As a first time ambassador, I thought it might be a great time to expose and present the atrocious state of unregulated, underfunded waste management in Mongolia, especially Ulaanbaatar. Capital city Ulaanbaatar’s only 2% of waste gets first-hand sorting and goes through recycling which leaves a total of 1500 ton wastes indisposed. Moreover, City Waste Maintenance Organization collects 71.4% of the total wastes in Mongolia which leaves 303.3 tons of trash unregulated. (http://development.ub.gov.mn/uploads/Xog-xayagdal.pdf). A common predicament among many developing countries that threatens the future generation

If you think that portion of unregulated waste gets recycled or reused by households and businesses, that is sadly mistaken. Most of the uncollected trash remains intact in ger streets: a low-class residential of Ulaanbaatar. Ultimately, the situation escalates into bigger problems like water, soil, and air pollution. This leaves vulnerable part of the community to deal with it. Though the situation is getting better as the government is introducing more apt policies, the problem at hand is not getting solved.

Because of these problems and recent apparent challenges of natural disasters, many youths are seeking to decrease waste production, increase recycling and adapt to methods of reuse. However, due to lack of knowledge in eco-life among the general public, generation of people is struggling to lead a green life.

However, many individuals, ranging from 14 to 30 years old, are joining pro-green groups on Facebook, Instagram, and Tumblr at an accelerating rate.

I believe this is one of the prime examples of how passion and hard work of the youth can change the current predicament. While politicians are struggling to come into an agreement, the general public is already inspiring, helping and reminding each other to have an Eco-friendly life.  'Let's decrease our waste'-- a Facebook environmentalist group-- consists of approximately 18.2k members and is continually increasing. This group is one of the many in this country and the world. But impacts that each of them are having is remarkable. They are a beacon of our change and that is why I want to introduce you guys to this local community with big impact. Change takes courage and the best source of courage can be found in a neat, supportive community. The same active communities of charged youths are the string of our hope.

P.S Passages below are the translated version of pictures beside it. The pictures are taken from ‘Let’s decrease our waste’ group. Examples of how they are helping and incentivizing each other to be pro-green.

P.S.S Next time, I will present you how these youths are leading a movement of their own.