Published by Global Village of Beijing

Voices of Grassroots is a monthly newsletter, which voices the opinions and activities of Chinese environmental NGOs. It is designed as an information platform to promote the participation of Chinese grassroots organizations in China's sustainable development. (detail)

We choose a frog as the symbol of our newsletter, not only for making it lively and interesting, but to remind ourselves and other grassroots of the extension of its meaning---Never jump out of the grassland and pond - the public, in which we are established; Keep voicing our opinions since it is our function and mission; Look upon our behaviors from diversified points of views and realize self-promotion with tolerance and interdependence; and Strive to make our frog jump to keep up with the pace of international NGOs through capacity building.

One frog can only give a weak murmur, yet voices from numerous frogs can be heard throughout the world. One frog has very limited strength, while efforts made by numerous frogs can strike hearts of the public and inspire their participation in our green Earth construction.

Please share your updates, events and information on environmental issues with us. We sincerely look forward to your articles, comments and every possible support.

Sheri Liao
President, Global Village of Beijing

Introduction to Voices of Grassroots (Back To Top)

Voices of Grassroots is a monthly newsletter, which voices the opinions and activities of Chinese environmental NGOs. It is designed as an information platform to promote the participation of Chinese grassroots organizations in China's sustainable development.

Voices of Grassroots aims to strengthen collaboration between grassroots organizations, governments, and the business sector by updating environmental activities, policies and laws, and public ideas. Additionally, it seeks to assist NGOs in their capacity building efforts by sharing the experiences of relevant organizations and experts. Finally, it endeavors to expand the influence of NGOs nationwide through dissemination on a broad scale.

Voices of Grassroots is published by Global Village of Beijing, with current funding support from the Canadian Civil Society Programme. In each publication, an extensive amount of content comes directly from people who are either working with or are otherwise associated with Chinese environmental NGOs. With an editing panel that consists of leaders and researchers from governments, the business sector, and NGOs, Voices of Grassroots is positioned to be an effective platform through which the voices of grassroots organizations can be heard.

NGO Express (Back To Top)

Traditional Chinese Medicine and the 26 Degree Campaign

As part of the 26 Degree Campaign, one of the organizers, Friends of Nature, invited Mr. Wang Xingyuan from the Beijing Traditional Medicine University to give a lecture on “Environment and Health, Air Conditioning and Health” on August 22.

Mr. Wang acknowledged 26 Degree Campaign from traditional Chinese point of view. Participants understood from his explanation the importance of keeping one's body under natural conditions and learned about traditional Chinese treatments.

--Friends of Nature

Journalist Salon

A new journalist salon organized by “China Youth Daily” and “Green Earth” was opened on August 18 on the topic of wild plant conservation and management in China. The director of China Wild Plant Conservation Association Yu-Yongfu was invited to give a lecture. Journalists, staff from other NGOs and environmental volunteers joined the salon. Organizer Wang-Yongchen said: plants are not like animals, they can't run, they can't scream, they can't avoid any danger and therefore plant conservation is always ignored by people. In recent years we have had more floods and other natural disasters and it's the time to take plant conservation more seriously.

From the lecture of Mr. Yu stressed that human activities and environmental degradation have led to extinction and reduction of many plant species and we are not giving them enough attention and protection.

Participants suggest different methods of plant conservation including environmental education. They also criticized urban construction that changes natural vegetation to concrete or artificial grassland.

Animal Welfare Education Workshop

On August 3-5 , the RSPCA (Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) UK and the Jane Goodall Institute (JGI) China held an animal welfare education course for environmental education trainers at Beijing Jiaotong University.

29 participants from Beijing, Tianjin, Zhejiang, Shanghai and Chengdu took part in the workshop. 16 of them are professional teachers, 7 of them University Group Leaders, and 6 of them professional environmental education trainers.

The course aims to provide a basis in the basic concepts of animal welfare and a thorough understanding of its importance in education. It also covered practical topics, such as creating animal-friendly schools, designing resources and promoting animal welfare to other teachers. The course also included a visit to Beijing Zoo, with a subsequent discussion on the welfare of animals there.

--Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Jane Goodall Institute China

Opening of China Rivers Website

A website contains information about China's rivers is now open, please log on

www.chinarivers.ngo.cn to acquire more information.

The 10 th Sustainable Energy Journalist Forum

August 12, another journalist forum was held with the theme of Demand Side Management—DSM. This forum attracted more than 40 journalists from different publications. Researchers and specialists gave lectures on the problems that hinder demand side management of power in China and talked about the importance of media in influencing peoples' behavior. Journalists gave their opinions and had an engaging discussion with the specialists. This forum provided a communication platform and led the media to a positive direction.

--Global Village of Beijing, the Energy Foundation

Forum on Mercury Pollution and Its Prevention

August 20, 9 professors from different part of China gathered together for a forum on mercury pollution and its prevention. The event was organized by Global Village of Beijing and members of the media were also in attendance.

