Vietnam’s cyber-youth are working together to live environmentally friendly lifestyles and help build a green Vietnam.

In an age where the “netizen” is a cultural leader and social change often begins on the Internet, a variety of online forums, websites and blogs have engaged youth around the world in the fight for environmental protection.

Vietnam is no exception.

The Vietnam Association for Nature and Environment Protection’s website www.c4evn.org has attracted large numbers of young people to its environmentally friendly activities including “green tours” and “green sports.”

Its Cycling for Environment (C4E) Club now has branches in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Hue, Da Lat, and the central coastal province of Khanh Hoa.

Doan Viet Tien, the club’s president, said the forum was established in late 2007 and now has some 100 young members and many older participants as well.

The forum hosts a variety of activities, but the most important are its Sunday meetings which include bike tours or community service trips where they clean up public places and raise awareness of the environmental protection movement, he said.

“Meetings are often joined by some 50 people,” said Tien, who is studying for an MA in Environmental Studies.

The website www.nhiethuyet.org is a forum established by a group of young people conducting an environmental project called Nhiet Huyet (Enthusiasm).

The project aims to spread knowledge about global warming and promote activities and solutions to cut down on emissions.

A major Nhiet Huyet initiative has been to distribute the documentary film “An Inconvenient Truth”, featuring former US Vice President Al Gore on the severity of climate change.

The Association of Clubs for Environmental Love, with member clubs at local universities, colleges, high schools and other localities, has also established a website at www.yeumoitruong.com.

An individual mover

Tran Minh Phat, who is attending an Information Technology master’s program at the HCMC University of Natural Sciences, writes about environmental issues on his Green Blog.

Phat often has entries about topics like how to use plastic bags and how to save power.

“The fact that environmental changes takes place everyday inspires me to write,” Phat said.

“I try to provide people with as much information about environmental friendly, green lifestyles and green technologies as possible. Whenever I read a comment on my blog, I feel good because there are people that have the same concerns as me.”

Such forums have become an effective way to educate young people about Vietnam’s new environmental problems, Tien said.

Green unity

But one of the reasons so much new energy has been generated in the environmental movement is the fact that things are bad and change is not easy.

“A blog on the environment like mine can’t attract as many readers as music or entertainment blogs or even chat and news websites,” said Phat. “Our green activities don’t have the bigger effects we want because our movement is still relatively weak and small in numbers.”

Stories and news articles about environmental problems are often dry and unappealing to most people, said Tien.

One post on a local environmental forum read: “Community activities for the environment in Vietnam are small and scattered. Most people consider solutions for living a green lifestyle too impractical.”

The lack of cohesion has inspired a group of young people to link various environmental sources with the Vietnam Going Green Coalition at www.vngoinggreen.wordpress.com.

With some 20 environmental websites, blogs and forums linked to the coalition, the group aims to boost awareness of the environmental movement.

“I am not alone anymore,” Phat said. “I’ve got more energy to contribute to the fight.”

Source: Tuoi Tre