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| Members of environmental projects participate in the “Green Avengers” program sponsored by the United Nations Development Program – PHOTO: NHAN TAM |
This is one of the first activities of the Danang Circular Economy Hub, which was launched last month.
The five projects will receive different amounts, with a maximum of US$5,000 each, to continue in the first half of next year.
These projects have introduced new models in socioeconomic activities, such as running contests without releasing garbage; collecting, classifying and recycling waste in apartment buildings and households; producing environmentally-friendly products from wood waste and building a green lifestyle for the young in Danang.
Hoang My Tuyen from the VietArt project said they passed an unusual training course as they sat down on the ground and learned how to listen to others and how to connect with themselves, with others and the environment. They gained valuable knowledge about the environment, the green economy, the circular economy and the green ecosystem.
According to Nguyen Tuan Luong, head of Solutions Mapping, UNDP Accelerator Lab in Vietnam, the Danang Circular Economy Hub, which was built based on UNDP’s Accelerator Lab model, is a playground combining social innovation and sustainable development.
UNDP and other development organizations have been aware of the increase in scale, complicatedness and unpredictability of hot issues in the world such as climate change and environmental pollution, Tuan said, adding that these issues cannot be solved by a single individual or organization.
New policies are needed to create favorable conditions for individuals and organizations at all levels to contribute to the community’s betterment. Green Avengers is a social lab to nurture talent, develop initiatives and mobilize social resources for the environment.
Nguyen Thi Phuong Nhi, community director at the Danang Business Incubator and a member of a council to appraise projects, said projects with similar models would have the chance to connect with each other to create stronger effects on the society and the environment.
With an aim to develop Danang into a green city and build a sustainable and environmentally-friendly economy in the central region, the Danang Circular Economy Hub was launched on November 11 to support environmental projects.
The hub would focus on two missions: improving the solid waste treatment system in Danang and other central localities and encouraging green consumption among the central community.
The organizer of the “Green Avengers” program has chosen 35 outstanding members from some 100 people registering to participate in the program. They have set up 12 projects and five of them have been chosen to receive the UNDP’s support.
