Youth asked to live simply

Buddhist leader Gyalwang Drukpa - head of the Drukpa Order - was the guest of honour of the event, which was co-organised by 350 Vietnam organization and Vietnam Young Drukpa Association Vietnam.

Living Simple - the event drew the participation of hundreds of Vietnamese young. They had the chance to hear about the art of living happily, the advantages of protecting the environment, and the secret of living simply. The message is all about riding bicycles, eating vegetarian food, saving electricity, planting trees, restricting the use of plastic bags, saving water and using optimal air conditioners and recycled products.

The promotion the simple and environmentally-friendly lifestyle encourages youngsters to protect the environment and also their future.

"I found it interesting to join this programme where you can recycle everything. For example, you can use drinking water bottle for planting trees and for many other purposes." - Kim Nhi, Student, HCMC University of Agriculture and Forestry

"These are simple acts but have a positive impact on the environment. We hope that young people will practice them more in life so that we can together protect the environment." - Ho Thi Cam Nhu, Co-ordinator, Change Project, 350 Vietnam

The Living Simple campaign was initiated by Gyalwang Drukpa– the head of the Drukpa Buddhist sect, and also an environmental and humanitarian activist. He is acknowledged for his practical actions on environmental protection, gender equality, education and health aid and heritage reservation.

The month-long Living Simple campaign concluded on October 5^th. It aims to create awareness and compassion among the Vietnamese community, especially young people, about environmental protection through simplifying individual needs and reducing the impact on the environment./.