To celebrate the June 5 World Environment Day, diplomats from more than a dozen foreign embassies and international organizations Monday joined the U.S. State Department to plant underwater seagrass in the Potomac River, a tributary of the Chesapeake Bay. Diplomats told VOA their participation in “green diplomacy” is to help raise awareness of the challenges of clean water here and at home. By working with the CBF’s “Grasses for the Masses” program, diplomats are demonstrating the commitment to environmental protection. 

Over the past few years, more and more Cambodian communities in the rural areas have become willing to open their homes to visitors, inviting visitors to get a taste of the local culture or to explore the wildlife in the country. Unlike general tourism, these Community-Based Tourism (CBT) and Community-Based Ecotourism (CBET) projects are managed by local communities themselves or with the local communities strongly involved in the decision-making process.

A year after COP21 and the adoption of the Paris Agreement, international policymakers are still struggling to convert targets into action. This is clearly indicated by the title of the recent followup COP in Marrakech: Turn the Promise of Paris into Action. But as the international community putters along, cities and local communities are already staking out the front lines of the fight against climate change.

The Danish Embassy in Hanoi and many Danish firms operating in Vietnam on Saturday joined hands to organize Danish Footprints 2015 in District 7, Ho Chi Minh City, which was a social event to celebrate the 44th anniversary of Vietnam-Denmark diplomatic relations.