Keep the green from the hands of the sea people

Every day, Ms. Huynh Thi Thu Van diligently collects each bottle and can that the people of Can Gio commune contribute to the "Green Donation" model. "Don't let trash go to the sea," she said, her voice gentle but determined. In this land where the forest and sea meet, each hand of the people is preserving the green color as if it were preserving their own lives.

In Can Gio, the green color comes not only from the mangrove and mangrove forests stretching far and wide, but also from the hands of the coastal people who work every day to cultivate and preserve their homeland. With the support of the Commune Front, seemingly small things like cleaning up trash on the beach, planting more trees, and keeping the roads clean have become beautiful ways of life, spreading the green color of love to the estuary.

Members of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Can Gio commune and social organizations participate in tree planting. Photo: CAN GIO

Environmental protection must start from the small roof.

On the green bus from Binh Khanh ferry to Can Thanh town, the road seems to open up in an endless green area. On both sides are interwoven mangrove forests, and the roofs of riverside houses appear and disappear behind the foliage. The breath from Long Tau river carries the salty taste of the sea breeze and the echoes of the land that was once soaked with sweat and achievements, now stretching out in a peaceful green color.

Stepping out of Can Thanh bus station, right in front of your eyes are banners: "Putting trash in the bin is a demonstration of civilized urban lifestyle", "Keeping the streets green - clean - beautiful is the responsibility of every citizen". These slogans are not simply reminders, but part of the thinking and lifestyle of the people here. In Can Gio, the environment is not only a living space but also a source of pride, because they understand that they are preserving the "green lungs" of Ho Chi Minh City.

We met Ms. Huynh Thi Thu Van (born in 1969), Head of the Women's Association of Can Gio Commune. Her skin was tanned, her hair was covered with frost, but her smile was always bright and kind. In her hands was a thick stack of work documents, like the crystallization of more than twenty years of being involved with the local movement.

“We coastal women do not go out to sea to cast nets like men, but everyone understands that protecting the environment must start from our own small homes.” With that awareness, about 5 years ago, she and other women in the commune joined the Women's Club on Climate Change with the support of the local Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee.

The club currently has about twenty core members, divided into five hamlets, both mobilizing and setting an example for the people. Every quarter, the members meet once to listen to Can Gio protective forest officers instruct on climate change and response skills, then discuss what their hamlet should do and what more is needed. In this way, the core members both mobilize and set an example for other families. From sorting waste at source, limiting plastic bags, to sustainable consumption, teaching children to love nature, all activities start with small but persistent things.

Ms. Huynh Thi Thu Van meticulously collects each can that people give to the "Green Donation" model. Photo: CAM NUONG

“The difficulty is how to make environmental protection a habit, not just a temporary movement. But women are very persistent, a little bit every day will become a habit,” she said, then smiled and bent down to pick up a few beer cans and plastic bottles in the donation box for the “Green Donation” model. This amount of scrap, the Club mobilized people to join hands to contribute and collect more through each cleaning session in parks, canals and ditches. After that, the club sold it to raise funds, to support poor households in the commune. A small gesture, but it brightened the love of Can Gio women.

From the lifestyle movement

Those persistent efforts are vivid evidence of the results of implementing the Resolution of the Congress of the Vietnam Fatherland Front of Can Gio commune for the 2024-2029 term, in which emulation movements and campaigns "All people unite to build new rural areas and civilized urban areas" have truly come into life. The commune Front has coordinated with organizations to mobilize people to promote the spirit of self-management in residential areas, contributing to maintaining security and order, preventing crime, protecting the environment and responding to climate change.

These results also create a foundation for the commune to enter a new term with many more specific and clear goals. The Resolution of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Congress of Can Gio commune for the 2025-2030 term sets out an action program with the content of "Motivating all classes of people to compete, work creatively, participate in socio- economic development, build and protect the Fatherland". In particular, Can Gio determined to continue promoting the campaign "All people unite to build new rural areas, civilized urban areas", building "Bright - Green - Clean - Beautiful" residential areas.

Secretary of the Can Gio Commune Party Committee Nguyen Ngoc Vu shared that keeping this land green is not just a slogan or a resolution, but the work of each citizen, each organization, each group. He said that the Commune Front must be the connecting nucleus, so that each patriotic emulation movement or local socio-economic development program, each cultural residential area is associated with the goal of "green - civilized - modern - affectionate".

Giving flowers to households responding to "Clean houses, beautiful alleys, blooming neighborhoods". Photo: CAN GIO

Sowing "green" from each residential area

Entering the 2025-2030 term, the Can Gio Commune Front has clearly defined its direction: turning the movements of "All people unite to build new rural areas and civilized urban areas" into concrete actions in each residential area. Accordingly, the commune aims to have at least three typical flower works by the end of 2025; by 2028, that number will be twelve, and by 2030, each hamlet will have at least one flower work bearing the local mark. On that journey, organizations join hands to contribute: youth with "Flower Road", women with "Self-managed Flower Alley", farmers with "Garden around the house", veterans with "Exemplary Veteran Flower Road", or colorful balconies of the movement "Clean House, Beautiful Alley, Flowering Neighborhood".

At the same time, the commune also calls on every citizen, every household, whether they are officials, civil servants, farmers, traders or students, to start with small actions such as planting a flower pot, taking care of a green area, cleaning an alley to together create a Can Gio commune full of colorful flowers, contributing to building and spreading the brand "City of colorful flowers", symbolizing a green, friendly and modern urban area.

CAM NUONG

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/giu-mau-xanh-tu-nhung-ban-tay-dan-bien-post819590.html