International Car Less day Volunteer's awareness raising activity

On 18 th September, university student volunteers wearing tunics with the “International Car Free Day” logo, rode their bikes, walked or took buses around a series of communities and office blocks in Chaoyang District's Dongda Bridge, Chaoyang men, Yong'an li and Sanli tun, where they stuck up posters to raise awareness.

At the same time, on another procession of people travelled from Xuefuyuan to Beijing Zoo and gave passers by information about the approaching “International Car Free Day”.

One team of people walked into communities and office blocks to stick up awareness-raising posters. They stopped regularly to give passers-by information about “International Car Free Day”.

One volunteer who took part in this activity wrote “Car Free Day is a day for everyone, but it is especially a day for cyclists and pedestrians. Currently there are more than 2.5 million motor cars in Beijing city and due to the fact that this number is soaring, Beijing has become one of the world's ten most severely polluted cities. In China cars are still far from having become popularized and the vast majority of Chinese people rely on bicycles and public buses as their basic mode of transport. However we are still paying the direct price for the rising number of cars as we breathe in their exhaust fumes, we have traffic accidents because of them and we have to put up with cars invading our cycle lanes.”

Source: GVB, Song Xi, 23 rd September 2005

Please don't buy up the earth

Moon Cake Action 2005, in response a report made by the Consumer Associations on Moon Cake Packaging

Mid-Autumn Festival has just passed and everyone must have enjoyed a few moon cakes. Did you notice the luxurious packaging of the moon cakes though? Let's take a look at Hong Kong 's Moon Cake Action Campaign.

The Chinese government is actively encouraging the building of an “Economy that uses resources sparingly” and is putting on the pressure to prevent the excessive packaging of moon cakes, yet in Hong Kong the trend is all the more grand and lavish moon cake gift boxes. The Consumers Association discovered that some moon cake companies have introduced gift boxes that include “a box within a box” and use an extra nine boxes aside from those used to package the individual moon cakes. Friends of the Earth Hong Kong criticize manufactures which lack environmental responsibility, who waste a large amount of precious resources unnecessarily and encourage consumers to “buy the earth”.

An investigation carried out by Friends of the Earth HK discovered that the amount of packaging used for the two layer cardboard box packaging from the companies Heng Xiang and Hong Xing were the most unreasonable. Heng Xiang's packaging included eight gift boxes and used nine layers, a total of thirty three sheets of packaging material, with an average of four sheets of packaging for every moon cake. Even worse than this, aside from individually wrapping eight moon cakes with a plastic base and plastic wrapping, they also used an additional eight small tin foil wrappers, completely unnecessary repetition of their packaging function.

Hong Xing's eight layer moon cake gift box only thirty one sheets of packaging, but it also included a plastic knife, a plastic fork, a plastic bag containing the knife and fork, individual plastic bases , a separately packaged plastic bag, tin foil, a gift bag, a promotion leaflet, a tin containing tea leaves, a thin paper box, a big paper base, a big paper bag, a big presentation box, plastic vacuum-packaging, a thick cardboard base pad and velvet, a total of sixteen layers of material packaging, extremely magnificent.

“The consumer eats the moon cake, not the packaging. There is no need for the moon cake manufacturers to present their products in such a way, using such excessive packaging. It is to the extent that the packaging far outdoes the product”. Friends of the Earth HK's Environmental Affairs Manager Zhu Hanqiang said, “It is estimated that the packaging from this year's moon cakes will add up to about fifty two million sheets of wrapping, and what is more, the majority of that will be used and then thrown away, even plastic materials that have not been used will be thrown away. They will be put into landfill where it is very hard for them to decompose. It is a huge waste of resources and also adds a great deal of pressure on dealing with waste.”

Friends of the Earth HK points out that the amount of Hong Kong 's packaging material has been constantly creeping up over the last five years. Last year was the first time that it reached over two thousand metric tons per day, making up 22.28% of the city's solid waste, a very worrying situation.

Zhu Hanqiang expressed that in a while when the government presents its White Paper, they should clearly submit a timescale over packaging and producer responsibility laws, and allow real waste producers bear the responsibility of paying for the pollution that they cause. As well as this, Friends of the Earth HK welcomed the Consumer Associations report on moon cake wrapping, which they sincerely believe will be helpful in allowing consumers to make green consumption choices and will also be beneficial to the development of a market of environmentally friendly products.

Introduction to Moon Cake Action 2005

Moon Cake Action is a campaign to urge moon cake producers to carry out their producer responsibility and take the lead in reducing their use of excessive packaging, introducing products in environmentally friendly packaging and recycling moon cake boxes. At the same time, the campaign will spur on consumers to support green consumption and refuse to purchase excessively packaged products, while participating in moon cake packaging recycling programs.

Source: Friends of the Earth HK

24 th September - Let us ride our bikes on the road

 
In response to International Car Free Day, on 24 th September Friends of Nature launched Beijing for Bikes , a campaign for “Healthy bike riding, Green Beijing”.

This campaign is being completely run and organised by volunteers. On 24 th at 9 am three teams of cyclists, wearing bright coloured clothing will set off from three different starting points, one from Haidian, one from Houhai and one from Jingshan. They will pass through busy sections of the city and on the way the participating cyclists will distribute flyers. Each team will also set up information boards to raise awareness and supporters can sign their names. There will also be an activity where the names of those who have signed cycling pledges are announced.

Bike riding does not cause pollution; you can move about quickly and conveniently and cycling is publicly recognised as the city's cleanest, healthiest, most environmentally friendly mode of transport. Developed countries are currently all strongly promoting cycling in their bustling districts. Beijing 's terrain is mainly flat and for two thirds of the year the conditions are suitable for cycling. There are also lots of thick foliage to provide shade and gentle cool breezes, which can be seen as the valuable resource of cyclists. These are also the valuable resource for building a green Beijing . The “ Beijing for Bikes ” Campaign isn't trying to make everyone abandon their cars for good, but we hope that everyone will try to use bicycles when they can, for example when making short journeys within the city. This kind of change that this campaign will bring about will not only provide an alternative mode of transport, but will also have a real affect on improving Beijing 's environment.

Source: Friends of Nature

Mercury project

1. An introduction to GVB's mercury project

Mercury is a naturally occurring element. Mercury is released by volcanic eruptions and weathering of the earth's crust. It exists naturally in the biosphere and naturally circulates between material matters within the environment. It occurs naturally in the plant and animal kingdoms. People discovered very early on that there was a kind of mercury compound, methylmercury existing in the body of fish.

The cases of food poisoning caused by mercury pollution are increasing as the amount of mercury being produced industrially is increasing. Although there have been some places in the world where mercury contamination has gradually decreased, mercury can easily be transported from one place to another through atmospheric circulation and is therefore a global issue and one that we should all be concerned about. Among human activities, industrial development has released the most mercury. The burning of coal, fossil fuel, garbage, mining, metallurgy, the chlor- alkali industry and the production of PVC are the main sources of mercury.

Mercury contamination is not only a problem that affects the environment, it is also implicit in issues related to public health, social equality, laborers' rights, social responsibility, industrial development and technological innovation.

In this global society, governments and citizens must all work together actively in order to eliminate mercury pollution and set actual targets. As the biggest developing country and with such a speed of economic growth, China is facing a huge challenge in meeting the set usage targets.

Based on the severity of the current mercury pollution situation, GVB has been carrying out related research and developing a campaign. From August to November, GVB will be running the mercury pollution awareness raising and education campaign.