Many people know that mercury is very harmful to people's health; however, very few know the severity of mercury pollution in China. According to introduction from the professors, mercury pollution is very common and in some areas it is a serious problem. They also warned that mercury pollution is usually a long process of mercury accumulation and the result will not be seen in a comparatively long period of time, however, its damage in the future could be huge and irreparable.

Participants of the forum were all happy to have the chance to gather together and exchange ideas and information.

Warning and Pollution (Back To Top)

Huaihe River Still Vulnerable to Pollution

Pollution in the Huaihe River could rebound without constant supervision, say local environment officials. 

The Huaihe, the country's third longest river, supplies water to some 165 million people in Henan, Hubei, Anhui and Jiangsu provinces in central and east China.

Ten years ago, seeing that the river was heavily polluted, the Chinese Government launched a campaign to clean it up.

While some progress has been made, local environment officials say the river is still very vulnerable.

The latest example was seen in late July. Unexpected rain hit the upper reaches of the river in central China and forced various reservoirs to discharge simultaneously.

As a result, accumulated foul water created a dirty water zone that contaminated the river and rapidly moved downstream.

In Xuyi County, east China's Jiangsu Province, which was one of the worst affected regions, the incident killed 90 percent of the county's aquatic life and caused damages worth 310 million yuan (US$37 million), statistics from local aquatic product bureau show.

"If the water quality in the Huaihe River turns good, our life will become better and better. But if the river continues to be polluted, we will be deprived of our livelihood," said Liu Peiying, a fisherman in Xuyi.

The July spills left Liu with a debt of 700,000 yuan (US$84,000) after the dirty water killed more than 30,000 tons of crabs he bred.

The problem may be worse than just pollution along the river. The economic welfare of residents in four provinces is also at stake.

Local government leaders are often accused of focusing on economic development without regard for environmental protection, said Xu Jiasheng, deputy director of the Anhui Provincial Environmental Protection Bureau. However, economic development is a must.

Xu said the Huaihe River basin flows through poverty-stricken regions along four provinces. In those areas, economic development is the biggest concern.

"The best solution is to balance the relationship between the two," he said.

Environmental protection should be one of the criteria used to judge the performance of government officials and a green GDP (gross domestic products) calculating system should be adopted, he said.

Green GDP is an amendment to GDP that extrapolates the environmental costs of economic development.

Li Jingming, deputy director of the Henan Provincial Environmental Protection Bureau, said industrial infrastructure is crucial to pollution control along the river.

The proportion of such polluting industries as paper making, brewing and tannery, which are abundant in the Huaihe River basin, should be cut down, he said.

A system that ensures the building and operation of sewage treatment plants is also important, said Liu Xiaolei, an official with the Jiangsu Provincial Environmental Protection Bureau.

Statistics show sewage discharged from the local population contributes 60 percent of the major pollutants entering the Huaihe River.

But to build and operate a sewage treatment plant has traditionally cost the government huge amounts of money.

Therefore, Liu said, new funding mechanisms such as BOT (build-operate-transfer) should be adopted. In this formula, a company which invests in and builds a sewage treatment plant will operate the project for certain period of time before it transfers it to the government.

( China Daily August 23, 2004)

NGO Corner (Back To Top)

Nomads and nomadic culture

From the editor: China's vast Northwest region is rich in nomadic culture and lifestyle. People in various places carry on a nomadic life mainly because of the harsh environment they live in. It has been shown that after a long period of development, nomadism has evolved into to a systematic socioeconomic and political structure that serves their natural conditions. Currently, farming, overgrazing, industry, immigration and adverse policies in Inner Mongolia have led to desertification, poverty and ecological refugees. Today, let's look at the situation in Tibet and see what Zhaxi—a local Tibetan environmentalist says. (Original article written by Ms. Yin-Chuntao, translated by Amanda CUI)

Over grazing:

The Tibetan local government considers over grazing the major reason for grassland degradation. However, Zhaxi thinks that global warming plays a more important role in this process. In 2002, he found that glaciers were melting, rivers drying up and many springs disappearing. His point of view is similar to researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences. A few weeks ago at the Tibetan Plateau Discussion Forum, many scientists agreed that compared to the limited human activities in only some parts of Tibet, global climate change has a much bigger impact on the environment.

Lack of market knowledge:

Most officials and researchers understand that the local nomads lack market awareness and are not willing to sell their animals. However, the majority of the livestock now are sheep and the main problem facing herders is how to sell them at a profitable price. The herders' families work on their own and are not organized. This puts them at a disadvantage when interacting with companies and often results in their exploitation. On the other hand, some herders sell all their sheep to buy motorcycles and other goods that are unnecessary on the grassland. This destroys the natural ecosystem of vegetation, horses and sheep.

Transformation of pasture management

The “Household responsibility system” is now applied everywhere in Tibet which is entirely unprecedented in its long history. After land was contracted to each household, there was very little space left for mobile grazing and relationships among families in one tribe became tense due to different opinions on when and where to move and whether to move at all. At present, degradation around settlements is usually the most severe.

