Banpu Public Company Limited, a leading international versatile energy provider, together with Faculty of Environment and Resource Studies, Mahidol University, opened the 19th edition of the “Power Green Camp”. Set under the theme of “Urban Rewilding: Forest – Cities – Lives”, aiming to bring forests into the city and connect all lives closer to nature and encouraging the use of scientific principles to conserve the environment in a systematic approaches. The Power Green Camp was held between 28 April – 4 May 2024.
Mr. Rattapon Sukhunthee, Head of Corporate Communications, Banpu Public Company Limited, said “Our reason for selecting “urban forests” as main topic for students to learn at Power Green Camp this year is to promote a better environment in urban areas. Urban forests help absorb pollution and reduce temperature, create more green spaces for recreation, and as hubs for social activities, all of which ultimately bring good health to people in urban areas. Many countries in Asia including Singapore, Japan, and Malaysia are also majorly promoting urban forests.”
With such interesting topic as “Urban Rewilding: Forest – Cities – Lives”, 50 students from 48 schools in 32 provinces had the opportunity to participate in both theoretical and practical activities. The main subjects they have learnt involved conserving forest resources and restoring biodiversity of urban forests in systematic approaches through the 3Rs model which contained:
- Reconnect: Connect urban lives with the “forest” through important learning activities including “Decoding Predictions from the Trees” activity where students were tasked to collect data from observing tree behavior in order to understand the science of initially predicting seasons from trees, “I Am Not Just a Villain” activity that invited students to study the way of life and behavior of Asian water monitor as ecological health indicator, and “Forest Bathing” activity that allowed students to exercise all five senses (sight, taste, smell, sound and touch) by relaxing their body and opening up to connect their minds with nature.
- Restore: Learn ways to conserve forest resources and restore biodiversity of urban forests through activities such as “Carbon Sequestration and Benefits of Urban Forest” activity where students were encouraged to learn about how to allocate natural resources in urban areas towards sustainable development goals and how to evaluate the potential of the forest to absorb carbon dioxide. They would also learn more about ‘The Role and Duty of Arborist’ or tree surgeon who took care of trees that helped protect biodiversity of urban forests. Another activity was ‘Restore Native Trees’, where students were shown guidelines for conserving and restoring biodiversity in the forest, with an emphasis on conserving traditional species or native trees to remain in the ecosystem.
- Redesign: Study systematic green city design through a lecture on ‘Benchakitti Forest Park – From Urban Forest to World-Class Architecture” highlighting the systematic design of Benchakitti Park as a large wetland area mimicking natural ecosystem. Another activity was ‘Youth Crafting Green Cities,’ conducted by Banpu employees, where students used knowledge they gained from the camp to design an environmentally friendly cities.
Associate Professor Dr.Thamarat Phutthai, lecturer at the Faculty of Environment and Resource Studies, Mahidol University, and president of the Power Green Camp, said “A survey by Thailand Development Research Institute (TDRI) found that residents in Bangkok had 7.49 square meters of green area per head in 2023. However, if the estimated 10 million unregistered residents are included, the green area per head drops to 3.54 square meters, which does not meet the World Health Organization (WHO)’s minimum standard of 9 square meters per person. Therefore, this camp has set a goal to raise awareness and encourage students to realize the importance of having an “urban forests”. And we must conserve the forest to enhance a better quality of life for everyone. The camp also allows them to experience both urban and natural forests to learn the differences between them.”
In addition, all 50 students will use the knowledge they gained from the camp in their environmental science group projects, that will later be presented in a competition for scholarships and certificates, with experts from Mahidol University giving close mentorship.
At the Power Green Camp 19, there were guest speakers as well as renowned actors and influencers joining the activities. These included Neng Sarun Naraprasertkul, a television star passionate about the environment; Pingpong Thongchai Thongkanthom, a comedian, TV host, and a content creator who inspired people with his positive approach to life; and Gun Natsakan Chairote, a green Influencer who often shared environmental ideas and experiences to inspire younger generation to care more about nature.
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For more information and updates on the Power Green Camp 19 at
Facebook: www.facebook.com/powergreencamp
Website: www.powergreencamp.com
About Power Green Camp
The “Power Green Camp” was initiated in 2006 and operated continuously since then under collaboration between Banpu Public Company Limited and the Faculty of Environment and Resource Studies, Mahidol University. Through the concept of “Environmental Science – Learning to Practice”, which initially focuses on allowing students to learn about environment and natural resources, The camp aims to encourage them to love and cherish nature as well as applying scientific knowledge they have from the camp to systematically solve environmental problems, while becoming leaders and building a strong network of protecting the environment in the future.
About Banpu
Banpu Public Company Limited has 3 core groups of businesses: energy resource, energy generation and energy technology in Thailand, Indonesia, China, Australia, Lao PDR, Mongolia, Japan, the United States of America and Vietnam.