Source: GVB website

Green River launches plan to activate volunteers

In order to communicate with volunteers and to understand the participation of volunteers in campaigns better, Green River is currently carrying out a plan to activate volunteers. They are currently asking volunteers from outside of Chengdu for details of activities that they have organised or participated in between April 2005 and now, (including when it took place, who was involved and the nature of the activity). Please could volunteers email these details to Green Rivers office and they will write individually to get information about the integral details of the campaign plans.

Please email details to: greenriver@mail.sc.cninfo.net .

Source: Green River

Global Village of Beijing “2008 Community Mosaic” Project

Implementation begins of the Gubeikou Hexi pilot eco-village

Planned and implemented by GVB, the “2008 Community Mosaic” Project has plans to set up 28 eco-villages have, made functional in time to greet the Green Village Building Project, organised for the Beijing Olympic Games.

This project will establish green villages in order to channel environmental management into village management and plans a participatory system for the green villages. Using the villages' own environmental education, it will strengthen the villagers' environmental awareness and foster a stronger sense of civilisation. It will encourage villagers to choose environmental friendly life styles and adopt methods of saving water and energy and recycling waste in order to obtain social and economic benefits. It will create an atmosphere of green values and green village culture. It will allow the country's sustainable development strategy to be implemented down at the village and individual levels and will help the Green Olympics and the civilized Olympic spirit to be effectively promoted and implemented.

Gubeikou is in Miyun County has a long history and culture. It has a key geographical positioning and contains a large number of historic and unique cultural sites and famous historical towns. Hexi Village is located under Wohu Mountain , on the West side of Gubeikou village. It is a simple yet refined little mountain village with exquisite scenery.

However, because the villages are economically weak, they only have a very low level of environmental awareness. The farmers only pay attention to agricultural production and ignore environmental protection. The negligent agricultural production methods which have been used over a long time have brought about a shortened supply of resources and have caused environmental pollution problems to get more and more noticeable. Therefore, in order to realize China 's sustainable development, ecological agriculture needs to be developed as a matter of urgency and the countryside environment needs to be reformed thoroughly. Promoting and popularising sustainable development concepts to the villagers will help to increase their quality of life.

To do this, GVB has chosen Hexi Village as one of the pilot demonstration villages for the “2008 Community Mosaic” Project. They have set up small project work teams to develop the work of setting up pilot eco-villages in the countryside.

In July 2005, the project team went to Hexi Village to carry out a deep and detailed investigation. They fully mobilised the village committee and the village people's representative, and strongly promoted the significance of establishing eco-villages. An action plan was formulated, based on the investigative findings and Hexi Village 's particular situation.

Hexi Village Committee vacated an office especially for GVB use. This is to be their joint office and the site for the work of creating the eco-village. Recently a plaque hanging ceremony was held there. Presently, with active involvement and cooperation from Hexi local government branch and their village committee, the work of setting up Hexi Village as an eco-village is in full operation.

With advice and guidance from GVB, the village committee has started to reform Hexi Village 's environmental infrastructure. Inside the village, six toilets have been newly set up, modelled on the old style anti-seepage public toilets, six waste enclosures are currently being built and a stretch of the road is being paved with concrete. GVB will assist the village committee to work under the direction of experts to promote science, popularise use of biogas and anti-seepage installations in country household toilets to solve the prolonged problem of ground water pollution.

On the 6 th September, the GVB project group held a meeting for the village committee members to attend in Hexi Village in order to mobilise them. During this meeting, they explained the significance of the “2008 Community Mosaic” Project and organised a discussion with everybody to carryout research to implement the plan for Hexi Village 's pilot eco-village.

GVB had an active role in facilitating the village representatives' democratic elections which were held on 7 th September and the Hexi Village environmental work group was officially established. At the same time as convening this meeting, a chairman and vice chairman were elected and a set of work regulations were formulated, including laying out the administrative duties and work divisions, officially starting the work of the work group.

On the 8 th September, GVB's project group carried out the first phase of their environment and ecology protection awareness training session for party members, cadres, members of the environmental work group, county, town and people's representatives and villagers' representatives. Simple and easy to understand and its interactive style meant that environmental awareness and the significance of having an eco-village could be learned from the training in a relaxed atmosphere.

The next step will be for the project group to assign the village committee to carry out environmental reform projects and sustainability planning. The project group will assist the village in their consultations with relevant experts who will carry out reforms on Hexi Village 's equipment to prevent contamination of groundwater through seepage and to deal with waste. At the same time as assisting the environmental work group in carrying out thorough reformations and renovations of the village, they will also establish a system with which to carry out environmental health inspections. The planning and implementing of these measures inside and outside the village will allow Hexi to change into a village of exquisite beauty with a clean green environment.

12 th September2005, GVB's “2008 Community Mosaic” Project, Yang Qiusha

Wild China Series Lecture Three – Professor Jeffrey A. McNeely's lecture is a great success

On 18 th September morning (Sunday, Mid-Autumn Festival), Professor McNeely (Chief Scientist, World Conservation Union), gave an excellent lecture in the Science Hall of Beijing Zoo on the topic of considerations protectionists should have.

McNeely used his many years of experience from his work and his feelings to analyse the environmental threats that our world is currently facing and said that as people who are working for the environment or who are concerned about the environment, we must all widen the angle we look at environmental problems from. The lecture raised everybody's enthusiasm for asking questions and discussion and everybody gained a lot from the talk.

Source: Wild China

Environment and Sustainable Development Receive Attention from Popular Science Websites

On 1 st September, during the 2005 China 's Internet Plenary Session, the names for awardees from “The First Public Appraisal of China's Outstanding Popular Science Websites and Columns” were announced. 153 websites and columns partook in this public appraisal event, and through netizens votes and expert appraisal, 10 awards were given for outstanding popular science websites, 5 for outstanding popular science columns, 4 for content, 2 for technology and 3 for design. The Beijing Planet View Environmental Science Institute (Planet View) was given two awards, one for outstanding popular science website and one for technology.

“Planet View Environmental Science Electronic Library” is a special section of the Planet View website, aimed mainly at adults. Planet View compiles the content of the library, which has been developed and established in co-operation with the Computing Department of China's Science Institute. The service provider space has also been supplied by the Computing Department. The library stores more than seven hundred Chinese and foreign education films related to the topics of environment and sustainable development, over two thousand pictures and over a thousand articles. Using the on-line technology developed by the Computing Department, users can enter in a key word and gain instant access to footage, pictures and articles simultaneously. This allows internet users to use simple and direct measures to gain direct access to lively information and effectively meet their environmental and sustainable development multi-media resource needs. This library has been open free of charge to the public since June 2004 and after a year of use, statistics show that the users are: university professors 52.3%, societies 13.5%, middle and junior school teachers 12.5%, individuals 7.6%, people who work in the media 4.5%, researchers 3.4%, government offices 2%.

Source: Planet View

Survey Looks at Green NGO Funding

A nationwide survey of China 's environmental non-governmental organizations (NGOs) aims to provide data for a government white paper, part of which will address how the NGOs are funded. "It is the first time the country has carried out such an in-depth survey," said Zeng Xiaodong, secretary of the All-China Environmental Federation (ACEF), which will conduct the study. "As of now there has not been a complete and accurate report about NGOs working to solve environmental problems in China ."

