Green living from small things

After many years of organizing, the young people have decided to expand the list of products to include clothes, toys, old teddy bears, school bags, school supplies, old batteries, milk cartons, cans, and used plastic products with the desire to diversify the products to be exchanged. After receiving the exchange, the young people will classify the revenue, process it for recycling, and donate it to disadvantaged areas.

The idea came to him when he came to the disadvantaged communes, ethnic minority and mountainous areas in Gia Lai , Mr. Le Van Phuc - General Director of the Fly To Sky charity group, founder of the program, shared: "When I came to the disadvantaged communes, I saw that the students did not have books to go to school, and the number of books lent in school libraries was small. At that time, I was still a high school student, I felt that I was luckier than them and wanted to do something to share with the students. So I decided to launch the 'Exchange books for trees' program from 2019".

Sống xanh từ những điều nhỏ bé - Ảnh 1. — With tens of thousands of volunteers not only collecting books, clothes, and toys, but also connecting thousands of young hearts across Vietnam, sowing seeds for a sustainable future.

Initially, the program was implemented in Gia Lai, later the group of young people expanded to other provinces and cities, organizing 15 - 30 exchange points each year in provinces and cities.

After receiving, Fly To Sky will call on volunteers to participate in processing and classifying the revenue. Textbooks will be divided into sets by class and given to disadvantaged children at the beginning of the new school year. Reference books, stories... will be implemented in the "White Dove Bookcase" project to be given to libraries and bookcases in highland schools and social protection facilities. Reusing books not only helps to transfer knowledge but also helps to save costs for disadvantaged families, helping children access new books and stories, developing a community reading culture, and contributing to reducing the printing of additional books that use a lot of wood pulp each year.

In addition, products such as school bags, new notebooks, school supplies, toys, teddy bears and old clothes will be classified and donated to mountainous, border and difficult areas. Scrap paper of all kinds, cardboard boxes, old batteries, milk cartons, plastic bottles and used cans of all kinds will be collected and classified by young people to be sent to recycling plants and raised funds.

"The 'Exchange books for trees' model has been implemented for the past 7 years, each year collecting 10 - 20 tons of paper and books of all kinds, passing around 500 - 700 sets of textbooks and 5,000 - 10,000 books along with many donated bookcases and community libraries. Along with that, each year the program exchanges thousands of trees and environmentally friendly products. To date, the program has attracted more than 33,000 participants and exchanged more than 85 tons of books and paper," Mr. Van Phuc shared.

Sống xanh từ những điều nhỏ bé - Ảnh 2. — The program attracted a large number of people and young people to participate in support.

Talking about the memories of organizing the program, Nguyen Thi Cao Truong (student of Phan Boi Chau High School, Gia Lai province) shared: "Once we organized a point of exchange, we met a woman selling scrap metal. She kept pushing her cart past, then walked back and forth, then she came in and asked: 'Can you exchange the plastic bottles you just collected today, but please give me a set of books for my 9th grade child to go to school?'. After hearing that, I suddenly felt very sad. I asked her about her life. She shared that her family was renting a small room for 500,000 VND per month, every day collecting scrap metal to make a living and send her child to school. After hearing the story, I contacted the organizers and asked to give her books, and also give her gifts for her child to go to school."

Small actions, great meaning

me Duong Bich Ngoc - 11th grade student of Ly Nhan High School (Ly Nhan district, former Ha Nam province) - volunteer coordinator of Hanoi cluster shared: "This year, I immediately asked my mother's permission to move early from Ha Nam to Hanoi to volunteer to support the exchange point. I really hope to contribute a little effort so that old books can reach children in remote areas, and each tree I give will be a message of love, calling on everyone to protect the environment...".

Sống xanh từ những điều nhỏ bé - Ảnh 3. — "Exchanging books for trees" is an environment for thousands of volunteers to participate in every summer.

In 2025, the program will be held on weekends from May 24 to July 27 at more than 20 exchange points in Gia Lai, Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi , Can Tho, Lam Dong... After only the first 3 weeks, the program has received more than 3.5 tons of books, papers of all kinds, more than 5,300 old clothes, teddy bears, old toys, school supplies, school bags; more than 9,500 milk cartons, plastic bottles/cans, old batteries and many other products, attracting more than 2,000 volunteers to participate in support. In addition, dozens of propaganda articles on environmental protection have been posted by volunteers on the fanpage "Exchange books for trees" attracting many interactions, contributing to spreading the message of green living.

Following and supporting the program since the first seasons, Mr. Nguyen Hoang Nam (Gia Lai) said that every year he goes to the program's exchange points to exchange. He shared: "Participating in the program makes me believe that with just a small action, we have contributed to spreading love and hope to the community."

Ms. Tran Quynh Anh (HCMC) said: "Introduced by friends to the program 'Exchange books for trees', I guided my child to choose clothes that could no longer be worn, bring them to the exchange point and participate in recycling and decoration activities... I hope to be able to let my child do small, kind things and experience environmental protection activities with him."

Sống xanh từ những điều nhỏ bé - Ảnh 4. — Every book read, every potted plant cared for will continue to write new journeys, sowing seeds of knowledge and the desire for green living in the hearts of many people.

To date, Fly To Sky has built more than 150 bookcases and libraries, and donated more than 70,000 books and stories. "On the way home on weekends, I saw young people standing at the exchange points. Learning about the program, I found that this work has been maintained persistently and practically. I organized a call for colleagues to join hands to collect books and personal gifts to support. I believe that each book donated not only brings knowledge to community libraries, but also helps unite the staff, creating a culture of sharing and social responsibility in the office community," said Ms. Pham Hong Nguyen, a human resources specialist in Ho Chi Minh City.

In addition to "Exchanging books for trees", Fly To Sky also implements more than 30 practical projects in many fields such as: "Tet Passing Hands" - calling for donations of leftover candy after Tet to give to disadvantaged children at the border; "White Dove Bookcase" - bringing reading culture to the community; "Free Smile Class"; "Fly+ Healthbox" - bringing first aid skills and supporting first aid kits to the community; "Water Filter Soldier" - supporting clean water for schools and residential areas with polluted water sources... In 2024, the Fly To Sky charity group is one of 10 outstanding groups nationwide honored to receive the National Volunteer Award.