In his letter, Minister Ha wrote that he read and was touched by Linh’s letter calling for a back-to-school ceremony without balloons, an act which aims to protect the life of every creature on the planet against plastic waste pollution.
He hailed that Linh’s small action has created big and practical impacts for the Earth, expressing his hope for joint effort to promote a zero plastic school model.
Concluding his letter, Minister Ha wished that all Linh’s dreams come true and called on her and the younger generation to join hands to protect the environment for the future.
Earlier, Linh sent an email to headmasters of 40 schools in Hanoi to put an end to the ‘tradition’ of releasing balloons at back-to-school ceremonies.
In her letter, Linh wrote that when balloons are released into the sky, they can be accidentally swallowed by birds and other animals, blocking their digestive tract and causing them to die from hunger.
If the balloons end up in the ocean, sea turtles and other sea animals can mistake them for jellyfish.
Therefore, she suggested stopping balloon release or at least reducing the number of balloons to mark new academic year.
Replying to her letter, Nguyen Xuan Khang, the principal of Marie Curie School, said he agreed with her idea of no balloons at the new school year ceremony.
He also decided to name the opening ceremony of the 2019-2020 academic year after Linh, and hoped that more schools will follow this meaningful action.
