Clean up the World 2017

With the mighty Chao Phraya River’s history tracing back to ancient times, the flowing artery of Thailand has long been regarded as the bloodline of the country, and the community it serves has continued to engage in efforts to preserve the beauty of the river and its surrounding.

As an active member of the Bangkok River Partners (BRP) community, Country Group Development has joined hands with the Embassy of Canada to Thailand to support the “Clean up the World” initiative on 16th September.

This year marked the 24th anniversary of the campaign, which is held in conjunction with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) on what is one of the largest community-based environmental initiatives in the world, encouraging an estimated 35 million volunteers from 130 countries annually to clean up and conserve their surrounding environment.

Over the past few years, private and public sectors along with Bangkok’s leading riverside hotels, have participated in the annual event. This year, Bangkok River Partners have worked closely with the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) and Eco-Capitals Forum, comprising of foreign embassies in Bangkok to effectively shine light on long-term environmental goals. In addition, organizers have incorporated a ‘citizen science project’ into the activities, in order to work towards eliminating waste. The initiative requires waste and rubbish removed from the Chao Phraya River and its canals to be collected and analysed.

A total of 70 volunteers from Country Group Development and the Canadian Embassy came together to tidy streets, and removed rubbish from canals that run into the Chao Phraya River. This insightful and educational activity proved a success and will indeed lead to future long-term solutions and leave a significant and lasting impact.

“The Chao Phraya River has played a significant role as Thailand’s lifeblood throughout history, and the waterway holds a special place in the hearts of all Thai people as a symbol of Bangkok,” said CEO

Mr. Taechaubol. “Nature’s gifts are often hard to value in monetary terms. Like clean air and water, they are often taken for granted, at least until they become scarce. Today’s cleanup was bigger than us, we are proud to have helped raise awareness to protect the world, so anything that has people embracing their own environment is a small step towards saving the planet on a larger scale.”

Country Group Development was proud to have been a part of the movement and aims to continue to find ways to implement its moral, ethical and environmental goals by engaging in such environmentally-friendly initiatives.

“Now more than ever, it’s important that we help protect the River of Kings for future generations. Being able to call Chao Phraya River home is a privilege, and one that we certainly don’t take for granted,” explained Mr. Taechaubol. “Everyone shares a responsibility not only for keeping the river clean, but also for making it more beautiful than it was before. We look forward to taking part in more of these valuable environmental initiatives in the future.”