Ecological immigrants

Because policy makers do not understand nomadic culture and lifestyle, the government is now moving herders to nearby towns and villages. This policy ignores the traditions and harmony formed between nature and Tibetan nomads. Zhaxi is hoping that a more culturally equitable policy assessment can be made to give the government some ideas to improve the current policy.

Education problem

The current education system, which entails 9 years of compulsory attendance, is not useful or demanded in pastoral areas. On one hand, the standard education curriculum lacks Tibetan religious and spiritual knowledge and necessary herding and living skills. On the other hand, an educational system that is suitable for herders remains badly needed. Children need more local knowledge and a better chance to learn their native language. Zhaxi discovered that kids who grow up with their parents in pastoral areas have better language skills while kids who grow up in cities often speak their native tongue poorly.

Due to these problems, most herders don't want to send their children to school even though they could be fined. Compared to this, the local school started by Zhaxi is welcomed by many herder families. Tuition consists of one sheep and the herders spontaneously gave the school a piece of pastureland so that revenue from animal grazing can keep the school running. Lifestyle in school is still pastoral and students learn pastoral knowledge from their daily life in school.

Green community network

Zhaxi has an idea of developing a green community starting with this school. He would like to find a way to rebuild the communal pastoral economy and seek for cooperation and possibility to build up a community mechanism. He's also hoping to help local people set up a Green Community Association to develop tourism. These years, he keeps bringing volunteers in to help local people. He hopes that the interests of outsiders in nomadic culture and lifestyle will encourage local children to protect their environment and culture and make local people proud of their culture.

Zhaxi's contact: uyohata@sina.com

“THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW” --WWF

1 • WWF KEY MESSAGES ON THE MOVIE

“In the real world (as opposed to Hollywood fiction) it is not too late to stop the impacts of global warming. The politicians in the movie didn't listen to their scientists and waited until it was too late to act. Today we have the chance to avoid impacts of such a scale. We have the solutions, we have the technologies. What we need are the leaders who are willing to stand up and listen to their scientists and take bold steps forward. Only that kind of boldness of implementing deep emissions reduction cuts will keep the worst from happening.”

“Although the scale and the rapidity are not the size of the Hollywood movie, we are already seeing the impacts of global warming today. These impacts, although seemingly smaller than those portrayed in the Hollywood science fiction movie, are very real to people and nature around the world. Whether it be the people of Tuvalu, the polar bears of the Arctic or the coral reefs around the world, climate change is real and must be curbed immediately. Luckily we still have time to avoid those worst impacts.”

"The film concentrates on massive impacts of sudden and abrupt climate change. But it does not mention the causes for climate change, not the solutions that are available today. So in many ways the reality is more dramatic than the movie - because today the worst effects of climate change can still be contained if political and business leaders bring up the courage to act."

"We know the solutions, the world can now embark on a more sustainable energy path. Since changing the world's energy supply will require many decades during which climate change will still increase we need to act now and start that long-term switch of energy policy."

2 • MOVIE FACTS AND FICTION

• MOVIE: Breaking off of the Larson B iceshelf in Antarctica.

FACT:This has happened already in 2002 - see http://nsidc.org/iceshelves/larsenb2002/ . A total of about 3,250 km 2 of shelf area disintegrated in a 35-day period beginning on 31 January 2002.

• MOVIE: A climate scientist, at a climate conference in New Dehli, explains to the US Vice President, Saudi Arabian delegates and others, that there is a chance of abrupt climate change – where the melting of the glaciers would pump so much freshwater into the system could shut down the conveyer belt and put the northern hemisphere into an ice age. The Vice President challenges the scientist, says he is talking science fiction and notes that the costs of implementing the Kyoto Protocol are prohibitive and perhaps he should be more realistic. The scientist answers that perhaps the VP should think abut the costs of doing nothing.

FACT: WWF says that this denial of overwhelming scientific evidence has been the attitude of the US administration in the last few years and that this scenes are therefore to be considered very realistic.

• Other scenarios in the MOVIE:

Extreme weather events depicted by the movie: snow storm in New Delhi, hail storm in Tokyo, Hurricanes in Florida, Temperature drop in the buoys in the North Sea, Tornadoes ravaging the city of Los Angeles, flooding in NY, freezing in the northern hemisphere.

Climate refugees are heading south to mexico, so many that the Mexicans close the border – later reopened because the US president has agreed to forgive all of latin america's debt

The scientists note that the solar output is normal and that the circulation is now coming from the arctic – that the huge amount of freshwater dumped into the oceans has caused vast desalinization which is driving extreme weather. They then say that “We are on the verge of a major climate shift.”

FACT: The crucial inaccuracy here is the timing. Even if the climate impacts ever reached this scale, the shifts would not occur in such rapidity.

