Through very small actions, every student can be a 'green seed' for the environment

Y Anh says studying at Quoc Hoc-Hue - a school rich in tradition where President Ho Chi Minh once studied and whose campus is shaded by trees, makes her feel fortunate to learn in a clean, friendly environment. Because she loves her school, she is even more aware of her personal responsibility to keep the campus green.

“In the past, I thought a single plastic bag, a foam box, or a small plastic bottle wouldn’t affect my life,” she recalls. “But that changed when I read about June 5 being World Environment Day, and this year’s theme, ‘Beat Plastic Pollution.’ It’s not just a slogan; it’s a wake-up call to the world about one of the most urgent environmental challenges we face.”

She began to notice how plastic is everywhere, in classrooms, the school canteen, local markets, and supermarkets. People keep using plastic bags out of convenience, forgetting it can take hundreds of years for them to decompose. Seeing water bottles left on desks, foam containers piling up in bins, and plastic bags blowing across the schoolyard made her ask: What can I do to help change this?

Her answer was to start small. She cut back on single-use plastics, carries a reusable water bottle instead of buying plastic ones, and brings a cloth bag when shopping. At first it felt inconvenient, but the routine soon became meaningful, reducing waste while also shaping her mindset to be more responsible toward the environment. Quoc Hoc–Hue has rolled out an “Eco-School” model and regularly promotes campaigns and messages about a green learning environment, so teachers and students work together for green, clean, and bright classrooms and campus.

Y Anh also joins trash-picking activities, waste sorting, and environmental events both at school and across Hue City. She believes each small act by a student is a “green seed” for the environment. When such seeds are sown widely, they can help cultivate a green school, a cleaner city, and ultimately a more sustainable Earth.

Participating in cleanups has also deepened her respect for sanitation workers. “When I pick up scraps of paper and stray plastic bags, I feel firsthand how hard environmental workers labor day and night on our streets. It makes me appreciate and respect them even more,” she says.

Vietnam’s ASEAN Eco-Schools Award 2025 centers on the theme “Plastic-Waste Free Schools.”

Applications must be submitted in two ways at the same time: a hard-copy dossier sent to the Newspaper of Agriculture and Environment, Lot E2, Duong Dinh Nghe Street, Hanoi; and a single compressed digital file uploaded to Ecoschool.vn.

The deadline is October 31, 2025, based on the postmark for mailed submissions or the timestamp on Ecoschool.vn for online submissions.

“A lunch box, a personal water bottle, a cloth bag to bring to school or anywhere, these small things, if they become collective habits, can create enormous strength,” Y Anh says. “Every student can be a ‘green seed’ through very small choices. When those seeds are sown everywhere, we can nurture a green school, a clean city, and, above all, a sustainable Earth. Living green is not just a choice; it is a responsibility and a pledge to the next generation.”

According to Nguyen Huu Tho, principal of Quoc Hoc–Hue, students are consistently active in environmental protection through practical activities that build a green, clean, and beautiful learning space. These efforts help shape a lifestyle that is nature-friendly and socially responsible, making the school’s Eco-School model more effective and sustainable.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Environment has tasked the Vietnam Agriculture and Nature News in coordination with relevant agencies and units and the Green Future Fund, with organizing the ASEAN Eco-Schools Vietnam 2025 Awards - “Plastic-Waste Free Schools.” 

For details, visit the online edition at nongnghiepmoitruong.vn, the Awards website: ecoschool.vn, or contact Journalist Nguyen Quynh Chi, Phone: 0967181555, Email: nquynhchi.00@gmail.com.