Cultivating "green seeds"

Information about the "Green Voice" debate contest launched by the Green Future Fund - Vingroup Corporation officially started season 2 and has received great attention from not only high school students but also experts in many fields.

Associate Professor, Dr. Ho Thi Thanh Van, Director of the Institute for Research and Development of Advanced Agricultural Biology, Nguyen Tat Thanh University, emphasized that young people are the "seeds" that will contribute to changing the long-term future.

"The more aware you are of the problem, the more practical action you will take to protect the environment and reduce the impact of climate change," she said.

Therefore, the Green Voice contest is likened by Associate Professor Dr. Thanh Van to a "nursing place" for "green seeds".

“We want a green environment, we plant forests. Similarly, we want a green future, we need to plant people,” she said.

Agreeing with this opinion, Prof. Dr. Nguyen Thi Kim Cuc from the Faculty of Chemistry and Environment, Thuy Loi University affirmed: "The core of environmental protection lies in the awareness and attitude of each person. When love for the environment is nurtured from an early age, it will become instinctive."

Prof. Dr. Nguyen Thi Kim Cuc (third from right) speaks in the competition season 1.

"Incubation" with new methods

Professor Kim Cuc emphasized that in the context of modern society, especially with the rapid development of technology, environmental education and communication methods also need to be innovated to be more suitable for the younger generation.

She believes that the Green Voice contest has done this by creating a creative, fair and appropriate playground for the current context.

"The Green Voice Contest is very suitable and timely in reaching the young generation with a new method," commented Prof. Dr. Kim Cuc. "I appreciate the idea, goals and scale of the program when it has created conditions for high school students from all regions to participate," she added.

Professor Kim Cuc recounted the story of a contestant from a continuing education school in a remote area of ​​the Mekong Delta in season 1. "Although the conditions and circumstances were not as favorable as those of her peers in big cities, she was still confident in participating in the competition alone and fiercely defended her ideas," she said.

Meanwhile, Associate Professor Dr. Thanh Van commented that Green Voice is a place to help the young generation develop knowledge, "incubate seeds" to turn into practical actions in the future.

She recounted that in the first round of the competition, many contestants had very good initial ideas but did not know how to logically arrange them to propose a convincing project. However, with just a few ideas and instructions, they became different versions overnight. They could defend their projects and confront other teams very quickly in a short time without any hesitation. That is also a testament to the efforts and determination of the contestants who came to the competition with a passion and responsibility for protecting the environment.

"I feel very happy to witness the remarkable growth of the young people in just a short time, through each round of competition. They have shown the true spirit of green pioneers as the program's message in season 1," said Associate Professor Dr. Thanh Van.

Practical value

What surprised Associate Professor Dr. Thanh Van the most when participating in season 1 was the spirit of practical action of some young people on environmental issues.

"I remember a petite 11th grade girl who came up with the idea of ​​recycled materials and environmentally friendly materials. At that time, I asked her if she really understood and used this product?" The girl's answer then surprised Associate Professor Dr. Thanh Van.

"She said that the shoes she was wearing to the competition were made from recycled materials. At that moment, I understood that she chose this topic not only because she understood the nature but also because it was related to everyday life," she said.

Associate Professor, Dr. Ho Thi Thanh Van directly advised students in season 1 of the competition.

One of the greatest values ​​that the Green Voice contest brings is the ability to turn knowledge learned in school into practical solutions and models that can be applied to life.

"You will have access to resources to turn ideas into action, orientation and step by step nurturing practical solutions, from policy, propaganda to technological solutions," Associate Professor Thanh Van emphasized.

Meanwhile, commenting on season 1, Professor Kim Cuc said that some participating projects were feasible and could be applied in practice. However, according to her, it is necessary to frankly admit that some ideas still have limitations.

"You have passion and love, but you still need to cultivate and practice to gain more knowledge, skills and a comprehensive perspective," she said.

That is also the reason why Prof. Dr. Kim Cuc and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Thanh Van will continue to participate in season 2 as members of the Expert Council to "pass on the torch" to the younger generation.

"With the dynamism of the young generation, our mission is to accompany and guide them on the right path, overcoming difficulties and pressures during their student years," Associate Professor, Dr. Thanh Van said.

According to her, young people's ideas are like "seeds". "When we plant a seed, if we take care of it properly, it will grow into a tree. It may take time for the tree to bear fruit, but the important thing is that we have planted and nurtured it," she said.

She also encouraged young people, with the support of resources from the second season of the program, to gradually develop and realize their projects.

"When you enter university, you can develop your ideas right away, you don't have to wait until you graduate to start making practical contributions," she suggested.

Meanwhile, Professor Kim Cuc hopes that participating in the second season of the competition can become a "push" in the lives of young people who are still hesitant, to build an environmentally friendly lifestyle and move towards sustainable development.

"When participating in Green Voice, don't worry about whether your idea is 'ripe' or not. Be bold and confident. We will support your idea to become more complete and have the opportunity to be realized," she emphasized.

The Green Future Foundation – Vingroup Corporation has just officially launched the Green Voice debate contest season 2 for high school students nationwide with a total prize value of more than 18.5 billion VND. The registration deadline is from now until 23:59 on October 31, 2024. Candidates can see the detailed rules of the contest and continue to register to participate via the official portal: https://talkgreenfuture.net, which is open until 23:59 on October 31, 2024.