The green journey of Mi Tom Xanh Club
During the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic at the beginning of this year, Ms. Vu Thi Thao, Teacher at Vinschool Times City High school, initiated the establishment of Mi Tom Xanh (Instant Noodle Packaging for Recycling) Club for her students to collect, process and recycle instant noodle packaging into useful products. All proceeds from the sale of these products go to the COVID-19 Prevention and Control Foundation and to the difficult circumstances featured in the “The Loving Leaves” show (meaning: A whole leaf covers torn ones).
On September 05, that initiative earned the Club a third prize at the final of the Youth Initiative Competition “To Blue the Blue” jointly held by the Vietnam National Model ASEAN Meeting (VNMAM) and the ASEAN Foundation for candidates aged 16-25 across the country.
Teacher Vu Thi Thao and her students, including Ho Quynh Anh (Vinschool Times City High school), Nguyen Phuong Linh (Vinschool The Harmony High school), and Pham Gia Tung (Xuan Dinh High school), represented Mi Tom Xanh Club at the competition.
Make a new ending for discarded instant noodle packaging
Instead of finding itself in the trash can or surviving centuries for being non-biodegradable waste, the discarded instant noodle packaging now starts a new life thanks to the creativity and love for the environment of Mi Tom Xanh Club. Looking at the eye-catching, durable handbags and decorations made by this club, you will be taken aback by the fact that the materials are absolutely unrecognizable.
Some creative products made from instant noodle packaging by Mi Tom Xanh Club
Those products come into being thanks to the great efforts that Teacher Thao, Vinsers and Mi Tom Xanh collaborators invest in 4 stages, specifically collecting discarded instant noodle packaging from the community, cleaning and processing it, creating threads for weaving, and finally designing and completing products. It is noteworthy that all excess materials will be supplied to a project for producing construction materials from recycled plastics called “Waste is Gold”. Accordingly, all the waste is directly processed instead of being discharged into the environment.
All proceeds from the sale of recycled products are used for charitable purposes.
Most importantly, all proceeds from the sale of recycled products are used to support those in need. Customers will pay for what they want by making bank transfers to the COVID-19 Prevention and Control Foundation and to “The Loving Leaves” show’s bank accounts to share the burden with students from financially disadvantaged backgrounds. In the coming time, the club members will pass their know-how to the children at different Centers for Social Protection.
Small action, great influence
Starting out as a small online group, Mi Tom Xanh Club now has 20 core members who are Vinsers and students from other high schools in Hanoi, along with more than 100 collaborators of various ages from all over the country.
Speaking about the inspiration for the idea of establishing Mi Tom Xanh Club, Teacher Vu Thi Thao recalled “During times of social distancing, Vinschool launched the Spirit Week with the Recycling Day which challenged Vinsers to create useful products from plastic waste. I realized that instant noodles were widely consumed, so a huge amount of packaging was discarded whereas it was durable and eye-catching. That made me determined to try something new, which was founding Mi Tom Xanh Club and calling upon my students to join”.
After making its presence known on the social network, the project instantly captured much attention of Vinsers and the community: posts getting more than 600 shares, demand outstripping supply, number of members and collaborators from all over the country being on the rise every single day.
“We collect instant noodle packaging from residential areas, classmates, schoolmates, and our collaborators. Now we have a massive amount of it. Thanks to everyone’s trust and support, the habit of keeping instant noodle packaging for recycling has gradually been built among the public. That helps reduce waste discharged into the environment in general and to the ocean in particular”, shared Nguyen Phuong Linh, Class 10A9, Vinschool The Harmony High school.
Despite many challenges getting in the way such as interruption due to the pandemic, lack of weavers, improper tearing, etc., the whole club tried their best to realize their utmost goals, which are “to blue the blue – make the Earth a greener place”, and to support the community.
Congratulations go to the initial success of Mi Tom Xanh Club and wish them a forever burning passion for making green products.