The Green Volunteers' Union of Chongqing Municipality in southwest China , one of the NGOs surveyed, illustrates some of the funding issues. "When we were set up, what we lacked most was money," said Wu Dengming, the Green Volunteers' Union 's current director. "At that time, the person who could donate 30,000 yuan (US$3,700) to the union would assume the post of director, even if he or she was not knowledgeable about environmental issues. "And because of the shortage of funds, we even suspended our operations for two years."

But the group established its reputation when it reported to China Central Television (CCTV) that the government, in preparing land on which to build a factory, was felling primeval forest in western Sichuan Province . The CCTV report helped stop the cutting.

Zhou Zhizhong, deputy secretary of the Chinese Society for Environmental Sciences, also expressed his group's difficulty in getting funds. Domestic green groups should publicize details of expenditure from donations they receive from overseas on their websites, he added. A sociology professor at Tsinghua University in Beijing told China Daily in March that many domestic environmental NGOs are largely dependent on funds from overseas.

Another part of the survey will focus on the basic conditions of the NGOs and their difficulties. ACEF also said it plans to establish a directory of environmental NGOs to foster better communications. It is expected that connections between NGOs can be strengthened for future co-operation on environmental issues. Survey results will be passed to experts to work out solutions to the NGOs' difficulties and improve their capabilities, Zeng said. Representatives from other environmental NGOs also put forward their suggestions for the survey.

Li Li from Global Village of Beijing said progress of the survey should be publicized on the Internet to update both Chinese and foreign environmentalists. Liang Xiaoyan of the Beijing Brooks Education Centre suggested ACEF collect influential cases by NGOs and share successful experiences after the survey is finished.

An official from the State Environmental Protection Administration said the survey could help governmental organizations attract greater public participation in environmental issues. Currently, there are about 2,000 registered environmental NGOs in China and some 200 environmental NGOs from overseas working in the country.

( China Daily September 28, 2005 )

Factory pollution – Letter from a concerned volunteer

Editor's note: This was a letter sent to Global Village by one of our volunteers. We were very moved and troubled by this girl's story and thought that it needed to be shared. This problem has not yet been resolved, so if readers have any advice for this volunteer or have had similar experiences, please write and let us know

Dear Employees of Global Village,

I hope you are well.

About six or seven years ago, I learned about Ms Liao Xiaoyi, the founder of Global Village of Beijing from the television and was deeply moved by the noble cause that you were carrying out. This year I have used the on-line registration procedure to become a volunteer of Global Village, but unfortunately I have not yet had the chance to participate in your activities. The reason that I am writing this letter today is mainly to see if there is anything you suggest I can do about the situation that I am describing below.

I am currently living in Beijing 's Yizhuang economic development region. Like most of the residents here, about 2 or 3 years ago I was attracted to the beautiful surroundings of the development region and gave up my house in the city to set up there. But starting from June or July of this year, our lives have changed a lot. Many people have been woken at night by irritant gas fumes, and due to this they have develop symptoms of suffocation and dizziness.

These toxic gases mostly come in the evening between 8 and 9 o'clock and leave at about 4 or 5 in the morning and the odour is strongest when there are southerly winds. It is obvious that there are factories emitting waste gases in the evening on the sly. There is an industrial region on the south side of our residential area, where there are a cluster of processing factories which make semiconductors, micro-chips and electronic parts.

Recently after looking at a few pollution reports from these factories, I felt completely terrified as all of the gases that they were releasing were toxic. In places such as Europe , America and Taiwan these enterprises are listed as key polluting enterprises, however in our development area, they are operating next to residential areas. We have actually given up our convenient city life in order to come to live here with all these toxic gases.

We have made appeals to the administrative committee of the development district and the environmental bureau, but the answer they gave to us was that the industrial emissions were in keeping with the standards (in actual fact they themselves admitted that these enterprises were poorly equipped), and pointed at Liangshui River as the source of the pollution. However the people living beside Liangshui River all said that there was no really heavy smell from the river. (I'll just explain briefly, Liangshui River is one of the last stinking rivers in Beijing City ).

However, if the smell was coming from Liangshui River , the smell would be there for the whole day and not just being released at set times (in the evening). Therefore you can clearly see that it is certain that it is factories secretly releasing these waste gases during the night.

We don't know how to handle this: the government says it is legitimate, but we really are being affected by toxic gases. Presently the following residential areas are all suffering due to these toxic gases: Jindigelin Town , Shanghai Shalong, Kaer Apartments, Yujin Xiangshe, Shichengbaili. Tens of thousands of residents are having their health wrecked day after day.

At the same time as this, we have also started to take notice of the problems of other development districts within China and from doing this we have discovered that there are many similar problems in places such as Shanghai , Suzhou and Nanjing . This has already become a universal problem.

I sincerely hope that with the status of a volunteer I will be able to do something about this problem of environmental pollution.

I wish you good health and happiness in your work!

Han Yaling

The head of SEPA Science and technology standard department, Zhao Yingmin says: Cars with low pollution and low oil consumption are beneficial to environmental protection

Recently, due to the central party and the state council's initiative of setting up an environmentally friendly society which uses resources sparingly, the concepts of “energy conservation” and “environmental protection” are becoming more and more deeply ingrained in people's hearts and the issue of restricting “low emissions vehicles” is receiving attention all round. This journalist interviewed Zhao Yingmin, the head of SEPA science and technology standards department about this.

Zhao Yingmin said, the big advantage of small emissions cars is that they cut down on energy consumption. The “small emissions car” was originally just a comparative concept and it is only with the recent emergence of policy decisions in certain places which place “restrictions on small emissions cars”, that people have started to name motor vehicles with emissions under 1.0 litres as “small emissions vehicles”.

Generally speaking, small emissions cars, will consume something in the region of 4-6 litres of petrol per 100 km, whereas cars that use 1.6 liters and above, though using almost the same amount, will consume up to 8-11 litres to travel 100 km. This is due to the fact that small emissions cars have a small volume, they are light in weight and when driving they cut out a lot of the unnecessary functions and thus save on the consumption of energy for these parts. Compared to the average car, when traveling the same distance, the low emissions car can conserve oil consumption by up to 30-50%, that is to say, the average motor car might be consuming nearly twice as much fuel. As well as this, because the small emissions motor car has a small volume and a lower surface area, it saves resources due to the fact that it takes up a smaller amount of parking space.

Zhao Yingmin says that developing small emissions cars is beneficial to environmental protection. Due to the low fuel consumption levels of small emissions cars, there will be inevitably be less pollutants released in comparison to other cars which use the same level of technology. This is especially the case when making a direct comparison to carbon dioxide emissions, which constitute greenhouse gases; these will be a lot lower than the amount for cars with high emissions.

As well as this, in a state issued car pollutant emissions standard, the same emission restriction requirement values apply to passenger cars which are carrying under 6 passengers and where the total weight does not exceed 2.5 tons (Category 1 light vehicle). This means that there are no special stricter or more relaxed requirements given to small emissions cars. For example in the country's second emissions standards, carbon monoxide emissions are not allowed to exceed 2.2 grams per km. Due to the fact that small emissions cars have low fuel consumption, the total amount of pollutants that they release is also relatively small. Therefore, it can be slightly easier to reach the emissions standards and resource savings targets using only relatively low cost technologies.

