.

At Friday’s ceremony, MoSTE’s Deputy Minister Pham Khoi Nguyen highlighted the need to protect the environment on a local and international scale. He also expressed his concern about the current level of pollution in Viet Nam.

Since the onset of major economic development in the country, the amount of industrial and household waste in urban areas has increased dramatically, causing untold damage to the environment.

Although many measures have been undertaken to address the problems, a lack of public awareness has hindered the programme at ground-level, and many areas are still suffering from neglect and misuse.

The campaign, which was launched by the Australian Government in 1993, has enjoyed much international success. The project has so far been introduced in 120 countries world-wide. The campaign will run in Viet Nam until the end of next September. — VNS

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