Vietnamese Government Endorses BYEE Project

The “Green Maths Book” was devised and developed by Nguyen Thi Thanh Thao, a student from Ho Chi Minh University of Social Science and Humanity, as part of the Bayer Young Environmental Envoy 2010 program. The book uses numerical examples and maths exercises to illustrate environmental issues. These are based on real figures, for example the amount of garbage that is produced each month in Ho Chi Minh City, and thus make the learning experience more relevant to children’s lives.

Nguyen Thi Thanh Thao went on to win the global “Bayer Young Environmental Leader” award during the field trip to Leverkusen in November 2010. With the support from the award, she has continued to work on the book to make it more comprehensive, more attractive and more fun for children. She has also been able to arrange to have it printed for mass distribution. With the voluntary support of a local professional book editor, the “Green Maths Book” has now been made into 9 booklets designed to meet the abilities and interests of 6 to 14-year-olds. The first three booklets for 6, 7 and 8-year-olds should be on the shelves in book stores within the next few weeks.

According to the representative of Department of Education and Training, the book is a fantastic initiative for children, considering that Vietnam is one of the countries most heavily affected by climate change. Changes in people’s behavior are essential to push back the current threats to the environment and to protect it from further damage. The book not only provides valuable lessons to children but also offers their parents food for thought on how to inspire their children to love and protect nature.