3 • CLIMATE IMPACTS OCCURRING NOW

Climate impacts are already occurring throughout the world, and worse is predicted by serious scientists - see for instance:

WWF: Polar bears stranded on Bear Island may be early warning sign of climate change
http://www.panda.org/about_wwf/what_we_do/climate_change/news/news.cfm?uNewsID=13048

SCIENCE: 2003 was Europe's hottest summer for 500 years
http://www.panda.org/about_wwf/what_we_do/climate_change/news/news.cfm?uNewsID=11802

WWF: WWF scientist provides testimony on climate change impacts
http://www.panda.org/about_wwf/what_we_do/climate_change/news/news.cfm?uNewsID=11704

TUVALU: Tuvalu PM blames global warming as Funafuti sinks
http://www.tuvaluislands.com/news/news-index.htm

WWF: Switching to renewable energy will help stop Great Barrier Reef destruction from climate change
http://www.panda.org/about_wwf/what_we_do/climate_change/news/news.cfm?uNewsID=11461

WWF: Salmon "cooking" in Scottish rivers
http://www.panda.org/about_wwf/what_we_do/climate_change/news/news.cfm?uNewsID=10661

NATURE: Climate change threatens one million species
http://www.panda.org/about_wwf/what_we_do/climate_change/news/news.cfm?uNewsID=10481

WWF: Growing momentum on global warming in the US, outside the White House
http://www.panda.org/about_wwf/what_we_do/climate_change/news/news.cfm?uNewsID=10048

WMO - World Meteorological Organisation: Extreme weather events might increase
http://www.panda.org/about_wwf/what_we_do/climate_change/news/news.cfm?uNewsID=7746

For further information:

Martin Hiller, Communications Manager, WWF Climate Change Programme, Tel. +41 22 3649226, mhiller@wwfint.org

Policy Watch (Back To Top)

Policy Critic: Public Hearing in Respect of Environmental Protection

Translated by Yu-Jingxuan(volunteer)

Interviewer: Zhao Yongxin, correspondence

Critic: Yang Chaofei, Head of Department of Policies, Laws and Regulations, SEPA

SEPA published “the Interim Measures for Hearing the Administrative License in Respect of Environmental Protection ” which clearly stipulated that two types of construction projects and 10 types of planning schemes will implement public hearing (featured in this page on August 14th.) What is the effect of environmental public hearing? How does the public participate? Your correspondent interviewed the Yang Chaofei, Head of Department of Policies, Laws and Regulations, SEPA.

Why environmental public hearing?

In the past, the administrative bodies usually made decisions on their own. The general public could rarely participate in the decision-making process for administrative environmental decisions. Now, we have formulated a series of laws and systems to assure public participation in environmental management and to realize democratic decisions. The hearing system is one such significant system.

Hearing system has 2 roles: one is to protect the right to information, the right to participation and the public right to supervise. For future administrative actions (e.g. legislation, penalty and permission) the public has the right to understand the details so as to scrutinize and express their opinions to influence the decision. The other role of the hearing system is to ensure the scientific accuracy. Through hearing, all kinds of opinions (especially the opposition), knowledge will be gathered. The opinions and priorities of different interest groups will be taken into account, and public intelligence will be concentrated, so as to enhance scientific decision-making of environmental departments.

What is subject to public hearing?

The hearing system, with respect to environmental protection, includes subjects of 3 aspects: environmental legislation hearing, environmental administrative penalty hearing and environmental administrative permission hearing. For example, an administrative penalty hearing on the violation of Sichuan Polyester Co., Ltd was held in 1998. Also, we held a legislation hearing on the draft statute of emission permission in Nanjing, Jiangsu this month. The Interim Measures for Hearing the Administrative License in Respect of Environmental Protection mainly focuses on administrative permission hearing.

Administrative permission hearing covers a great range of issues. The hearings can be categorized into two types based on the how a hearing is determined to be held. One type of hearing is that which is stipulated by law or regulation. The other consists of hearings that the environmental authorities deem necessary based on the issues involved and interests related to the permission. Examples of the latter one include important administrative permission items directly involving the interests of the applicant and others, and those where the applicant and/or stakeholders lawfully request a hearing.

In order to protect the benefit of the public, and to proactively guide the environmental leaders to administer by law, we articulated in the Interim Measures for Hearing the Administrative License, in Respect of Environmental Protection, two types of construction projects and ten types of planning schemes that are most common and closely related to the general public.

Which citizens or groups are eligible to attend the hearings?

We do not have any restriction on the qualification of citizens or groups that can attend the hearings. All people and groups concerned with environmental protection are sincerely welcome.

After the environmental authorities confirm the specific construction project or planning to hold a hearing on, the information will be published on the website of SEPA ( www.zhb.gov.cn ), China Environmental News and other sources in advance. Citizens or groups who would like to attend the hearing can send in an application. They can then attend the hearing once the environmental authorities have admitted their application.

W hat happens if public opinion is in dissidence with the environmental authorities?

