Education

GreenSOS: Environmental education and post-earthquake relief in Sichuan

(Welcome back to RespChi blogger, Mark Hiew, who contributes this Q&A from his post in Chengdu!)

The Sichuan earthquake of 2008, beyond the tens of thousands of lives it took, left behind a massive reconstruction task, to which the Chinese government recently committed 1 trillion Yuan ($146.5 billion). Yet alongside all of the houses and infrastructure being rebuilt, other forms of assistance, eagerly received yet rarely reported, is being carried out.

Here in Chengdu, one student-based, volunteer-led NGO, Green Student Organization Society, or “GreenSOS”, has been providing environmental education and other services to the earthquake-affected region. Their program, established in July 2008 and dubbed the “Green Long March”, involved 25 volunteers from local universities and took place over 17 days at five sites. The Sichuan route was sponsored by Suntech, a solar power technology company.

Now, the nation-wide student conservation awareness campaign has grown to include 10 routes across the country, involving 5,000 student environmentalists from 50 universities. It is organized by Future Generations China and the Beijing Forestry University.

In addition to providing environmental protection education, GreenSOS volunteers helped locals rebuild their communities with environmental considerations in mind. Volunteers also assisted local relief organizations, government and the Chinese army with general clean-up and reconstruction activities.

One of the major issues victims faced following the earthquake was inactivity. After their schools had been destroyed, children, in particular, had little organized activity to keep them occupied, compounding the already significant mental duress of their situation. GreenSOS organized a variety of environmental workshops and games to the youth, as well as activity centers and evening performances, providing welcome recreation for the villagers.

The workshops were creative and attuned to youth interests. In Baoshan and Guoping Villages, near Pengzhou City, volunteers led environmental dance, music and art classes, where students made “Dream Trees” and organized “Green Sports”, which they presented as an alternative take on the then soon-to-be Beijing Olympics. Baoshan is known as the first village in Sichuan province, and damage in the area was estimated to total more than 27 billion RMB ($4 billion).

In Hongqi village in Gongxing County, pig breeding and outside work comprised the main sources of income. Eighty-five percent of the village was affected by the earthquake. GreenSOS volunteers led workshops discussing how villagers could rebuild while protecting the environment. They also improved hygiene conditions by constructing eco-friendly toilets. The city already employs biogas technology and its goal now is to establish itself as “a leading eco-village.”

I spoke with Kui Li, the general facilitator for GreenSOS. She talks about how GreenSOS got started, different ways to partner with local and foreign organizations, and what’s important to remember about breaking into the China NGO scene.

Kui Li, 26, hails from Guangxi, in China’s southeast. A down-to-earth, engaging, young woman, she recently graduated with a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering from Southwest University of Minorities and a master’s degree in environmental science at Sichuan University, and she will be matriculating to Texas A&M University to pursue a master’s degree in ecological restoration and eco-hydrology this fall.

How did you get interested in environmental affairs?

When I was young I didn’t really understand much about environmental protection. It actually started when I was a freshman studying mechanical engineering, which had an environmental protection association. It was the only club in that college.

Then, during this last six years, moving from a volunteer to general facilitator, I received a lot of environmental education training and capacity building. Through my involvement in this kind of training, I became increasingly environmentally conscious. At the same time, Chinese environmental issues have become much more severe and I became committed to a clean future for China.

What sort of education did you receive about environmental and sustainability affairs when you were growing up?

During my primary education we had a course called “Nature,” which was mostly about how beautiful our country was. It didn’t discuss any environmental problems. It was only when at MinDa that I took a course where we started analyzing chemicals related to environmental pollutants.

Is the current level of education about the environment improving for young people in China today?

Yes. There are different kinds of courses set from elementary school to high school. Even in the university, they have global environmental issues courses for those in higher education who want to focus on the environmental field.

How did Green SOS begin?

A professor who taught environmental education in the environmental science department of Sichuan University founded the organization in 2001. This professor, Ms. Lu Hongyan, had worked in the field for several years and gathered a lot of resources, including from abroad. After she took part in the China Women’s Environmental Leadership Training Program, she created GreenSOS and continues to work in the environmental field.

