The International Sustainability Project between TVU and Swinburne is continued to implement this year, on January 10th. Academics and students from Swinburne University of Technology (Australia) team up with TVU students to develop strategies for environmental protection.
“This is the second year Green Project is implemented. This demonstrates the commitment of the two Universities for sustainable development,” said Mr. Tran Van Trong, TVU’s Vice Rector, in his welcoming speech to kick off the Green Campus project. This program lasts 2 weeks in Tra Vinh city.
Seventeen Swinburne students majored in different disciplines including Biotechnology, Chemistry, Community Health, Biomedical, Design, Film, Business, and Sustainable Development have participated in this project.
Students from Swinburne and TVU form into six groups to survey the environmental situation on TVU’s Campus One to write proposals for the Rector to consider.
In addition to these activities, 34 students of the two Universities participate in community activities such as collecting waste at Ba Om Pond. They provide the orphanage with computers and build a playground for children. They also help farmers to harvest peanuts at Duyen Hai district.
The Swinburne team leader, environmental chemist Dr. Francois Malherbe, said: “Swinburne students have a chance to interact with the real environment in a remote province that is very different from that of Australia, so it helps them to enrich their knowledge.”
Vietnam-Australia students harvest peanuts
He said after the greatly successful Green Campus program last year, Dr François Malherbe and Dr Vivienne Waller of Swinburne University, and Dr Ho-Dac Tuc of TVU School of Foreign Languages had presented two discussion papers at the 14th International ACTS (Australasian Campuses Towards Sustainability) Conference in November 2014 in Australia.
The international universities participated in this Conference studied the environmental protection activities of Tra Vinh University as a reference model to boost environmental awareness in a developing country.
The Green Campus project was launched byTVU’s Rector when he signed the Talloires Declaration in October 2013.
English news by Pham Thi Diem Thi