In order to deal with the misconception that society has that “low emission” is equal to “low pollution”, Zhao Yingmin explains that although small emission cars do conserve on energy consumption, have low emission levels and other related advantages, they should really not be seen as clean and low pollution cars. If a low emissions car is of poor quality and the level of the technology it uses is very basic, it could also become a highly polluting dirty car. However, according to investigations and examinations which have been carried out by the Environmental Protection Administration, within the band of low grade low emissions cars, the proportion of those which were above the stability and durability standards was far higher than those for the middle and higher grade cars. This demonstrates that car manufacturers, in pursuit of lowered costs, will often ignore the car's performance, something that they should guarantee and that affects public interest. Although we encourage the development of low emissions cars that have low energy consumption levels, we should definitely not be encouraging the development of small emissions cars with poor safety performances, those that release serious pollutants or lack durability. Therefore, in order to reduce energy and to be environmentally friendly, we must encourage the development of small emission cars which are high in quality, low in pollution, and low in oil consumption.

Zhao Yinmin said, “Emission quantity” be it large or small doesn't really reflect whether the quality of the car is good or bad, whether the technological level is high or low, the safety of its performance, its usability and the measure of its emission performance. You should not use emissions to make a commentary on the overall performance of a car. Small emissions cars can however, be cars of good quality with high technology levels.

Recently, car companies have started one after another to promote small and mini sized cars. From safety and comfort to driving and emissions performance, these cars are all excellent. You can see that the “small emission” car is not another term for an “inferior” car. We must transform this view that the public has and dispel the bad image and wait for the motor industry to work hard to develop more low oil consuming, low emissions, economical cars that the masses are hoping for.

And as for high emissions cars, they are not necessarily the kind of cars that are superior in every respect; they can also be very low quality cars. When you look at it like this, placing restrictions on “low emission vehicles” is not scientific enough. Following the rise in the level in the quality and technology of China 's cars, the policy of restricting “low emission vehicles” will have to become a thing of the past.

Source: SEPA website (Chinese version)

Small polluting power units will close

    The National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) has ordered the closure of small units at 64 coal-fired power plants between now and 2010 in an effort to enhance energy efficiency and cut pollution. These power generation units, each having a capacity of 50,000 kilowatts or less, turn out 5.34 million kilowatts in total, which accounts for just over 1 per cent of China 's 2004 installed capacity. Small coal driven units which are energy-intensive, inefficient and highly polluting will be forced to close.

(By Wang Jing , China Daily, 27 th August 2005 ) (Extract)

Beijing Starts Trial Calculation of Green GDP

Beijing is attempting to calculate the city's "green" gross domestic product (GDP) from 2004 by the end of next year. At the first working meeting held by the municipal government, the "green" GDP was defined as the GDP resultant from deducting resource consumption and environmental losses from the conventional GDP. The pilot calculation will not include the cost of resource consumption. The report lists the ten fields that the investigation will cover, including the cost on pollution management and sewage disposal, the effect of air and water pollution on human health, the effect of water pollution on crops, the condition of construction materials and the economic losses caused by pollution. Beijing , along with nine other provinces and municipalities, was chosen by the central government in March to conduct experiments on calculating the green GDP. The full test results are expected to be released next year and will lay the foundation for a nationwide system of green GDP.

(Xinhua News Agency August 27, 2005 )

Organic Food Fair Opens in Heilongjiang

    The fifth China Organic Food Fair opened Sunday in Qiqihar of Heilongjiang province in Northeast China . The five-day event, cosponsored by China 's Agriculture Ministry and Heilongjiang provincial government, provides 520 booths, and the exhibition covers 4,000 square meters of floor space, according to sources with the provincial government. With "Green, Health, Cooperation and Hope" as its theme, the fair is expected to lure nearly 400 enterprises from more than ten countries to show their products featuring health. Qiqihar , known as one of the world's major habitats of red-crowned cranes, also ranks as one of China 's organic food bases. The last four fairs were staged in Qiqihar beginning from 2001.

(Xinhua News Agency August 29, 2005 ) (Extract)

SEPA: Strategic Green Assessment Needed

On August 28 th , Pan Yue, the vice-minister of the State Environment Protection Administration ( SEPA ) spoke at Beijing 8 th Green China Forum on the topic of “Strategic Environmental Impact Assessment and Sustainable Development” and explained that more emphasis needed to be put on strategic-level environmental impact assessment, rather than simply examining them on a case-by-case basis. "Before, attention was only paid to assessment of specific construction projects," Pan said. "However, construction is the last link in the decision making chain, so assessment at this point has only a small influence and cannot protect the wider environment or guide policymaking."

( China Daily August 29, 2005 ) (Extract)

Zhejiang addresses pollution problems

Zhejiang Province will tighten the reins over industries involved in pharmaceutical, chemical, cement and poisonous matter production through stricter environmental approval and examination, as the pressure from local residents to protect their environment is mounting. There have already been four cases of pollution disputes between local people and polluting firms this year and this has spurred the government into action. Authorities will closely examine the potential effect of industries' projects on the environment before giving the green light on construction. Companies causing environmental problems will be forced to shut down.

(China Daily 09/01/2005 page3, Shao Xiaoyi) (Extract)

China to See More Heavy Sandstorms

Sandstorms in China will enter a new dynamic period with higher frequency and intensity than any of the past years, according to a report released Monday by the Environment and Engineering Institute of Chinese Academy of Sciences . This conclusion is based on the analysis of strong and extra-strong sandstorms in northern and northwestern China from 1952 to 2000. In the 1960s and 1970s, sandstorms in China stayed on a rising path, while the 1980s and 1990s witnessed a slow drop. But researchers say that starting from 2000 sandstorms hit China again with drastically higher frequency and intensity. Experts say that the fluctuation of sandstorms is strongly correlated with the changing ecology and atmospheric circulation in East Asia , which exerts a strong influence on rainfall in the area.

(Xinhua News Agency August 30, 2005 ) (Extract)

Plant Offers Solutions to Erosion Issue

From 26 th -29 th August Experts the second International Seabuckthorn Association Conference was held in Beijing . Seabuckthorn is a valuable multi-purpose plant grown in mountainous areas. It is used to rehabilitate degraded land and alleviate the ensuing rural poverty, as well possessing uses as food and medical health products. China has been planting Seabuckthorn on a large-scale since 1985 and it is now a key method for controlling water and soil erosion. Every year more than 100,000 new seabuckthorn forests are planted in China 's ecologically fragile northwestern provinces. With further international cooperation, it is believed that seabuckthorn can become a crucial solution to nutrition, health and environment issues for many countries including China , Mongolia , India and Pakistan .

 ( China Daily August 30, 2005 ) (Extract)

Old Houses to Be Renovated

Shanghai will improve the insulation in old villas and lane houses to make them more energy efficient over the next several years, a construction expert said yesterday. The government will subsidize the work, but tenants and landlords will have to pay for some of the improvements. The project is part of municipal efforts to protect heritage buildings and improve the living conditions of tenants. Construction workers will add insulation to exterior walls and roofs, and seal window frames to prevent heat loss in the winter and is expected to reduce power consumption by about 25% as well as lengthening the longevity of the houses.

( Shanghai Daily August 30, 2005 ) (Extract)

Draft Law on Ozone Protection

On 17 th September, in a conference held in Shenzhen to mark the 10 th anniversary of the International Ozone Layer Protection Day, SEPA announced their intention to pass a legislation to phase out ozone depleting substances (ODS) within the next two years. The current situation with no national law referring to ODS means that risk-taking producers and traders can take advantage of loopholes that exist. The legislation drafting team plan to adjust the industry policy to economically disadvantage those who use ODS illegally. The illegal use of ODS is particularly prevalent in developing countries and ideas such as the development of a license system are being considered as ways to deal with the problem.

