EU Aid Volunteers from Five NGOs Launch “Green Starts Here” Campaign in Cambodia

Published: Jun 25, 2018 Reading time: 3 minutes
EU Aid Volunteers from Five NGOs Launch “Green Starts Here” Campaign in Cambodia
© Foto: pin cambodia

Did you know that in Phnom Penh alone, 10 million plastic bags are used every day? Did you know that plastic bags are used for about 5-20 minutes before being discarded, but it takes thousands of years for them to biodegrade? Did you know by 2050, it is estimated that there will be more plastic than fish in our oceans?

To shine a light on the issue of plastic pollution, EU Aid Volunteers (EUAVs) from ACTED, People In Need (PIN), DanChurch Aid (DCA), FinnChurch Aid (FCA) and Social Voluntary Group (GVC) are launching the Green Start Here campaign over the month of July. With support from Plastic Free Cambodia and GoGreen Cambodia, the campaign aims to raise awareness of the harmful effects of plastic pollution to the environment and encourage the public to adopt sustainable plastic-free solutions.

The Green Starts Here campaign especially encourages young people to share their ideas for tangible solutions on how to address the issue of plastic pollution. Throughout the month of July, leading organizations of this campaign will share tips and small changes individuals can make in their daily lives to reduce their use of plastic. Activities taking place under this campaign include:

Capacity Building of NGOs and Businesses

In partnership with Plastic Free Cambodia, a training will be provided to EUAVs, NGOs, as well as coffee shop businesses who are interested in addressing the issue of plastic dependence. The training will address the issue of plastic pollution in Cambodia and present tangible solutions to reduce plastic waste which can easily be adapted into everyday life.

Read the article in Khmer.

Street Clean-Up in BKK 1 – July 1, 2018 (7:00 AM – 9:00 AM)

In partnership with GoGreen Cambodia, the campaign will launch on Sunday, 1 July 2018 with an express street clean-up of plastics in BKK 1. Using the Go Green app, participants will walk around BKK 1 paying particular attention to collecting single-use plastics such as carrier bags, straws, stirrers, bottles, cup lids and Styrofoam boxes. Anyone and everyone is welcome to join the event, which will commence outside Farm to Table (No. 16, Street 360 BKK1) at 7:00 AM. The plastic collected will be used for an exciting surprise recyclable project.

#IWentGreen Facebook Challenge

The campaign includes a social media challenge called “#IWentGreen,” which invites participants to take a photo of one small action they have taken to reduce their plastic use. For a chance to win a Green Starts Here Beginners Pack prize, participants simply need to follow these three steps:

1. Take a photo or selfie showing an action you have taken to reduce plastic use

2. Share it on Facebook with the caption: #IWentGreen

3. Tag three other friends and challenge them to take one action that reduces their plastic consumption.

Three winners will be announced at the end of July.

Contact information

To keep up to date on the campaign, visit: https://www.facebook.com/actedcambodia/

For queries about the Green Starts Here campaign, please contact Jessica Sinclair at jessica.sinclair@acted.org

For media queries, please contact Samrawit Gougsa at samrawit.gougsa@peopleinneed.cz 


Autor: People in Need Cambodia

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