There are bound to be cases where the public opinion and that of the environmental authorities do not agree at the initial stage. Why do we hold public hearings? Public hearings are held for the sole reason of gathering public intelligence and scientific decision-making. The key to the public hearing is ‘to hear', hearing the opinions of the administrators and the public, especially the opposition opinions.

All opinions expressed during the hearing will be taken down in the minutes by the environmental authorities. The opinions will be recognized and analyzed. Based on facts, reasons evidence etc., a legitimate and reasonable judgment will be made as to whether the opinions are accepted. In either case, the environmental authorities have to provide sufficient reasoning.

In case of dissidence, if public opinions are backed by sufficient grounds of argument and reasoning, the environmental authorities will be open to such opinions.

August 19, 2004 People's Daily Online – People's Daily

Women, Youth and Environment(Back To Top)

WSSD(Back To Top)

Green Energy Corps: Market-driven Renewable Energy Development

Building Green Energy Industry through competition and choice

Translated by Nat Miller

China's renewable energy policy uses tax revenue, price subsidies and low interest rates in order to reduce costs and provide market-driven incentives for green energy. However, the scope of green energy has quickly diminished within a short span of time due to competition with thermal energy. As a result, the scope of green energy must be enlarged before costs can fall, but it is difficult to avoid high costs in the early stages of development. It is also difficult to escape this vicious circle in the early stages of renewable energy development.

When compared to traditional energy sources, green energy has the added benefit of producing an environmental domino effect. Every time green energy is reused, it lessens by 1 kwh the amount of thermal energy used which effectively reduces carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide emissions while providing benefits to the overall population. It is precisely this aspect of green energy that differentiates it from standard energy because of its ability to bring the consumer into the equation. Encouraging power companies to adopt the Green Energy Corps' blueprint has the capacity to minimize the competitive advantage currently enjoyed by thermal power.

Additionally, the cause of renewable energy advocated by the Green Energy Corps provides consumers with a clear choice between traditional energy and sustainable methods. Price adjustments will occur with every renewable energy item purchased, thus decreasing costs over time. Because fixed prices currently rely on consumer preferences, lower costs will entice more consumers to use green energy and the market will grow. Alternatively, high costs will continue to drive away consumers unwilling to commit their funds and the market will shrink accordingly. The strength of a market-driven process lies in its ability to spur the construction of renewable energy power plants, while lowering the costs of energy production.

The green energy model has the ability to adapt to particular forms of development while avoiding interference with market prices. This will allow renewable energy to independently carve out its own market. Within this market, the price gap between green energy and standard energy will narrow thus increasing demand for renewable energy and subsequently increasing its supply. Higher purchasing power in eastern development regions may induce further demand for green energy among cities as they engage in competition within a green context. Green energy initiatives may also be adopted by less developed western provinces looking for equitable natural resource arrangements with eastern provinces.

1. What is the Green Energy Corps?

The Green Energy Corps relies on power companies that adopt environmentally sound energy production techniques. A critical aspect of the Corps is the power of consumer choice to hinder or strengthen green energy. The Green Corps' main purpose is to introduce requirements and encourage consumption of green energy as well as green manufacturing and pricing. For the renewable energy market to develop, enterprises must first begin to adopt Green Corps policies. Linking green consumers with producers remains an important goal in order to instill consumer confidence in green energy and ensure its continued development.

Firstly, it is difficult to place material or market worth on green energy because its environmental benefits are common to us all. It is therefore imperative that we communicate to both the government and private sector the profound benefits offered by green energy policies. By working in conjunction with other environmental NGOs, the Green Corps can help spark open-market green energy transactions to strengthen the overall industry. Secondly, because consumer benefit is a central priority, and because consumer information remains imperfect, consumers remain ill equipped to distinguish between green and standard energy. To cast light on the benefits of green energy, consumer decision-making must be aided by building up the status of green power as a reputable source of energy.

2. Green Corps International Exposure

At present, energy companies in eighteen countries have adopted the types of renewable energy strategies advocated by the Green Corps. One particular characteristic unique to all these countries is the conflict with power companies who enjoy monopolies in their own markets. According to green energy pricing formulas, renewable energy must first distinguish itself as an alternative energy source thereby establishing its own prices and manufacturing techniques while avoiding rate hikes for consumers. To be of benefit to consumers, green energy should establish a clear and definitive name to be easily recognized much like solar power.

Listed below are several core principles to encourage more power companies to adopt green processes:

1) Consumer demands must remain a central priority. Before establishing new rates based on green processes, most power companies should conduct a market survey to better understand consumer preferences. Current surveys show between 40 to 50 percent of consumers are in favor of paying more for green energy.

2) The role of government policy. The government can set requirements to increase the supply of renewable energy while improving the environment. In addition, a tax on energy producers using coal would increase its cost rendering it a less attractive alternative to green energy. Finally, the government can require companies to publicize their energy production processes and make them subject to pressure from public and environmental organizations.

3) As the energy market opens up, power companies will encounter competition from green energy producers who will hopefully gain a competitive advantage as consumer confidence in green energy rises.

