Flocks of “Green Birds” have just flown into Bangkok, Thailand!
Earth Day, the 22nd April, marks our first official cleaning in the name of Green Bird Bangkok!
Green Bird was first established in Tokyo, Japan in 2003 as a volunteer organization that removes
litter from the streets and spreads anti-litter messages. With its open atmosphere of free
participation and trendiness, it has since gained popularity throughout Tokyo and now, worldwide.
All of us, with the same goals in mind, are more than honored to be given the chance to take part
in developing a greener home in the bustling city of Bangkok.
We would like to express our utmost appreciation to our guests. Thank you Mr. Keisuke Fukuda
for the congratulatory message, Ms. Masako Tsuruta for helping us get in touch with the
Japanese Embassy of Thailand, Mr. Shigeki Kobayashi and Dr. Teerakiat Jareonsettasin for
blessing us with your time and presence at SiamScape, Bangkok. And of course, all staff
members from NewHayo Club of The Newton Sixth Form School, along with participants
who joined us with lifted spirits, contributing to the cheery atmosphere throughout the event.
With Covid-19 regulations in mind, the opening ceremony lasted for not too long. Then, over
a hundred participants were distributed into groups and headed for different cleanup sites.
Despite the burning summer heat, sweat pouring down our faces dampening our shirts,
we made fond memories of one another by helping each other remember which type of litter
goes where and starting conversations with those we’ve never met. The litters tend to be hidden
in bushes, between the fences, and in areas quite hard to spot. This requires everyone to go
the extra mile to look for them in places which might have been overlooked during regular
cleanings. Since we had students from Grade 6 to those already in their senior year of
high school, we saw how Green Bird Bangkok was able to kindle such meaningful dynamics
across different age groups.
Our 1st Green Bird Bangkok event brought students, parents and supervisors from The Newton
Sixth Form School, The Essence School, and The Open School together for the very first time.
We witnessed the bonds we never knew were there: ones between members of sister schools
and ones between (pre-) teens and their concerns for the environment.
We have received overwhelmingly positive feedback from our participants, expressing
their sincere excitement and thankfulness for this program. We wish that this new start,
although small, would bring about significant change to our Siam community, in terms of
mindset, action and awareness for our environment.