Shenzhen Daily September 19, 2005 (Adapted)

State Council Calls for Regulating Mineral Exploration

The State Council Sunday issued a notice calling for nationwide efforts to regulate its mineral resource prospecting. According to the notice, massive irregularities and illegalities such as explorations without license and reckless tapping exist in certain areas. Every kind of prospecting, especially prospecting of coal, will now be more closely monitored as China is determined to exploit its coal mine resources more safely and efficiently. A joint working group of nine related ministries were set up to monitor the campaign. Officials of local governments were also demanded to form a leading group to implement the task.

( China Daily September 19, 2005 )

Relief at Hand for Thirsty Northern Cities

China 's largest water diversion project will start supplying water to Shandong Province by 2007 and Beijing by 2010 as scheduled, officials confirmed on 18 th September. The south-to-north water diversion project consists of three south-to-north canals, each running more than 1,000 kilometers across eastern, middle and western parts of the country.

Taking water from the Danjiangkou Reservoir, the middle line will pass through Hubei , Henan and Hebei provinces to Zhengzhou , Shijiazhuang , Beijing and Tianjin , north China metropolises and key cities facing worsening water shortages. The eastern line is designed to transfer water from east China 's Jiangsu Province along the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal to Shandong and neighboring areas and finally Tianjin . Specific details about the western line are yet to be finalized.

Many pollution control projects are underway in the provinces through which the canals passes to ensure the water reaches does not get contaminated along the way.

( China Daily September 19, 2005 ) (Extracted)

Railway Environment Protection Tops Agenda

The environmental impact assessment of the Qinghai-Tibet railway was started by SEPA this week. Attention will be focused on the examination of the protection of the unique and fragile ecosystems and rare wildlife around the high-altitude railway construction site. SEPA will also investigate whether the migration of Tibetan antelopes will be affected. SEPA requires that earth excavation for construction be carried out at least 500 meters from the railway lines and that every piece of vegetation removed must be replaced. Special passageways have been built to allow antelopes and yaks to migrate. Infrastructure construction and pollution control and prevention mechanisms will also be checked. 1.2 billion yuan (US$148 million) has been invested so far, the most spent on environmental protection during a railway construction project in the country.

( China Daily September 19, 2005 ) (Extracted)

Mangroves Protect Coast

The provincial forestry administration announces plans to build a mangrove belt along 9,600 hectares of beaches on Hainan Island, China 's southernmost province, over the next five to 10 years. China 's mangrove forests were seriously felled and ruined during the past decade and have shrunk from 60,000 to 20,000 hectares in half a century. The mangrove forests act can as buffers against tsunamis and storm surges. Since the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, Hainan has spent 31.9 million yuan on planting forests to restore mangroves and shrubs that live in tropical tidal zones.

(Xinhua News Agency September 19, 2005 ) (Extracted)

Million Tons of Electronic Waste Dumped every Year

Statistics show that the Chinese dump roughly 1.11 million tons of electronic wastes from discarded home appliances. SEPA voices concern over their ability to deal with such a large amount of waste.

Every year, China disposed off at least 5 million television sets, 4 million refrigerators, 5 million washing machines, 5 million computers, and tens of millions of cellphones, government statistics shows. Health specialists say e-waste contains excessive poisonous elements such as lead, mercury and cadmium that are extremely harmful to both human and the environment.

Meanwhile, China has a large number of illegal e-waste collectors, who often take away the precious metal in exchange for money, and the less valuable parts they throw away can cause serious pollution to soil, air and ground water, affecting environment and human health.

China is expected to enforce regulations governing the treatment of waste electrical and electronic equipment this year. The regulations will make producers responsible for the collection, recycling and reuse of waste products.

(Xinhua News Agency September 23, 2005 ) (Extract)

Cartridges for Dragon Recycling Community Events – Dong Si Olympic Community

On 11 th September, Cartridges for Dragon Recycling and Dongsi Olympic Community held their first C4DR cartridge recycling community event at Dongsi Toutiao. During the event, GVB showed the C4DR cartridge recycling information film, and talked to the residents in detail about ink cartridges and electric goods and the damage that they can have on the people's health and the environment if they are not disposed off properly. GVB introduced the C4DR project and explained how these goods can be recycled.

There was an excellent question and answer session following on from this talk, which allowed residents to talk about their understanding and voice their opinions. This deepened their awareness about the harm that can be caused by the abandoning of electronic goods. This event also included an English language game related to environmental protection, and created a relaxed atmosphere for everyone to deepen their understanding of environmental protection. There was also a large amount of used cartridges which were brought in by the residents for recycling.

In conjunction, a Mr Cartridge painting competition was also organized for children as part of the event, to teach them environmental awareness through playing games.

At the end of the event, there was an environmental exhibition board display and accompanying lecture, which was the most popular activity of the day. Everyone was very interested by the information on the display board and the lecture took a very interactive approach. The residents asked related questions, made suggestions and voiced their opinions.

This was the first of many C4DR community events and the main organisers, GVB hopes that as environmental awareness becomes more deeply ingrained in people's hearts, everyone will make an extra effort to keep their environment more beautiful.

Source: 19 th September, GVB website, Mao Da.

Electronic Waste Processing Center Takes Shape in China

Tianjin Economic-Technological Development Area (TEDA) has announced that the management of Taiding Sci-tech Environment Protection Co. Ltd. has begun taking shape in TEDA Industrial Chemical Zone (ICZ). The company is a center specializing in recycling and processing electronic waste. Upon completion, it will have the largest capacity in northern China , according to a press release from TEDA. It will be capable of consuming up to 30,000 tons of electronic scrap annually.

More than 30,000 tons of electronic scrap is produced in Tianjin every year, of which industrial waste and household appliances account for up to 50 percent. Taiding Sci-tech Environment Protection Co. Ltd. invested RMB100 million to construct the electronic scrap processing center, which will process electronic chips, computer motherboards, cables, wires and other electronic components. It also separates metals like gold, silver, zinc, iron and copper. Dregs and sediment from the recycling process will be used to make material for cement production.

Tianjin Economic-Technological Development Area was established in 1984 upon the approval of the State Council of the People's Republic of China . It was one of the first state-level economic and technological development zones in China .

Source: Recycling Today, 15 th September 2005

Establishing a recycling orientated economy in China

Interview with Zhu Tan, Director of Green Friends, Tianjin NGO

By Yu Xiaoyong

While implementing a view of scientific development and with the new concept of establishing a society that uses resources sparingly, the development of the “recycling orientated economy” has become an area which has been receiving a lot of attention. On 25 th August, this journalist went to Nankai University to interview Mr Zhu Tan, who acts as vice-committee chairman for the Zhigong Party, vice-president of Tianjin City 's Political Consultative Conference, Professor at Nankai University and Director of Tianjin NGO Green Friends, to talk on the topic of “Establishing a recycling orientated economy in China ”.

