Put trash... on the dining table

We met Hanh Phuc (36 years old) again after nearly 90 minutes of traveling from the center of Ho Chi Minh City to his farm in Nhon Trach district (Dong Nai province). With the navigation map in hand, we were still struggling, lost among the rice fields, canals, and small winding roads, filled with construction dust...

"I run fast every day, so I'm used to it", Hanh Phuc - 8X has 28 million search results on Google - shared while riding a motorbike and guiding us from the field to the 2,200m2 farm with 5,000 chickens at breakfast time.

A normal day of Happiness begins at dawn, going from home in the city to the farm in Nhon Trach or in Vinh Cuu district (Dong Nai).

"After that, I helped the brothers to feed the chickens, monitor and take notes. Around 9:00 a.m. I read documents, respond to partners, fund the community, urge, check the technical process of partners, and move. back and forth between the two farms if necessary, read more research papers, discuss in groups…

My day usually ends at 0:00 or 2 am", Hanh Phuc said as he quickly spread food to the chickens. Chickens are raised in a large space, so they chase and flutter their wings. All day in contact with chickens, garbage, and fertilizers, standing near Hanh Phuc will detect a very "specific" smell. "I am constantly in contact with garbage and probiotics, and then I do not filter the larvae with my hands...

Probiotics splash on clothes causing clothes to fade, washing hands with soap a few times still doesn't get rid of the smell.

Once when we went to process duck manure at a large duck farm, we were splashed with duck droppings on our clothes, face, and hair. The first thing my wife said when I got home was: Go take a shower immediately, if you don't want to lie on the ground, then laugh.

Spreading his hand full of black soldier fly larvae crawling, Hanh Phuc said that black soldier flies larvae are a valuable resource to replace fish protein caught in the ocean, which is gradually depleted.
"It can process waste very quickly, creating very good organic fertilizer for the soil in a short time. The larva's carcass is also rich in nutrients when mixed into the food of chickens, pigs, and eels ...
The model of raising black soldier flies for waste treatment is optimal for the current environment. The smell of garbage is also thanks to larvae and probiotics that are minimized," he said.

Green Connect - Green Connect, Huynh Hanh Phuc's new project connecting the supply and demand of garbage. He explained: "We create a system for transporting and treating waste. For example, supermarkets are now a huge source of waste while farmers have no access to create food for animals. We will turn waste into a resource. , closing the cycle from farming materials to food, jokingly putting garbage on the table".

The project is being "fed" from organic waste and by-products collected from shops and supermarkets. Partners are instructed to properly sort waste: tear off labels, remove foam or food wraps, elastic bands, etc., and sprinkle with probiotics provided by Green Connect.
Garbage is packed in sealed containers, collected, and transported to the farm within the same day. Currently, two farms of Green Connect are capable of handling 40 tons of waste per month...

Circle "from trash to table"

Being intensely alive is an opportunity

I remember Huynh Hanh Phuc once declared on Tuoi Tre about the mission of Teach For Vietnam - the first project when he returned to Vietnam from the US in 2016: "By 2050, every Vietnamese child must receive an education. perfect education regardless of family background".

Again, Phuc nodded: "Teach for Vietnam is now strong, so I transferred it to my associates and focused on Green Connect.

These two projects will be very related. Green Connect will create a new, more realistic, and sustainable farming trend, contribute to improving the lives of rural areas, and thereby raise the dream of high-quality education for children from disadvantaged families."

Leaving the American dream with a prestigious Harvard degree as well as a high position, and an income of hundreds of millions of dong a month in Singapore to return to Vietnam with "Cinderella" projects, when asked if he was ever upset and skeptical. his choice, Happiness confided: "Sometimes I think for a few seconds, but I still find it interesting. Experiences bring great joy. During the day, I work like a farmer, at night I wear a suit, tie, and Western shoes to meet and give speeches.

Many challenges but skepticism and disappointment are not because I am a pioneer and I am contributing to making a significant impact and change in human life and the environment. The income is still enough to live on, and larger is the opportunity to live intensely with the value created for the community."

Huynh Phu Cuong, a companion in the Green Connect project, said: "Studying in biochemistry, I was very concerned when I saw the mountains of garbage and few people cared about the consequences and how to handle it. Vietnam is a farming and livestock country, but farmers use chemical fertilizers.

Want to have clean agricultural products must start from the story of fertilizer. Previously, I worked on a separate project but encountered too many difficulties and was helpless. Accidentally had the opportunity to contact Happiness, seeing that you are talented and have the same purpose, I decided to cooperate."

If we consider garbage as something foul, a sensitive issue, the result will be different. And if we consider it as a resource to serve our lives, the results will be good and bloom – Huynh Hanh Phuc

Huynh Hanh Phuc (left) checks the quality of waste food before being recycled

CEO Huynh Hanh Phuc together transports waste at the farm

Huynh Hanh Phuc examines the breeding process of black soldier fly larvae from garbage - Photo C. NHAT

Miss...

In these April days, Phuc and Cuong are preparing a new program: welcoming young people to visit the farm, working with garbage sorting staff, playing games related to environmental knowledge and skills, singing, and dancing. surrounded by nature and enjoy rustic dishes such as steamed rice with lotus leaves, chicken porridge, sticky rice... with ingredients produced from Green Connect's closed, pure natural cycle.

"I believe it will be a great, meaningful experience and an opportunity for me to spread Green Connect. Living in Ho Chi Minh City, but I still miss the people of Saigon", Hanh Phuc shared with a bright smile. Share in a sweaty shirt after unloading garbage from a truck on a sweltering summer afternoon.

Born and raised in the quiet, peaceful land of Quy Nhon, 18 years old Phuc moved to Ho Chi Minh City to study at the International University (National University of Ho Chi Minh City). "The first days of independence were unforgettable. Living in Thu Duc, I tried to arrange to go to the city center to learn more skills, join clubs...

Since then, I realized how lovely Saigon people are. The motorbike taxi drivers and street vendors enthusiastically show the way, show where to buy cheap sticky rice packages to… "survive". Now no longer a student, community projects still receive a lot of enthusiastic support from the people of Saigon.

Most recently, a garbage truck to the farm lost its steering and crashed into a power pole, from the authorities to passersby all helping us to quickly overcome the consequences.

Every time we call, many people are willing to join hands to help us solve the "problem" of waste. Soon, the project will expand to other provinces and cities, just hope it will receive the same enthusiasm", Hanh Phuc smiled happily.

Young people learn about Green Connect at the farm

Happy chickens

Chickens not only need a place to stand but also need an environment to move, bathe in the sand, spread wings, wave wings, and lay eggs ...
That's why we built a farm with a large chicken coop for them to live comfortably. The "humane chicken" model is of particular interest to Europe. For example, the European Commission has decreed that by 2023 all eggs consumed in Europe must come from "happy chickens".
Of course, this model will increase the price of eggs and chicken. Not all users accept the cost of chicken eggs as 30% more expensive, but we are fortunate to still have support for the egg model and "happy chicken".

Via: tuoitre.vn