In Vietnam, there is a cultural habit of littering, and the garbage has a good chance of winding up into the sea.

The country is in need of more community-focused efforts to clean up the garbage and Australis’ Vietnam employees are taking matters into their own hands.

On August 3 and August 30, team members self organized onshore and offshore coastal cleanups in an effort to reclaim more garbage than they produce. The aim is to strengthen the awareness of environmental protection both within the company and in the Van Phong Bay community, where Australis practices offshore Climate-Smart Ocean Farming to raise barramundi. The effort, nicknamed Green Day, will be an ongoing monthly clean-up effort.

One the biggest reasons why people litter in the first place is that there’s a lack of rubbish bins to dispose of waste properly. To address this problem, the farm has installed three types of garbage cans in multiple locations to separate garbage from recycling. Employees will also expand their cleanup activities beyond the farm’s shoreline to nearby shorelines, getting local schools and the community involved.

“[Green Day] is a meaningful activity. It shows people’s responsibility toward the natural environment, especially the fish farming environment. It also creates great unity among employees and spreads the awareness of the importance of environmental protection to the local community,” says Hue Tran, an Australis employee.

We’ll continue to follow and document the Green Day efforts in this blog and also our our Facebook page.