1. The “recycling orientated economy” is an explorative and innovative style of development

Twenty years on from the reforms, the Chinese economy has experienced unprecedented growth, there have been huge improvements in the quality of people's lives and the whole country has grown a lot stronger. However, at the same time as economic growth, the style of growth and management have brought about factors which are causing China's resources and environment to get steadily worse. There are no uniform production management techniques being carried out and there is a serious waste of resources. People are starting to ask a new question: Is China's economy actually realizing “sustainable development” or could the fast growth rates be very short lived?

China 's government started to carry out research many years ago in order to take a new route towards economic development, one which would be both fast and healthy. Luo Haicai and Zhu Tan led a team into Sichuan and the north eastern regions, where they obtained a large amount of data, from which they compiled an initial report. That year, when the National People's Congress Zhigong Party proposed the motion, the reaction they received couldn't exactly be described as enthusiastic, but the situation has developed since then and proposals related to recycling orientated economy have been submitted three years running. This year they have finally been noticed and have even been raised to the high level of “Economy Regulation Agency, a major contributor to the construction of a society that uses resources sparingly”.

What exactly is a “recycling orientated economy”? The definition has been set as “With the target of achieving sustainable human development, and with its basis as the recycling of resources and environmental materials, it will satisfy the material and financial needs of human beings using a highly efficient and co-ordinated structure between producers, consumers and decomposers.” Academics often think of the content as being different, the principal of the three R's (Reducing, Reusing and Recycling), the “three layers” (internal departments of enterprises, between producers and within the whole of society) and the three supporting systems (policy and law, production technology and consumer communities). The USA 's “Enterprise Ecology Studies” and Japan 's “Recycling orientated economy” are all the results of in depth research which has been carried out on the recycling orientated economy.

Zhu Tan points out that which ever country we draw our experience from, we must pay attention to combining it with our own practices, and while carrying out research on the recycling orientated economy and societies who practice recycling orientated economy, we must never lose sight of China 's national situation.


2. Chinese people have their own traditions and methods related to the recycling of resources

Zhu Tan talked about the Chinese race possessing excellent traditions of noble frugality and opposition to wastefulness, thinking of many uses for one item of material and reusing things again and again. There are many examples of this re-usage in our lives.

In the past Chinese medicine produced a type of medicine called “yellow pills with six flavours” which were packaged in a small metal box. After taking the medicine, the metal medicine box could be used to keep tea leaves in. Older people can still remember in the 1950s and 60s when people came to collect waste items, walking from house to house and knocking on doors calling out for these items. They collected used toothpaste tubes, orange peel, old news papers, used bottles and cans, which would all be gathered up and exchanged for money. There would even be a demand for simple things such as finger nails and human hair. At that time China 's system of recycling materials was sustaining two million employees! Of late, there have been huge increases in our amount of industrial and household waste, but there has been a decrease in the proportion that is being recycled. China 's material recycling system is also facing a new challenge in dealing with electronic and automobile waste items which are being scrapped or are soon to be scrapped.

That year, Zhu Tan participated in the environmental evaluation for China 's first highway, the “Beijing-Tianjin-Tanggu Expressway”. Today China has the second most amount of highway in the world, and “a car for the household” is no longer a dream or wishful thinking, China 's development really has happened so fast!

What makes Professor Zhu sigh with sorrow is that there are Chinese people who put a lot of effort in studying from others, but have at the same time completely lost the original things that they had which were good! Let us take the simple food packaging of China's past as an example; after studying from foreign countries, packaging became layer upon layer upon layer (like these luxurious moon cake packaging for which there really is no need).
However, in the mean time the packaging used by foreign countries has become simpler and more practical, saving more on materials and following natural tendencies. Another example is when making exchanges with Westerners it is no longer a loss of face if you take out a business card made of recycled paper or if you have a patch on your clothes. There is another matter, why is it that high officials feel that they have to drive high emission cars? If the German prime minister can get to and from work in a small emissions car then there is really nothing wrong with it.

Professor Zhu believes that if we really want to promote a recycling orientated economy and establish a society that uses resources sparingly, there will be many ways of doing so because Chinese people have got where they have today by facing hardship.


3. Public participation is a prerequisite condition of establishing a recycling orientated economy society

Professor Zhu explained that people place a lot of importance on the promotion of a recycling orientated economy. The Public Finance Bureau has raised special funds to use in China to set up bases where social sciences innovations can be developed. The first base was set up in Nankai University and is currently the country's only “Social science innovations base related to the thinking behind the recycling orientated economy” (Project 985).

Setting up the base involved five main items of work, including simulation and imitation laboratories, the Recycling Orientated Economy Committee of the Tianjin Economy Technology Development District and the Recycling Economy Information Centre. In the project period, the relevant departments strongly support the establishment of projects and related research. The base uses the projects to summon new standards and to attract talent from outside, integrating society's resources and actively exploring academic research and scientific research and fusing them together in order to create new paths.

One of professor Zhu's Master's degree students has chosen the research topic of “public participation”, which he is currently working on. The professor believes that public participation is an important prerequisite for the establishment of a society with a recycling orientated economy. He also especially emphasised the need to give full play to the role of NGOs in the promotion of the recycling orientated economy. In Tianjin there is a group of environmentalists and volunteers who in 2001 established a group called the “Green Friends”. Every year they develop ten projects related to environmental education and raising awareness.

Zhu Tan holds the multiple posts of vice-committee chairman for the Zhigong Party, vice-president of Tianjin City 's Political Consultative Conference, Head of Nankai University's Environmental Science Institute and UN Science Education and Culture Department Environmental Science Head Experts. He has personally directed national and local environmental protection and environmental assessment projects, and generally works incredibly hard. Although he usually declines participation in social events that are not absolutely necessary, he still holds the post of the director of “Green Friends” and guides the actions of this group of environmentally-minded people who work for no salary.

Zhu Tan cares a lot about public participation campaigns launched and participated in by NGOs, whether they are large or small, from the recycling and reusing resources, the 26 Degrees campaign, the Nujiang Dam, the Yuanmingyuan anti-seepage lining case, to campaigns such as “Using both sides of every sheet of office paper” and “Plant a tree in your heart”.

He believes that when it comes to the recycling orientated economy, saving on resources and protecting the environment, the government have the things they should be responsible for, enterprises have the things they should be responsible for, the public have the things they should be responsible for and NGOs have the things they should be responsible for. Only when the whole society gets up and takes unified action will it be possible to realize sustainable development, only then will we finally realize our goals of developing a harmonious society and achieving harmony with nature.

C4DR Recruiting Volunteers

Have you felt hopelessness at the used electronics lying around you? Do you want to help everyone to get rid of the pollution caused by these electronics? Do you feel love and concern for the environment around you? If you have answered yes to all of these questions, then please do not hesitate to get in contact with us and become an key member of our C4DR team.

Please outline your wishes and attach your CV and send it to dragonrecycling@gvbchina.org.cn or phone 84859122-21/25.

Tips for Green Transport

Steps to an oil free world

What you can do:

1. Walk, cycle, take public transport or consider a car-pool whenever possible.
2. Reduce your travel by air.
3. If you need a car, buy the most fuel-efficient (currently Toyota 's Prius and Honda's Insight – both hybrid cars that use petrol and electricity) or one that runs on bio-diesel or natural gas.
4. Service your car regularly – keeping the engine tuned and your car tyres at the maximum recommended air pressure saves petrol.
5. Live as close to work as possible.
6. Shop locally rather than in out-of-town superstores.
7. Buy regionally and seasonally produced organic food whenever possible.
8. Switch your investments away from fossil fuel to renewable energy companies, or exercise your right as a shareholder to pressure energy companies to make the transition to renewables.

