Elizabeth Somers, 9, and her Korean friend Su Yon, 12, picked up rubbisharound West Lake on April 23 morning instead of playing around the homelike other children.
Wearing masks and gloves,they joined about 400 people collecting plastic and other rubbish aroundthe lake. They were volunteers for the Hanoi Environmental Group, incollaboration with non-governmental organisations, companies andindividuals, who have organised activities to protect the environment inHanoi .
"We were here at 9.30am and we're incharge of tidying up this road, including the garden," Elizabethsaid. "We have the same environmentally friendly activities at our UNISschool."
Another volunteer, Gerd Koblitz, who cameto Vietnam to work as an English teacher, said the campaign willhelp improve people's awareness of keeping the environment green andclean.
"Environmental protection is ourresponsibility. If someone dumps waste and assumes that there'll besomeone else to pick up their litter, they are wrong. What will happenif everybody has the same thought?" Koblitz said.
He said people in his country, Australia , started the anti-litter movement in the 1970s and most got involved.
Ben Minot, one of the group's founders, said it was the result ofinitiatives from Hanoi 's expatriate community to preserve Hanoi 'senvironment.
The group had no office, no leader and no profit, he said.
"All we do is to mobilise expats and Hanoians to gather here and make Hanoi cleaner and cleaner," Minot said.
"This is the second time we've held the campaign. Our Earth Dayactions today drew double the number of people last year to clean upWest Lake and plant trees," Minot said.
"The volunteers have been divided into groups in charge of different areas around the lake.
"We're not going to go into the lake to clean the water or to cleanall around the lake so it will still have a pollution problem and massfish deaths.
"But we hope our actions will stop people from continuing to dump into the lake," he said.
"Awareness is important and action will create awareness."
Minot, who came with his wife to Hanoi several years ago, saidanyone could join the group and tidy up the city instead of complainingabout it.
The group said that more initiatives willbe launched soon to create a greener Hanoi , including the 26 Degreeprogramme, which will urge people to keep their air conditioners above26 degree Celcius.
This willreduce energyconsumption and the amount of heat pumped into the street and reduce theimpact on the environment, the group said.
Theyhave also produced grocery bags using fair-trade labour practices andeco-friendly materials for use instead of plastic bags.
The group was established in April last year with support from theItalian and Australian embassies, companies and individuals.
The first clean-up programme was held last year with the participation of about 170./.
Wearing masks and gloves,they joined about 400 people collecting plastic and other rubbish aroundthe lake. They were volunteers for the Hanoi Environmental Group, incollaboration with non-governmental organisations, companies andindividuals, who have organised activities to protect the environment inHanoi .
"We were here at 9.30am and we're incharge of tidying up this road, including the garden," Elizabethsaid. "We have the same environmentally friendly activities at our UNISschool."
Another volunteer, Gerd Koblitz, who cameto Vietnam to work as an English teacher, said the campaign willhelp improve people's awareness of keeping the environment green andclean.
"Environmental protection is ourresponsibility. If someone dumps waste and assumes that there'll besomeone else to pick up their litter, they are wrong. What will happenif everybody has the same thought?" Koblitz said.
He said people in his country, Australia , started the anti-litter movement in the 1970s and most got involved.
Ben Minot, one of the group's founders, said it was the result ofinitiatives from Hanoi 's expatriate community to preserve Hanoi 'senvironment.
The group had no office, no leader and no profit, he said.
"All we do is to mobilise expats and Hanoians to gather here and make Hanoi cleaner and cleaner," Minot said.
"This is the second time we've held the campaign. Our Earth Dayactions today drew double the number of people last year to clean upWest Lake and plant trees," Minot said.
"The volunteers have been divided into groups in charge of different areas around the lake.
"We're not going to go into the lake to clean the water or to cleanall around the lake so it will still have a pollution problem and massfish deaths.
"But we hope our actions will stop people from continuing to dump into the lake," he said.
"Awareness is important and action will create awareness."
Minot, who came with his wife to Hanoi several years ago, saidanyone could join the group and tidy up the city instead of complainingabout it.
The group said that more initiatives willbe launched soon to create a greener Hanoi , including the 26 Degreeprogramme, which will urge people to keep their air conditioners above26 degree Celcius.
This willreduce energyconsumption and the amount of heat pumped into the street and reduce theimpact on the environment, the group said.
Theyhave also produced grocery bags using fair-trade labour practices andeco-friendly materials for use instead of plastic bags.
The group was established in April last year with support from theItalian and Australian embassies, companies and individuals.
The first clean-up programme was held last year with the participation of about 170./.
