On the cruise along the Mekong rowing against environmental pollution from Cambodia through Vietnam, on May 26th, 2011 Australian surfer Rob Kidnie along with his collaborators came to Tra Vinh and had a meeting with students from Tra Vinh University (TVU).
Under the slogan “water source, the source of life,” Rob had a talk with the students about the harmful effects of wastes, foam boxes, plastic bags, and plastic bottles …etc causing serious pollution to water sources, directly affecting the lives of thousands of animals and human health. Rob also showed the students the pictures taken during his trip with the foam boxes, plastic bottles, plastic bags, garbage floating around the river which cause serious pollution to water resource of the Mekong river. The athlete also shared a few basic principles in protecting ourselves from being contaminated water sources, such as not using plastic bags, plastic bottles, straws … etc and proposed replacing bags which can be re-used as eco-bags when buying food and using glass bottles when buying your own drinks
Rob has received many questions relating to his journey as well as people’s awareness about protecting water resources at the local areas where Rob was going through. After the talk, the students along with Rob picked up plastic bags, plastic bottles around Campus I. In the following journey, Rob would come to Can Tho and the journey would end in Ho Chi Minh City, and then he would return to Australia.
With meeting and exchanging with Rob Kidnide and the pictures which descibed Rob picked up plastic bags, plastic bottles on the Mekong during his journey has made an impact to the students of the university in raising awareness of water resource protection, environmental protection. Thereby TVU students would continue to campaign among friends and relatives to raise awareness of environmental sanitation and water sources to build a green, clean and beautiful planet
News & Photos: Thanh Son