Source: www.theecologist.org Thirty steps to an oil free world (Extracts)

Clever Commuting – A note to Employers

Editor's note: This piece was written in relation to the activities from this year's European Mobility Week. It is not just relevant to Europe though and I think that it might be particularly useful to Chinese employers who might want to consider the benefits of promoting alternative transport methods to employees.

The European Mobility Week wants to promote a new approach in relation to home - work and business travel. Commuter trips significantly contribute to traffic congestion during peak hours and experience shows that an effective reduction of commuter kilometres travelled by car, through the introduction of measures in favour of cycling, walking and public transport does not necessarily require large investments.

Employers and businesses, irrespective of their size and resources, can potentially make a contribution to resolving commuter traffic problems. This would benefit the employer, the employees and the wider community in various ways. Indeed, investments in sustainable mobility are not only to the benefit of society in general, but can actually provide clear advantages to the employer and employees themselves.

CLEAR BENEFITS ARE:

Health and safety : clever commuting can contribute to the improvement of the employees' health through the reduction of car use and the promotion of physically active modes as cycling and walking or through the reduction of pollutants in the ambient air;

Environment : a change in the modal split in favour of alternatives to the solo-driven car can help employers to achieve their environmental management goals;

Improved accessibility : clever commuting can improve the accessibility of the premises, for employees, deliveries and visitors. This raises the attractiveness of a company for employers;

Cost reduction : money can be saved through clever commuting by reducing costs for the construction and maintenance of car parks or by reducing the budget for reimbursing travel costs;

Image : through promoting clever commuting, employers can show their commitment to society's concerns and express the importance of ethics in businesses ;

Loyalty : if an employee feels that the authority or company he works for cares, he will also care and identify himself with his employer.

Health and safety benefits are very interesting topics to focus a local clever commuting campaign on. Most job related accidents happen on the road: this means that more people are killed and injured on their way to work than on the working floor. The trip to work offers also a very good opportunity to have a daily dose of exercise. People tend to exercise less, and research proves that cycling or walking to work can easily replace a part of the necessary daily need for physical exercises.

Another important issue related to "CLEVER COMMUTING" is the concern that certain people miss out on employment due to their lack of mobility opportunities. From the employer's point of view, this means that he or she misses chances to employ the adequate and most skilled people because the company is not accessible to them. The topic "CLEVER COMMUTING" has a clear socio-economic importance in this respect.

Source: http://www.mobilityweek-europe.org/page.php?page=themes_current_theme&lang=en

Community Announcements and Events

World Water Monitoring Day

Oct. 18, 2005 , worldwide

Organised by: International Water Association (IWA)

Celebrated by tens of thousands of people in more than 50 countries, the event aims to bring public attention to the role that the world's citizens must play in ensuring a sustainable supply of clean, usable water in each and every country. Participants will test the quality of rivers, lakes and other water bodies using a simple monitoring kit. All the water quality data from around the world is collected in the online database, which provides a unique snapshot of the state of the world's water. IWA has a limited number of free water monitoring kits available for participants in low income countries.

Contact: Tom Hadfield, IWA , UK , mailto:tom.hadfield@iwahq.org.uk

Website: http://www.worldwatermonitoringday.org/

Source: CESDRRC Newsletter

Job Announcement: Southeast Asia Campaigner

IRN is seeking an experienced campaigner to work in our Southeast Asia Program.  The Southeast Asia Campaigner will focus on building a regional movement opposed to the Mekong Power Grid and other destructive river developments, and will work with regional and local groups in promoting alternative energy sources in Thailand .  This full-time position is based in either Chiang Mai or Bangkok , Thailand , or Berkeley , California , and requires frequent travel within the Mekong region and to the headquarters of the Asian Development Bank in Manila .  Preference will be given to candidates willing to be based in Thailand .

Skills and Experience Required

-Strong written and verbal communication skills in English<BR

-Experience in lobbying and advocacy with international financial institutions

-Knowledge of regional developments and issues, including some knowledge of energy issues in the Mekong region.

-Strong interpersonal and organizational skills, including good attention to detail.

-Ability to work independently and as part of a team; manage a variety of tasks and work under time pressure

-Initiative, creativity and motivation

Desired Qualifications

-Experience building coalitions and partnerships

-Willingness to be based in Thailand

-Ability to speak, read and write Thai preferred but not required

Application Procedure
Please send an application letter in English with resume and expected salary to Aviva Imhof, Campaigns Director, International Rivers Network, 1847 Berkeley Way, Berkeley , CA , 94703 , USA . Tel: 1 510 848 1155, Fax: 1 510 848 1008, email: aviva (at) irn.org. Applications are due by October 15, 2005 .

Source: www.irn.org

Interns wanted for GVB's Mercury Project

GVB has been carrying out research and developing a campaign to target the severe pollution caused by mercury. From August to November, GVB will be running the mercury pollution awareness raising and education campaign.

In order for the smooth operation of this campaign, GVB is currently recruiting a number of interns to assist in the project. Interns will gain invaluable work experience through work on this project. We warmly welcome your participation and assistance.

Nature of the work and duties involved

1. Part time, unpaid work; GVB can provide transport costs and food subsidies and a volunteer worker certificate
2. Arranging and translating the English campaign material
3. Carrying out analysis and report writing; planning and implementing awareness raising campaigns;
4. Helping the project coordinator with the development of the project and participating in the project events arranged for the time period involved
5. Available to work from September to November

Please note: Interns can select which of the above lines of work they wish to participate in.

Applicants must:

1. Have a volunteering spirit and relevant experience;
2. Have a strong sense of work responsibility and the ability to work independently; have a strong desire to work for public benefit;
3. Have a good grasp of English and good translation abilities;
4. Have a working knowledge of the non-profit organisation and environmental sectors
5. Have set regular times in which they could work

Applicants should send their application material to the following address:

Global Village of Beijing
5-6-103, Jiaming Gardens , No.86 Beiyuan Road , Chaoyang District
Beijing 100101, China

Contact: Jiang Wei, jiangwei@gvbchina.org.cn
Telephone: 010-84859122 ext 15
Fax: 010-84859121

1 st International Forum on Ecological Construction of Beijing (IFECB2005)

Oct. 26-27, 2005 , Beijing

Venue: Beijing COFCO Dragon Spring Resort, Mentougou District

Organisers: Science & Technology Committee of Mentougou, Beijing , Beijing Sustainable Development Promotion Center of Science and Technology

Main theme: ‘Modes and Practice of Ecological Restoration'

Topics: theory and practice of the restoration of degraded ecosystems, re-greening of damaged soil and erosion control, ecological restoration of abandoned mining land (coal mines, limestone mines, quarries, etc. ), closing mines, ecological restoration technology selection and system innovation, development trends in ecological restoration industry and ecological recreation industry, the role of NGOs in the development of ecological restoration industries.

Conference languages: Chinese, English, Japanese, etc . (simultaneous translation)

Registration date: October 23-25, 2005

Contact: Tel: +86-10-69854033, Fax:+86-10-69843260, email: mtgkwstb@163.com

Website: http://www.IFECB2005.cn

Source: CESDRRC Newsletter

Employment positions available for Jiangsu Eco City Programme

Jiangsu Eco City Planning and Management Programme seeks to fill positions of Project Office Administrator, Programme Officer and Technical Advisor, to be based in Jiangsu province.

