The green ideas that are worth appreciating
By Song Nguyen - The Saigon Times Daily
HCMC - The Saigon Times Top 40 Awards 2009 organizer has received hundreds of nominations from foreign-invested enterprises (FIE) nationwide since the launch on October 29 of the Awards.
The Saigon Times Daily has reported on some eminent green ideas from the nominees over the past two months to create a chance for other companies to reflect on them while going about their daily chores.
The annual event has attracted more attention of the foreign-invested sector thanks to a fresh development in its seventh year. Unlike in the previous years when the Awards were meant for 40 best-performing FIEs in four southern provinces – HCMC, Binh Duong, Dong Nai and Ba Ria-Vung Tau, the Awards are now open to candidates nationwide.
The list of nominees and self-nominees is getting longer as the participating FIEs are eagerly looking forward to winning the Awards for their unique green ideas and action plans.
The “Green Values” theme chosen for the Awards this year has come out of the general consensus on the urgent needs for responsible action in the corporate sector to make the environment green and return what has been taken from it.
This explains the Vietnam Environment Administration (VEA) of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment and the Foreign Investment Agency (FIA) of the Ministry of Planning and Investment have endorsed the Awards for this meaningful goal.
Sharing the view of the organizing board for the non-profit Awards, comprising The Saigon Times Daily and The Saigon Times Weekly - the English-language publications of the Saigon Times Group, top VEA and FIA officials say the theme responds to global efforts for coping with climate change and national programs for protecting the environment.
Therefore, the criteria of the Awards underline the importance of the eco-friendly, innovative ideas that have been applied effectively and benefited those having applied these ideas as well as the community.
Almost all candidates say environmental protection is part of their commitments to maintaining a long-term socially responsible presence and to this end, they have mapped out sustainable development plans.
They say what they have done include reforestation, tree planting in public places, and raising awareness of environmental protection among staff through training programs, and garbage collection.
Albert Low, chief executive officer of My Duc Ceramics , says the “Ask for a difference” slogan applies to production and the environment in which the company has been operational for more than a decade. The tiles manufacturer has been embracing a green production process since it commissioned its factory in Tan Thanh District in the southern province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau.
Unlike many other companies which dump untreated water into a canal or river, My Duc Ceramics recycles wastewater for making tiles whose quality is maintained. For the Vietnam-Singapore Industrial Park (VSIP) in Binh Duong Province, it wants to be a green and clean industrial park model in the country with strict regulations on environmental protection adopted since its establishment in 1996.
Phu My 3 BOT Power has established a fund to reward employees who stand out in efforts to improve safety and the environment in and outside the company. The CEO of the company, Do Ba Canh, says, “By doing this, we want to encourage others to follow suit for the benefit of the environment.”
At its plant in Ba Ria-Vung Tau, the company has a system in place to monitor employees’ acts of classifying waste in compliance with the health, safety and environmental audit schedule.
To help reduce carbon dioxide emissions by power stations, especially those running on coal, Norfolk Mansion, a serviced luxury apartment property in downtown HCMC, has invested more than VND2 billion (US$112,000) in a solar water heating system to cut electricity consumption.
The above eco-friendly ideas and the many others that are not mentioned in this article are well worth highlighting, appreciating and recognizing.