Planting trees and cleaning roadsides

Every weekend, as has become a tradition, associations, unions, and local people come out to collect garbage on roads, residential areas, and fields. When the “Green Sunday” movement first started, local authorities usually had to notify people in advance about the date, time, and location to come and clean the environment. Now, as has become a tradition, every weekend, without anyone telling them, people gather at locations, roads, and dikes to pick up garbage and clean the environment.

Mr. Nguyen Thanh Long in Quang An commune (Quang Dien) said that the new rural construction program has changed people's awareness when clearly defining the role of the subject, the beneficiaries of the new rural area are the people. New rural construction not only increases income and living standards but also protects the residential environment, clean and beautiful fields, and aims to build civilized urban areas. Realizing this, Mr. Long as well as the local people always actively respond to the "Green Sunday" movement.

Activities and movements to protect the environment and build a civilized and modern new rural appearance now take place not only on weekends but also on other days of the week. Whenever there is a lot of garbage in any place, on any road or in any field, people take the initiative to collect and dispose of it properly. Moreover, the "Green Sunday" movement also changes awareness, from collecting garbage to not littering the environment.

In rural areas today, it is easy to see that garbage is collected on roads, residential areas, and dikes, fields, and roadsides, and they are neat and clean. Trees are planted on both sides of the road, not only providing shade but also creating a beautiful environment. Then flower roads are formed, yellow apricot roads create beauty for residential areas. People tidy up, pour concrete on roads, build gates, and fences around their houses, making them neat and clean.

Implement the model "Route without cat's eye trees"

Chairman of the Farmers' Association of Quang Dien district, Mr. Quach Nhon affirmed that protecting the new rural environment, associated with building civilized urban areas, is a common task and responsibility of the whole society, the whole political system, and the people. In environmental protection activities, departments and local authorities take the "Green Sunday" movement as a basis to mobilize forces and people to implement. This movement has a strong spread in the community, clearly changing people's awareness when not only collecting waste but also not littering the environment.

On weekends, including weekdays, departments and people in Quang Dien district take advantage of their time to clean offices and pick up trash on roads and residential areas. Models of "Roads without cat's eye trees" and "Fields without plant protection waste" have been established in villages, making the residential, production and field environments increasingly cleaner and more beautiful.

Deputy Chief of the Office of the National Target Program on New Rural Construction of the province Le Thanh Nam said that in the process of building new rural areas associated with civilized urban areas, local departments and authorities not only pay attention to improving people's income and living standards but also identify environmental protection as an important task. From environmental protection activities, the "Green Sunday" movement has changed the appearance of rural areas in the direction of green - clean - beautiful - civilized and modern, contributing to making Thua Thien Hue province become a centrally-run city.

From 2023 to now, departments and branches in the province have implemented many activities to support people in building a civilized urban and rural lifestyle. This activity has entered life, strongly changing people's awareness in protecting the green - clean - beautiful and civilized environment. In particular, the Provincial Farmers' Association has implemented a number of environmental protection programs and projects such as the project "Collecting, classifying, and processing organic waste into fertilizer at households, contributing to environmental protection and building new rural areas" in Huong Toan commune (Huong Tra town). The "green - clean - bright" movement in Phong Hien commune (Phong Dien), Phu Bai ward (Huong Thuy town) was organized, attracting the active participation of many people.

From the "Green Sunday" movement, the province has formed many "Bright - green - clean - beautiful - orderly and safe streets", "60 minutes to clean houses, beautiful alleys", "Say no to plastic bags and disposable plastic products", "Four-season flower city", "Yellow apricot in front of the alley"... with many specific activities in residential areas and hamlets. From the movements to attract and motivate people, localities have proactively and actively participated in planting trees on both sides of village roads and alleys. Many places have formed flower streets, planted old roses, planted yellow apricot, which are well cared for by the people. Village and hamlet roads have all been renovated and have electric lighting systems. People have proactively cut down cat's eye trees, collected duckweed on rivers, canals, ditches...

Article and photos: Hoang The