To apply Please send your CV (English and Chinese) with photo and your application to Ms. Qu Ziruo by E-mail: hr.gtz-china@gtz.de or fax (010-85275185).

For further information please refer to http://www2.gtz.de/china/chinese/english/jobmarket.htm .

Source: www.thedonationcenter.org

Second International Forum on Education for Sustainable Development : Bridging International Visions with National Actions

Oct. 28-Nov. 1, 2005, Beijing

Organisers: Beijing Academy of Educational Sciences (BAES) and China National Working Committee of the UNESCO EPD Project

This meeting promises to bring together leaders in the field of Education for Sustainable Development and provide a place for networking and consultation. The organizing committee of the forum seeks the input of ESD practitioners worldwide in the formulation of their plans for China 's activities for the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development. The organizing committee is seeking additional workshop presenters to share their innovative projects in ESD and welcomes abstracts of about 400 words. They also offer some financial support to key speakers.

Contact: Prof. Ji Mingming, Tel/ Fax: +86.10.66067158, email : baes@bjedu.gov.cn

Website: http://www.bj-aes.org/forum2005/

Source: CESDRRC Newsletter

Editor's Note: The following passages are translations of commentaries or extracts from commentaries made in an internet debate between various people regarding the Nu River Hydro-electric project. This is a currently unfolding issue and for this reason our coverage in this issue is not very comprehensive. In the next issue we will cover this issue much more thoroughly while keeping you up to date with the progress of the debate.

Request that the Nu River Hydro-Electric project's Environmental Assessment Report be made open to the public by law

(Extract)

It is to be understood that the new Nu River Hydro-electric development plans have already been inspected by the planning and environmental departments. Even now, the content of the discussions and the environmental impact assessment documents have not been made public; the public still have absolutely no way of understanding how the development company and local government are preparing to avoid causing damage to the environment, how they are going to resettle the dislocated masses, how they are going to guarantee the safety and the economy of the reservoir. We feel that bypassing public participation while making this kind of huge policy decision is not in compliance with the law, and under these circumstances, the policy decision will not have any basis in public opinion, which will make it hard to learn from past experiences. We earnestly request that before the examining and approving department carry out their policy decisions, they make public the environmental assessment reportrelated to the plans, because the right to knowledge is the prerequisite of all public participation.

The Nu River Hydro-electric development project is not a one off. We hope that this decision making process will be able to help to establish a set of scientific, democratic decision making procedures, in order to deal with China's current extreme and disorderly torrent of hydro-electric development projects. In 2004 China 's hydro-electric capability reached 100 million Kilowatts, the most in the world by a long way. However China 's hydro-electric department has planned to increase this to 250 million Kilowatts by 2020. Jinsha River, Min River, Dadu River, Yalong River, Jialing River, Wu River, Hongshui River, Lancang River, in the tributaries of every great river there are at the least very least a few levels, at most twenty some of these staggered development projects.

Among them there is no lack of high and big dams and reservoirs, not only does it have the most in Asia , but it has risen to having the most in the world. There are also plans for a large number of power stations in the big and small tributaries of these rivers, more than 300 in total. With constructing such a large scale, fast hydro-electrics project, if the appropriate procedure for balancing different interests factors have not been carried out, it is very hard to avoid resources from being plundered during the development and local people having their interests harmed. Not only will the original scenery of China 's river be lost forever, but also it is very likely that it could lead to serious poverty for the dislocated masses from the South-Western Mountain regions and thus lead to social instability.

Today's China is already moving towards the market economy era, and although hydro-electric development projects are an important part of our country's energy challenges, hydro-electric development generally belong to commercial behaviour these days. We shouldn't have to endure any more enterprises or individuals, who in the course of investing in construction and operation, occupy our public resources and environment at cheap prices or even at no cost, in order to gain huge profits, yet cause huge costs in damage caused by the dam, which is generally felt outside and endured by the displaced masses, by society, by the State Finance Department and by future generations. We are very happy to see that the State Department and the Development and Reform Committee and other local governments have already started taking action by making adjustments to the disordered development of the hydro-electric project. But if you wish to make any fundamental changes to this situation, you need to establish a new set of hydro-electric development policy procedures, to allow those whose interests are at stake the chance to participate in an effective and informed way. Only when each party whose interest is at stake has been given the right to information and participation, can you start to give appropriate consideration to different social targets. Only then is it possible to weigh up the advantages and disadvantages and make a rational assessment of the rights of interests. Only then can appropriate compensation be given to the masses of people who have their interest harmed and the environment that has been damaged. Only then would it be possible to really conscientiously think about any alternative plans. Only in this situation is it possible to realize the fair, open, scientific, logical and sustainable use of river resources. This is a thoroughly scientific development view and the necessary choice to make a thorough plan for the harmonization between man and nature.

If you are in support of our petition and you are willing to sign your name, please send an email to zhangshuo@fon.org.cn and inform us of your real first name and surname, your occupation and the organisation or company you work for, your telephone number and other contact details. We will add your name and details to our petition (we will not put any of your details on the internet). Thank you for your support!

To see the full text version in Chinese and to view those who have signed the petition, please visit Friends of Nature's website: http://www.fon.org.cn/index.php?id=5440

Fang Zhouzi makes a commentary on the “Request that the Nu River Hydro-Electric project's Environmental Assessment Report be made open to the public by law”

Due to this “environmentalist's” close relationship with environmental protection officials, they are able to find out the inside information that the “New Nu River Hydro-electric development plans have already been inspected by the planning and environmental departments”, that naturally means that it wouldn't be hard for them to also get a look at “the Environmental Impact Assessment Report for the hydro-electric project in the lower reaches of the Nu River”. Much more, one of these “environmentalists” (Jiang Gaoming, head researcher from China 's Science Institute's Plant Research Department), is listed as a major participant in the report and should have a copy of it in his hand. Therefore they must know that this report has confidential information which can not be made public.

I believe that they must also know that this report has been termed a confidential document, not because it's got content that it is hiding from the people, but because in accordance with the state laws related to confidentiality, as an international river, research information on the Nu River is in the scope of classified information. Therefore this “environmentalist” should clearly know that by law, the report should not be made public, and yet they make a deliberate“ Request that the Nu River Hydro-Electric project's Environmental Assessment Report be made open to the public by law ” towards the government. Their aim is to wrongly lead the masses into assuming that the reason the report isn't being made public is due to illegitimate content contained within it.

Of course, those who have signed their names are not all like these “environmentalists”, we shouldn't disregard those who signed their names because they were unaware of the real situation and were, in their confusion drawn into the crowd. If this is your situation, it is best to remove your name as quickly as possible or you are making a pompous request that the government should by law make public a document that should legally remain classified information which is really rather insolent. If you really wish the Nu River hydro-electric environmental assessment report to be made public then you should make a request to the government that they reform their laws regarding confidentiality, or request that the government breaks the rules by illegally making a confidential document public.

Further more, in the report this “environmentalist” is spread the word that the Nu River is “One of China's last two rivers ecologies which hasn't hasn't been dammed”. You have to admire the nerve of this person, but within the Tibetan boundaries, on the tributary of the Nu River, two hydro power stations were built a long time ago: Biru Power Station was put into production in 1990 (with a capacity of 1.6 MW) and the Chalong Power Station was put into production in 1995 (with a capacity of 10.8 MW).


In response to Fang Zhouzi <