4) As a result of public scrutiny, power companies will be forced to maintain a favorable public image under the watchful eye of environmental NGOs.

Green certification has a number of potential uses. First and foremost, certification may help initiate a formal policy on open-market renewable energy with the possibility of future international transactions.

Again, the role of government remains critical to developing the renewable energy market. This year in Holland, the government introduced a green power market to compete with traditional power. Now consumers have the freedom to choose green energy which will only increase its demand in the future thus strengthening the overall industry.

Analysis of Potential for Green Energy in China: Green Corps Initiative

Countries with extant green power markets offer valuable lessons and highlight many of the important stages on the way to development. To begin with, the Green Corps must convince power companies to adopt green energy programs as soon as possible in order to grow from a niche market to a widely embraced source of energy. For green energy to further develop, cities like Beijing and Shanghai must first take a leadership role in establishing a green energy market. On the other hand, the Green Corps must function as a medium connecting green energy demand with supply to slowly expand the industry.

In terms of demand, the Green Corps needs to target middle-income earners in cities like Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen and Guangzhou. These individuals are more likely to both have the disposable income to pay for green energy and may indeed be more willing to do so. Also, these regions straddle other important entities such as national corporations, foreign organizations and embassies, government ministries and others with greater disposable income than other regions of the country.

The Green Corps' appeal to environmental protection through renewable energy is not only aimed at those with the appropriate income level, but also those with particular vested interests in environmental maintenance. Again, this ideally includes individuals, corporations, international organizations or government ministries. As individuals' incomes rise, it is expected that they will begin to demand certain environmental restrictions and requirements which will generate greater public interest and dialogue.

As the 2008 Olympics approach, the government's commitment to a “Green Olympics” may give rise to greater social concern and activism regarding environmental protection. One particular goal calls for 20 percent of all energy to be derived from green sources. Thus, in the not too distant future, potential for growth in the green energy industry remains strong across China and particularly in Beijing.

In 2001, a number of initial surveys were taken in Beijing to gauge interest in green energy. Of 339 corporations surveyed, over 50 percent expressed interest in green energy. However, findings discovered that public interest in green energy remained low, which could be attributed to a general scarcity of knowledge regarding its potential benefits. Before hearing of it, less than 50 percent of enterprises expressed any interest in green energy. However, after learning about it from newspapers and television reports, more than 60 percent of managers began to express more interest. From this we may conclude that public interest in green energy will rise as knowledge increases.

Conclusion

Indeed, before green energy can compete effectively, the government must encourage power companies in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen to adopt specific green energy programs. For Beijing and Shanghai to first initiate this process, several conditions must be met. Firstly, power companies must be encouraged to offer green energy to consumers by raising the fixed price to reflect environmental benefits. This will help establish a balance between the supply and demand of green energy in the market and help stabilize the price. Otherwise, wild price fluctuations will inhibit consumer confidence and the market will never develop. Secondly, in order to create an equitable environment for public bidding based on demand, a set of rules must be established to ensure both consumers and natural resources receive proper consideration. Thirdly, a method of certifying “green” power companies must be established with a symbol indicating the company's pledge to abide by green principles of power production. Careful attention must be paid to the financial and operational costs in order to ensure that companies continue to adhere to their pledge. If maintained, this standard would benefit not only consumers and producers of green energy, but also government ministries, environmental associations and even power companies. The goal of the 2008 Olympics, which is to strengthen green energy, depends on solid implementation, effective publicity and international recognition. With these three qualities, the potential for renewable energy growth in China becomes limitless.

Partnership(Back To Top)

Heinrich Boell Foundation

The Heinrich Boell Foundation is named after a famous German author and humanitarian, Heinrich Boell (1917 - 1985) , a tireless environmental advocate , and one of the earliest supporters of the German Green Party, to which the foundation is affiliated. The foundation's first activity in China, in 1996, was an exhibition and symposium on Boell's work, held in Beijing.

Their mission is "To promote ecological sustainability, social justice, human rights and dialogue between all cultures in order to achieve a better future for humanity."

The foundation's current China programme largely concentrates on gender equity and environmental education, urban planning and development, as well as dialogues on civil society.

Since 2001 it has supported the establishment of a women's community center in Tianjin, in cooperation with the local Women's Federation and the Maple Women's Psychological Counseling Center from Beijing (cooperation with the latter since 1999). Both centers provide legal and psychological counseling services for women who suffer from domestic violence and other hardships.

In 2002, the foundation began to work with the China Association for NGO Cooperation and the Women's Federation of Henan and Shaanxi provinces to give training to rural women to improve their leadership skills and strengthen their role in political representation.

Environmental Education projects started in 2001 with a series of workshops for teachers arranged in partnership with the State Environmental Protection Agency's Center for Environmental Education. From 2001, the foundation has supported mobile education programmes run by the Chinese NGO, Friends of Nature. Since 2002 it has supported a series of environmental policy seminars hosted by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences , Geographic and Natural Sciences Research Institute. In 2004, the foundation agreed on sponsoring the 26 Degree Campaign through Cango—their main partner in China.

