Green and Clean
‘Green and Clean’ (G&C) is a small but successful, growing project out of Luang Prabang (LPB), Laos, educating students and teachers about the ever-growing problems of hygiene, health and the environment through garbage.
Today
Phetsamone Manola, collaborating with the LPB Library (LPBL), Children’s Cultural Center (CCC) as well as government schools in the area, continues to give classes for teachers and students using our program designed especially to answer the many questions about the problems heard about bad health and the ailing environment using our text book, ‘My Health & My Planet’ and activity book, ‘Me, My Health & My Planet’. The questions; What? Why? How? are answered with tactical examples and solutions to the problems such as plastic trash or slash and burn pollution. This summer Phetsamone was able to teach 50 teachers and 300 children, finishing up the course with a visit to the local dump. A real eye opener for all!
As Laos continues to grow, automatically, so does consumption. Like everywhere else in the world, fast food and driving cars replacing homemade meals and bicycling (as was their norm) leads to negative health changes. Plastic, regarded as ‘modern’ replaces natural fibers and therefore the non-recyclable garbage grows without a recycling plan.
There are several Lao organizations working towards finding solutions to the many problems. We are very pleased that Phetsamone has been invited to these discussions and to the table with government officials from several districts to present our work.
Phetsamone Manola, a trained nurse and directress of the Friends of the Pha Tad Khe Association is dedicated to the people and the natural environment of Laos.
History
After the 2019 success of the pilot project ‘Don’t Waste Your Waste’ (conducted with a textbook made in Cambodia from the EXO Foundation), held in the LPB Library, we created a text book redesigned especially for the Lao people, ‘My Health and My Planet’. In doing so during the Covid pandemic, we were able to give several people jobs during the lockdowns. Phetsamone began an outreach program around LPB. To follow parallel to the classroom exercises, we created a children’s activity book ‘Me, My Health and My Planet’. The theme; understanding the problems of plastic garbage and one’s personal development and health.
Impressions
Summer Program at the Luang Prabang Public Library and the Children’s Cultural Center:
Teachers Training in Luang Prabang Public Library:
Final – Excursion to LPB Garbage Dump:
