Organized between Oct 7, 2009 and Nov 8, 2009 by Sharp Ideas Ltd. in cooperation with the UNESCO Center of International Cultural Relations and the Youth Cultural House, the Green City 2009 campaign aims first to make HCMC public areas clean, green and comfortable for living and, in the long run, to cultivate and develop a Think Green–Live Green lifestyle among urban dwellers.

In its first year running, the campaign has thus far been well supported by more than 1,000 volunteers – from high school students, office workers to local environmentalists – as well as the Department of Culture, Sport and Tourism and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment..

In addition to such popular public participation, Miss Fashion of Miss Earth 2007 Truong Tri Truc Diem, Green City 2009’s ambassadress, has also helped attract substantial attention from the mass media, various youth groups and targeted neighborhoods under the campaign. More than six television and radio stations have provided extensive coverage of the campaign, with tentative plan to rebroadcast the Green City 2009 footage on their environment listings.

“The large turnout at the Green City 2009 kick-off event lives up to our expectation,” Mr. Phan Minh Tuan, Planning Director of Sharp Ideas and Green Project Ambassador of UNESCO-CEP expressed.

Each weekend, thousands of volunteers, mainly from vietnamxanh club, gather to pick up liter at public parks, on the streets or in wet markets across HCMC. They have expressly wished to continue with this weekly activity until the next Green City. Neighborhood households have also become interested in such community work and indicated participate in the second campaign.

To date, up to 500 benches have been delivered daily by Sharp Ideas to selected hospitals, schools and parks in HCMC. Fast-growing shade trees, planted at the Park of History and Culture of the People as part of Green City 2009, will soon provide more refreshing shelter to the bustling HCMC. In addition, the Youth Cultural House exterior will, by the end of November, 2009, be donning a new look after Akzo Nobel’s repaint.

“A small change in mindset will certainly bring about considerable improvement in city environment. However, it always takes a very long time and concerted efforts to cultivate a Think Green–Live Green lifestyle. I would, on behalf of the Green City 2009 organizer, like us to continue with the campaign success and further increase awareness among city dwellers of a green imperative in the coming years,” said Ms. Nguyen Thi My Hanh, Director of UNESCO-CEP.

Sharp Ideas, together with UNESCO-CEP, is planning to eventually expand the Green City campaign across Vietnam, recruiting up to 100,000 young volunteers for the ultimate objective of a green country. It is the company’s vision that, with the generous support of the HCMC People’s Committee as well as widespread public participation, a green and clean Vietnam will materialize in the near future.

“I would like to express my appreciation on Sharp Ideas’ efforts to make Green City a success in HCMC. Encouraged by the positive response, the team would like to carry out a similar project in Hanoi next January,” Mr. Samie Cashmiri, Business Manager of Akzo Nobel, shared.