The Boell Foundation has also collaborated since 1999 with the Architectural Society of China in a series of symposia, exchanges and publications on various aspects of urban planning and development.

In common with other foundations affiliated to political parties in Germany, the Heinrich Boell Foundation receives public funds allocated through the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development.

Mainland China contact:

Klaus Beck
HBF / CANGO project coordination
18 Beisanhuan Zhonglu
Beijing  100011
klaus@hbfasia.org

Upcoming Conferences (Back To Top)

2004 International Symposium on Water Resources Management and Development of Cities

Date: Oct. 12. 14, 2004

Venue: Beijing Yongxin Garden Hotel (Haidian District), Beijing

Organizers: Beijing Association for Science and Technology, Beijing Municipal Bureau of Water Resources

Central theme: Harmonious Development with Human, Water and Nature.

Main topics: strategies for coping with urban water resource shortage, urban flood control and flood management, water environmental rehabilitation and ecological reconstruction, rain water collection and utilization, water culture protection and urban development, symposium language: English and Chinese (simultaneous interpretation provided)

Contact: LIU Yankai, HUANG Yuzhang, A3 Cuiwei Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100036, China, Fax: +86 10 68159192, Email: liuyk@bjwater.gov.cn , Huangyzh@bjwater.gov.cn

Regional Environmental Quality Change and Environmental Security in China

Date: Oct. 22-26, 2004

Venue: The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong

Contents: environmental waste, effects on human health, water, air, soil pollution and management, GIS, RS, GPS models, etc.

L anguage: Chinese

Contact: Yongqin David Chen, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Geography and Resource Management, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, NT, Hong Kong, Tel: (852) 2609-6539, Fax: (852) 2603-5006, Email: ydavidchen@cuhk.edu.hk

3rd World Wind Energy Conference and Renewable Energy Exhibition Including Wind Power Asia 2004

Date: Oct. 31. Nov. 4, 2004

Venue: International Convention Centre, Beijing

Contents: China is making big efforts to foster its wind energy utilization within the near future, while China ' s wind industry has already reached an impressive technical level. The Chinese government has clearly expressed its commitment, which might well lead China to becoming one of the leading wind energy countries, in terms of installed capacities as well as production and turbines.

Contact: World Wind Energy Association (WWEA), Mr. Stefan Gsaenger, Secretary General, Eduard-Pflueger-Str. 43, 53113 Bonn, Germany, Tel.: +49-228-369 90-83, Fax: +49-228-36990-84, Email: sg@wwingea.org , Websites: www.wwindea.org , www.wwec2004.cn

IWA International Conference on Water Conservation and Management in Coastal Areas

Date: Nov. 9-11, 2004

Location: Qingdao, Ji'nan, Shandong Province

Organisers: Ocean University of China, Chinese Hydraulic Engineering Society, Chinese Society of Oceanography, Chinese Society for Environmental Sciences, National Science Foundation of China, Hanseo University, Korea, Jinan Municipal Government Sponsors: Hong Kong Water Supplies Department, Ernest Orlando Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Administrative Centre for China.s Agenda 21, Qingdao Municipal Government, UNESCO Chinese Centre of Marine Biotechnology and others.

Contact: Dr. Zhengyan Li, College of Environmental Science & Engineering, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266003, Tel.: +865322032823, Fax: +865322031755, Email: zhengyan@ouc.edu.cn

Global Food Safety Forum

Date: Nov. 18-19, 2004 (to be confirmed)

Venue: Friendship Hotel, Beijing

Organisers: Development Research Centre of the State Council (DRC), Ministry of Science and T echnology (MoST)

Sponsors: Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), World Health Organization (WHO), World Band (WB), United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), German Development Cooperation (GTZ) As a global issue, food safety is not only directly related to public health but also has significant effects on international trade. Currently, the hidden danger of food safety is widespread in developed countries and developing countries alike, raising concerns within various governments and international organizations. This forum is intended to advance the exchange between government agencies and experts of various countries to share e xperiences about food safety strategies, promoting global cooperation in this area.

Contact: Dr. Horst Betz, GTZ China, Horst.Betz@gtz.de

NGO Capacity (Back To Top)

The NPO Accountability Challenge:
Using Organizational Capacity Assessment to Foster Accountability

Provided by Pact China

Accountability is a fundamental element of viable, effective organizations. Accountable NPOs engage in ongoing clarification of core values and key objectives, and the definition of paths to help them achieve these objectives. They also develop ways of involving and consulting stakeholders about performance in order to get a clear and representative “picture” of organizational capacity.

One of the key tools for fostering accountability within NPOs is the organizational capacity self-assessment. This type of assessment provides organizations with the tools and insights they need to regularly reflect on and learn from their experiences; review and adapt their plans and activities according to their objectives, context and resources; and improve their performance and impact. Through the self-assessment and planning process, organizations recognize their own potential and are able to make informed decisions for themselves about how best to address the challenges they face.

