Environment

Earth Day

Earth Day is celebrated all over the world on the 22nd of April. For the last several years, Viêt Nam Plus has organized a massive collecion of wasted plastic bags: they spoil the landscape and they provide a shelter for the mosquitoes to multiply. In 2004 over 50 tons were collected by more than 50.000 children. More and more, the children start collecting these plastic bags well ahead of time, to increase their chances of their school to win the competition! The collected bags are sold to a small enterprise which recycles whatever can be used again. Thiên Chí encourages a reduction in the use of plastic bags.

• See (in French, sorry) Moins de sacs en plastique (24-04-2002, 70 Ko).
• April 22nd: Earth Day in Dúc Linh and Tánh Linh (Southern Vietnam) (30-04-2003, 140 Ko).
  This yearly collection of garbage is a success: the consciousness-raising action reaches this year more than 46,000 children!

Limit the use of chemicals

Some experts believe the Vietnamese peasants use 30% too much chemicals compared to the doses of modern agriculture. In Vietnam they are known to use more than anyone else in Asia! Very often not in the right proportion, which increases the problem. Peasants use toxic chemicals without any protection. A recent study found that 69% women had chemicals in their body. Viêt Nam Plus trains up to 900 farmers every month, among other topics are the limited and balanced use of chemicals.

Tree plantations

Accordint to one World Bank estimate, Vietnam looses up to 1000 ha of forest a day. To generate some employment, every year Viêt Nam Plus helps to plant ten of thousands of trees along public roads; the poor are paid to take good care of them ; are paid according to the number of surviving trees and own a share of them.

Biogas

Pig manure is collected and slips via a pipe into a long nylon tube (about 10m x 1m). One third of water is added and within two weeks, the fermentation generates low-pressure methane gas. A few pigs provide sufficient gas for one household.

The benefits are many: wood consumption is thus reduced: one small tree is spared every month for every household equipped with this device. The pay-back period of the investment is shorter than one year: it only costs 35-40 euros. To date, more than 300 facilities have been installed. Today a few locals have turned the supply and installation of biogas into a small side-business. Viêt Nam Plus has provided training and continues with technical back-up whenever needed.

Presentation (in French, sorry): installation au biogaz au Viêt Nam ( 313 Ko)

Waste recycling

In May 2005 Thiên Chí participated in a competition organized by the World Bank for innovative programs in the field environment, and was selected among the best initiatives: wasted plastic bags are collected, recycled and sold and garbage from the public markets is sorted:

1. 50% is organic, processed into compost
2. 20% is plastic, recycled and sold
3. 30% is various solid waste, for whcih there is use yet.

This pilot program is in Tánh Linh district, Bình Thuận. There are several challenges: efficient waste sorting, production of quality compost at an affordable price for the poor majority, sustainability in the mid and long term.

See story: Thiên Chí selected! ( 84 Kb)	Video (13,2 Mb, 2006)
Initial program description (2005)	Power Point presentation (1,44 Mb, April 2007).