Saving the environment

Telling youngsters what they should do to preserve the environment is a good thing, but educating them through actions is better.

Around 50 young Bayer environmental "envoys" recently experienced how to preserve the environment from a model community that takes tackling the environmental crisis seriously.

To celebrate Earth Day on April 22, the reunion brought together former and present envoys nationwide to learn and share environmental know-ledge with locals in Tambon Bang Namphueng, Samut Prakan's Phra Pradaeng district that's famous for eco-tourism and environmental preservation, said Withaya Wichaya-rangsaridh, director of Bayer Thai and chairman of the programme.

Cleanliness

"Our community has strong regulations on maintaining cleanliness that local people have agreed to abide by. We do not allow vendors in Bang Namphueng floating market to use foam boxes. We encourage them to use as few plastic bags as possible and urge them to pack food with banana leaves. Also, we don't allow them to drop litter into the canal or in the market area and encourage tourists to act accordingly," said Samnao Rasamitat, head of the Tambon Bang Namphueng Administrative Organisation.

Samnao said the tambon's executives, including village heads, kamnans and the organisation's members, have planned to install grease traps at every residence before releasing wastewater into the canal and the river.

During the two-day reunion, the envoys planted trees, collected garbage from the canal, used effective microorganisms (EM) to clean the water and sold their used goods at the market, handing some of the money to the organisation to continue its green policies.

They were also lectured on the country's environmental situation and sustainable consumption.

"I was impressed by the locals' collaboration in helping to protect the environment. This community is really a good role model for others. To have support from the majority of people is very difficult, but the heads of the community have been successful in using psychology to attract locals to help preserve the environment," said Suthalak Pimsuparp, a 20-year-old envoy.

The programme is now inviting eligible high school or university students aged between 15 and 25 to join the Bayer Young Environmental Envoy Competition 2009, in which each of the five best envoys will be awarded Bt20,000 to carry out their winning projects in their communities; the winners will also have a chance to join an educational trip to Germany in November. Applications should be submitted by July 31.

Interested applicants can |download the application form and other details from www.bayer.co.th or call |(02) 6166749-50

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