How does organizational capacity self-assessment work ?

In Pact's model for organizational capacity self-assessment - which has been used with our partner organizations Asia, Africa, and Latin America and the US - four key stages define the process:

• participatory tool design – participants identify priority capacity areas to be investigated and measured then design indicators to be used to evaluate the organization's performance in each area

• guided self-assessment – assessment teams composed of representative staff members (and sometimes board members and constituents) work with trained facilitators to answer discussion questions and individually respond to indicators

• data-guided action planning – in this stage participants interpret the assessment data, identifying and analyzing their strengths and challenges, and begin to set priorities for action

• reassessment for continual learning – by regularly reassessing performance over time, organizations can track the effectiveness of their capacity building efforts. They have the opportunity to continuously improve their performance and integrate new learning by adapting their strategies to fit changing needs, rising standards, and increasing capabilities.

The entire process is based on the philosophy that effective organizations require ongoing self-assessment and learning to maintain their success. All stages include high levels of participation from throughout the organization and focus on helping organizations achieve their desired vision, strategy and culture.

How can organizational capacity assessment promote accountability ?

Pact's model for organizational assessment incorporates a number of elements that foster accountability within an organization. The first is the use of tools that are based on globally tested standards of excellence for NPO performance. Each organizational assessment tool is designed to reflect the technical and cultural environment in which the organization functions, and sets high standards for performance in specific capacity areas. Because organizations prioritize the capacity areas and identify success indicators themselves, they are more likely to take ownership of the process and to be accountable for progress made on action plans. Through their research and identification of core Chinese NPO capacity areas, the NPO network has already taken this critical first step toward setting shared standards for performance in China.

A second element of the assessment process that effectively promotes accountability is the establishment of cross-hierarchical, cross-functional assessment teams. Pact's approach requires balanced representation from all departments and levels within an organization. This “teaming” approach provides an opportunity for open, structured communication across traditional organizational boundaries. It also promotes the sharing of information in a transparent manner and serves as a foundation for future exchanges within the organization. In the context of Chinese NPOs, this type of teaming could be a useful means of introducing and promoting participatory decision-making at all levels within an organization.

Accountable NPO practices are also encouraged through the use of peer learning groups , where NPOs can communicate about assessment findings and results as well as capacity building efforts within their community. Individual NPOs benchmark their organizational scores against the community of peer organizations. As a result, organizations are able to analyze and compare their performance not only against their own previous scores or donor-specified objectives, but against an “industry standard”. Through peer learning groups, networks of organizations can also maximize opportunities to overcome information and infrastructure barriers that have impeded performance in the past. Thus they are more likely to work together collaboratively and openly. Greater opportunities for Chinese NPOs to work together through an OCA-like process will further encourage communication and support among organizations in their continued striving for better service delivery.

A fourth element of the assessment process that effectively promotes accountability is reassessment . By engaging in the self-assessment process annually, NPOs can monitor changes in performance and track the effectiveness of their capacity building efforts. Commitment to reassessment reflects a commitment to seriously review, analyze and act upon results. In this way, organizations are encouraged to be accountable to their mission, their own rules and regulations, and constituents over time.

How does self-assessment compare to external evaluation methodologies ?

External evaluation methodologies will continue to play a fundamental role in ensuring program quality. However, self-assessment models are more readily leveraged as an organizational call-to-arms to address organizational weaknesses. The self-assessment methodology challenges the reasoning and attitudes which underlie perceptions of organizational capacity. Assessment team members openly share views and develop new knowledge about each other's assumptions. Through this process, findings are not easily dismissed as inaccurate or off-base. The need to address issues of transparency and leadership identified by participants to the working meeting speaks to this point. Through the participatory process, decision makers are held accountable to their colleagues and the team is accountable to its self identified and mutually agreed action plan.

Putting assessment results to work

Organizations that participate in organizational capacity assessments utilize the results in a number of effective ways:

• In one peer learning community (made up of several health-focused NPOs) participants came together to share their assessment findings and aspirations so that with a foundation of mutual understanding and common purpose they could begin to identify the most promising opportunities for partnership. This type of open exchange promoted trust among the network members and helped create opportunities for bilateral collaboration.

• Another peer learning group used assessment data to develop a “quality assurance team” to hold member organizations accountable for results related to child and family welfare service delivery.

• After analyzing self-assessment data, one organization formed a working group to facilitate better information sharing between headquarters staff and international partners. Communication systems were established as well as an organization website – these steps helped create closer ties between the staff and globally dispersed partners.

• In response to assessment results, another organization began to explore ways in which it could be more accountable to its constituents. The organization developed strategies around increasing documentation of its programs and projects and sharing those documents more regularly with the community.

These are just a few examples of ways in which organizational capacity self-assessment has been used by organizations to achieve results. As the NPO community in China deepens, self assessment is one of a range of tools that can be used to identify preliminary accountability standards, and encourage organizations to strive for excellence.

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