Communication in Zero Waste school in Danang city, Vietnam!
Written by Nga Nguyen, Center for Adaptive Capacity Building Research (CAB)
Communication is the key measure used to solve many problems in our country. The Center for Adaptive Capacity Building Research (CAB) thus decided to develop a communication strategy for the Zero Waste Cities program in Danang city to improve the community’s waste management practices.
Using participatory methods, Communication Behavior Change Skills trainings were provided to teachers in the Hoa Phu primary school.
About the communication training sessions
During the training sessions, the teachers analyzed the students’ behaviors regarding waste. Specifically, we looked at why the students used a lot of single-use plastics, why they did not sort waste, and why they did not reuse or recycle. Through assessing the students’ practices and attitudes, the teachers recognized that it would be difficult to see any behavioral changes if they were only providing information. Behavioral change would be difficult to create just by raising awareness about waste. We therefore discussed not only the role of knowledge regarding waste but also the importance of recognizing one’s context, such as the support of family and society in shaping one’s consumption and waste generating behaviors.
We also came to an agreement that in terms of information, it is necessary to focus on the effects of plastics on health. In order for students to sort their waste more effectively, the number of waste bins on school grounds were increased, and labels for each waste type were affixed on these bins; the recyclable waste buyers were studied to choose the suitable one; and the meetings with students’ parents to coordinate in waste reduction were discussed with teachers.
Both direct forms of communication and indirect form of communication channels are used in the area. For the teachers, this was an effective way to disseminate information about proper waste management practices. So far, the information about waste was prepared and broadcast on loud speakers and shown through instructional video clips developed for the students. However, the teachers shared that they did not have a way to determine whether the students understood what the information meant, or whether they agreed with the recommendations in the communication materials or not. The teachers also considered that more direct communication would be hard for them to execute because it would be the first time they will apply this method. Nevertheless, they still continued their efforts to help their students reduce waste.
The teachers also learned how to produce behavioral communication materials that they could use with their students during group communication activities in class. The teachers shared that it was an interesting experience for them to teach this topic. They learned how to create an opening story for a communication session, develop a set of questions to help students discuss the topic, think about responses in advance, and facilitated the process for students to strategize on how to reduce waste. For the teachers, the skill of communicating to enact behavioral change was a new skill for them. Before this, they had yet to encounter these skills and methods.
Right after everything was prepared, the teachers were ready to provide the communication sessions for students. Unfortunately, Covid came! Therefore the teachers had to adjust and instead delivered the group communication sessions virtually.
Significant results despite difficulties
Starting April 1st, the students finally returned back to school after four months of online schooling. The teachers suddenly informed us that there had been changes observed among the students! They shared that the students have improved how they sorted waste, and that there was a significant reduction in the disposal of single-use plastics. Now, the amount of plastic waste generated in the school waste bins is just a small percentage compared to the full waste bins before. It is not only the teachers that observed this. Even the cleaners were glad to share with us this anecdote: “The behavior communication has helped us very much, our work is not as hard as before.”
The pupils have been receiving the communication sessions for only for 4 months. The teachers believe however that the behavioral changes will not be sustainable if they stop monitoring the students to maintain their new behaviors to reduce waste. In addition, the teachers also need to continue monitoring the behaviors of their students to identify obstacles that keep students from using single-use plastics to develop strategies to eliminate the use altogether.
Primary School Hoa Phu is the first school CAB has worked with to apply behavior change communication in Zero Waste. We believe that behavior change communication is the solution to social problems. If students and teachers are able to participate in the activities, they themselves will identify the problems, its root causes, and find the appropriate solutions.
In youth, there is hope
During the focus group discussions on Zero Waste at the new schools, we collected many stories that helped us as we continued our work on Zero Waste. In one meeting, a little girl shared her idea with us about how she didn’t want to learn only theories but that she also wanted to practice waste reduction herself and to discuss with her teacher how to do it properly.
In another meeting, a teacher proudly shared that the “environmental drumming” activity was being held very successfully every Wednesday morning for the past four years. He would continue to organize this activity without any adjustments. However, a little boy stood up right after his teacher finished their presentation and said, “For me, this activity is boring. We often avoid participating in it. I want to change the activity to something more attractive for us, rather than just coming to sweep the yard and weeding once a week.” In recent meetings, we raised the question “What is the best way for the students and teachers to increase their understanding of reducing plastic waste?”. It is really interesting that both of them answered “We like the way you did it with us today! Today we recognized that we were not yet familiar with many things related to waste and plastic waste.”
If we ourselves really participated in the activities, we would have also found the obstacles they were facing when it came to waste reduction. During an environment festival at a school, we saw many beautiful products displayed at the recycling booth. However we found that most of the materials made into products were not made out of waste but from new materials! What did the students think about their teachers when they were taught like that? All those inputs are useful for us to plan a Zero Waste school project. We do hope that together with the KAP survey for teachers and students and the waste audits conducted at the schools, an effective plan will be developed.
Zero Waste communication is easier, together
CAB is executing several efforts to mobilize local organizations working on Zero Waste to implement a two-way communication approach called behavioral change communication. This means that we do not stop at providing information, but we also discuss with the target group and come to a decision to change our audience’s practices and behaviors. In the future, we plan to train facilitators who provide Zero Waste communication on this same two-way approach. We hope that the core members of the Women’s Union and Youth’s Union and other mass organizations are able to do their Zero Waste Communication efforts more effectively. Together, Zero Waste will not be too hard to achieve!
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Nga Nguyen has been the Deputy Director of the Center for Adaptive Capacity Building (CAB) since 2019. CAB became a member of the Vietnam Zero Waste Alliance (VZWA) in 2020, and has implemented the Zero Waste Schools Movement and Zero Waste Cities in Danang, funded by the Plastics Solutions Fund, in collaboration with GAIA. In addition, CAB also has participated in the WWF’s projects of Free Plastic Waste Schools as a consultant and other activities related to waste reduction in the city.