What are the biggest environmental issues facing people in Sichuan right now?

Water pollution has always been the biggest problem in Sichuan. Non-point water pollution (fertilizer run-off), and factory pollution, such as chemicals, are the biggest sources of pollution for Sichuan’s rivers.

What about the biggest environmental issues in the earthquake area?

Different areas have different issues, depending on their geography. For villages located near forest, deforestation is the main issue, because people often cut down trees in order to use the timber to construct their houses. For places further from the forest, waste is the major issue, including that produced through construction and general human consumption.

Who does Green SOS partner with?

Green SOS has and continues to partner with a number of local and foreign NGOs in Chengdu. These include Conservation International, Peace Child, Global Greengrants Fund, Community Development Partnership, and ECOLOGIA. Most of them support us with money. THE Chengdu environmental protection bureau and forestry bureau give us some governmental support.

Has Green SOS partnered with any foreign organizations before and could you describe that process?

Yes, all of our donors are foreign NGOs, often with Chinese offices. We have worked in cooperation with ECOLOGIA (a Vermont-based NGO). Last semester, we had a project in which two foreigners and two Chinese volunteers worked together. The two foreigners put together information on climate change and provided training to GreenSOS volunteers and university students at five local universities. The two Chinese volunteers helped to bring out participants, as well as assisted with researching specific information.

What sort of relationship does Green SOS have with the government?

We have a very good relationship with the government. Even though we didn’t officially register, the government supports some GreenSOS volunteer projects, such as on every Earth Day (which takes place annually on April 22nd). We haven’t faced any legal restrictions or other bureaucratic problems in working with the government.

Do you have any interesting stories about your experience working in the earthquake area that you could share with us?

Once, I went to one of the villages in Pingwu County, which suffered severe damage during the earthquake. We sent a lot of clothes and stationary to the families and kids in the village. At the same time, we provided environmental education for the kids. All the kids warmly welcomed us and were very passionate. They invited us into their homes for food and give us a lot of special local products to take back home. Though we only stayed in the village for three days, more than 20 kids invited us for dinner at the time, so we’d have to eat more than five dinners everyday to satisfy them! Otherwise, they would be very upset. Such hospitality, despite having just had an earthquake severely damage their lives, and that they can manage to still be so positive, [was very moving].

What advice would you have for foreigners interested in working with local organizations in Sichuan?

First, they should gain an understanding of Chinese language, culture and the general situation in China. Secondly, providing money is important, but it’s more important to provide local organizations with training in order to build their capacity. Thirdly, foreigners should seek to maintain a good relationship with the government.

Finally, it’s often not enough to say you work for an NGO. It is better to provide a formal title with a (for-profit) company and title such as “company manager.” Having a job title to go by will provide you with recognized status, allowing you to get a business visa. NGOs alone cannot get business visas. Also, government officials at all levels are more familiar with dealing with formal companies rather than NGOs. For example, when I begin dealing with government officials I tell them I’m a student. Only further on will I tell them: “OK, this is a partnership with GreenSOS.”

What are the biggest problems or difficulties that Green SOS has to deal with? How have you managed to deal with them?

Our biggest problem has been finding a stable fundraising resource and a permanent office place. We still need several full-time staff in order to raise our organization to a more professional level. Then, GreenSOS projects will run more steadily.

What future plans does GreenSOS have in the near- and long-term?

In the near future, we would like to focus on rebuilding projects and helping villagers in the earthquake-affected areas. In the long term, we want to create more models and stable projects that university students can work on. Such projects will be volunteer-led and we plan to make them more sustainable. More specifically, we want to set up a permanent office with full time staff.

What future career plans do you have?

I’d like to work in the environmental field as a professor. I will go to [the United States] to pursue an MS and PhD. Though the academic knowledge may not be particularly useful for the Chinese environment, at least it can help raise my personal experience in the environmental field and it will make it easier for me to discuss deeper level cooperation with other NGOs.

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