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Life Onboard |
LAST UPDATE
July 12, 2005
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| site design imagesparkle.com |
| February 9, 2005 |
A Small Giant from Viet Nam – Thanh Nhung |
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| Thanh Nhung (photo by Ryan Sarsfield) |
Many of today's young people have a strong desire to make the world a better place; however the majority of them are at a loss as to what they can do to make a difference. In 2002, Thanh Nhung, 19 at the time, was in much the same situation. While relaxing on the beach in her hometown of Da Nang, Viet Nam, she became frustrated with the litter she saw around her and decided to do something about it. She stood up, grabbed a trash bag, and began her first beach clean-up. That small effort has grown over the past three years into Green Ocean, a youth-driven environmental initiative that now has than 300 members throughout Viet Nam. |
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| Nhung hears a question from an eager Peace Boat participant about her activities. |
Young people might wonder how she is able to have the enthusiasm and drive to begin and continue the work she's done with Green Ocean. Nhung says that her strong motivation is in large part due to the enormous litter problem that Viet Nam is facing. "The idea of throwing things away with no regard for the environment is very deeply rooted in Vietnamese peoples' minds," she told Peace Boat. "The idea of beach clean-up and trying to change people's way of thinking about garbage came to me after seeing these things and discussing what could be done with my foreign friends."
Nhung was also inspired by the ideas and work of David Suzuki, a Canadian environmentalist whose environmental initiatives are famous throughout the world. She believed that Viet Nam needed a movement like Mr. Suzuki's: one driven by people who have true concern for the environment. Her foreign friends expressed doubt that she would be able to achieve such a large objective, but Nhung wasn't discouraged; she founded Green Ocean with only 3 people and the movement grew. |
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| Green Ocean members participate in a tree planting campaign |
At first, Green Ocean was only involved with beach clean-up, but a cycling trip around Viet Nam exposed Nhung to the other environmental problems that Viet Nam is facing. After thirty-three days of cycling through remote areas and meeting people with no sense of environmental awareness, she realized that she needed to do more and began to expand Green Ocean's activities. Today, its members are involved in environmental education programs in primary schools, tree planting activities, sanitation promotion, and eco-tours. In addition, the group sponsors environmentally-themed song, speech, and art contests, which have proved extremely successful.
Green Ocean's activities have attracted the attention of the United Nations, and the group is now supported by the UN Joint Programme on Youth, a significant accomplishment. Recently, the group sponsored the Conference on Viet Nam Youth Achievement of UN's Millennium Development Goals, in which 200 university students from all over Viet Nam participated.
Being a youth-driven initiative, it is often difficult for Green Ocean to attract and retain participants who may consider clean-up activities to be work rather than fun. However, their approach emphasizes the enjoyable side of the activities, such as meeting new people and visiting new places, and keeps participants' attitudes carefully in mind. In her presentation to Peace Boat participants, Nhung shared her hopes for the impact of Green Ocean's activities. "The small things we are doing, particularly with children, are helping to shape people's ways of thinking about the environment, which could make a big change in the future." |
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| Educational activities are a vital part of Green Ocean'"s activities today |
At times, the environmental problems the world faces seem overwhelming. Many people lose their desire to act, thinking that the activities of a single person can do nothing to improve the situation. Thanh Nhung chose to believe that she could begin the process of change, and started an initiative that has had a positive impact on her country. Her message to Peace Boat participants is that no matter how small they think their actions are, they have the ability to make a difference. |
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