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)

Many people may have already noticed that in the past several months, Chinese NGOs have been focusing on two things: the 26 Degrees Campaign and the protection of China's rivers ( set-up of a cross-country China ' s Rivers Network : www.chinarivers.ngo.cn ).

There are many touching stories in the two cooperative events and these stories are also part of the civil society building process.

Since the Earth Day celebration in 2000, Chinese NGOs have gathered together from all over the c ountry to spread their concept and practices of sustainable consumption. In 2002, Chinese grassroots NGOs presented themselves in the 2002 World Summit in Johannesburg and their cooperation has greatly deepened since then. This year, in 2004, this cooperation has entered into a new phase: working together for a concrete common goal!

“ Voices of Grassroots ” has recorded and will keep recording the footprints of the growing Chinese civil society. And we are sincerely hoping that our sisters and brothers will open their hearts, express their opinions, and tell their stories to us.

Let ' s explore our road together, smooth or muddy, hand in hand!

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)

26 Degree Campaign Special

From the editor: The 26 Degrees Campaign, which lasted from June 26 th to September 26 th , has now come to an end for the year 2004. Since the press conference on June 26 th , many events were held and many people were involved. The 26 Degrees Campaign team got support from the Heinrich Böll Foundation, and many other organizations and individuals. Now, let's take a review on the events of the campaign.

June 26 th : The opening ceremony of the 26 Degrees Campaign was held in the Hilton Hotel and more than 60 journalists participated in the press conference.

July 13 th : The 26 Degree Campaign team organized a bike tour with volunteers, during which flyers were distributed to passengers on Chang'an Street. At the end of the tour, the team handed the campaign's declaration to the Environmental Department of the Beijing Olympic Games Committee.

July 16 th : At the Sino-Swiss Hotel, 26 Degree certificates were awarded to participants of the campaign, including the Sino-Swiss Hotel, Beijing International Hotel, 2 Novotel Hotels and the Kempinski Hotel.

July 26 th : At a community event of the Dongsi Olympic Community the 26 Degrees Campaign was introduced to the residents.

August 6 th : During the Green Lifestyle dissemination at Dongsi Olympic Community, residents from the communities signed on the 26 degree banner and expressed their willingness to support the campaign.

August 22 nd : A lecture on “Environment and Health: Air Conditioners and Health” was organized by Friends of Nature—one of the participating organizations in the 26 Degrees Campaign.

August 28 th : Before the concert of famous Wang-Fei, the campaign team promoted the 26 Degrees Campaign in front of the Workers Stadium.

September 4 th : The campaign team showed the movie “The Day After Tomorrow” in a rented theatre room and held a lecture on climate change after that. Three specialists were invited to talk about the cause of climate change and possible consequences.

September 26 th : The closing ceremony and press conference of the 26 Degree Campaign was held at the Novotel Xinqiao Hotel. The result of a survey among the population of Beijing was announced. Special thanks to Chen-Sheng from the American International Assurance and Cheng-Lei from the Roadteams Club who helped carry out the survey.

General Observations from the Survey: (525 interviewees)

--40% of all people interviewed had heard about the 26 Degrees Campaign.

-- 74% accepted the suggestion of setting their air condition to 26 degrees.

--85% showed their understanding if air conditioners are set to warmer temperatures in public places.

--The average temperature setting in Beijing is now 23.8 degrees at home and 23 degrees in the office. Therefore, promoting the 26 Degrees Campaign is realistic.

--Citizens appeared supportive to NGOs' activities and wish to join as volunteers. They also gave their recognition to the important function of NGOs in society.

For more information about the 26 Degrees Campaign, please see the Chinese version, or simply log on:

http://www.26c.ngo.cn/

Anti Over Packaged Moon Cakes Campaign

September 28 th is the traditional Chinese Mid-Autumn Day festival. Along with a growing living standard and a growing ability of people to consume luxury goods, moon cakes have exceeded their original meaning of a special desert being shared by families. Instead, they have become a luxury commodity, a common present or just a show-off. Over- packaged moon cakes are seen everywhere in China nowadays, a fact which brings with it environmental concerns.

Almost one month before the Mid-Autumn Day, university students from 12 universities in Chongqing started their research on moon cake packaging. They found that moon cakes without packaging are 18 Yuan/kg, while the price for well-packaged moon cakes can range from 25 Yuan per single moon cake to 488 Yuan for eight pieces in a well-rapped box. Students calculated that more than 70% of the price actually goes into the packaging. Moreover, for 10 million moon cake boxes, 400 to 600 trees would be cut, while most of the packages ends in the garbage.

Students announced a declaration on September 11th to express their willing to stop luxury packaging and have a “green Mid-Autumn Day”. They also hope that more and more people will support recycling moon cake packages and be a “green consumer”.

--Chongqing University Student Environmental Volunteers

Thoughts on the Over-Heated Hydro Plants Development

September 25th, China Rivers—a group formed by environmentalists from different organizations who are worried about the hydro plants development in southwest China- gathered together to discuss immigrants issues, ecological and cultural issues in the planned Tiger Leaping Gorge hydro power plant. Representatives from environmental NGOs, volunteers and journalists attended the discussion.

Wang-hui, a Tsinghua University professor, said that the Tiger Leaping Gorge project is only one example of how we are enforcing our “development ideology” on other people, which leaves them marginalized and in poverty. He asked: whose development is this? For whom we are developing?

At the end, the organizers of the meeting hoped that the media would spread out their “Saving the Tiger Leaping Gorge” declaration to call for more public awareness.

Protect the Sacred Land

August 31st, Conservation International invited Musuo and Zhaduo, two Tibetan local environmentalists, to give a speech on Tibetan culture and the environment. CI had launched a small grant project on protecting the sacred land in southwest China.

The mountains of Southwest China are as rich in culture as they are in biodiversity. The majority of inhabitants are Tibetans with strong cultural ties to their natural environment. Reflecting the Buddhist reverence for all lives, Tibetan villages and monasteries have for centuries designated mountains, lakes forests and rivers as holy sites and have designed local resources management systems to guard the land from exploitation. These management systems are now being destabilized by economic development projects. Particularly those aimed at promoting mass tourism.

Musuo and Zhaxi wish that they could do something to help restore their culture to make people appreciate nature as they did before. However, they also feel that the uniqueness of Tibetan culture makes it difficult for them to effectively communicate with the outside world, while the outside world is not interested in the core values of the culture but only the local excitements.

--CI

Local Participatory Sustainable Management of Yunnan Upland Ecosystem (YUEP)

YUEP is a project launched by GEF (Global Environmental Fund) and UNDP to protect the biodiversity in Yunnan Province, Southwest China. Since August 2001, they have developed a participatory mechanism to make it beneficial for local people to conserve biodiversity.

September 9 th , GEF and UNDP together reported their first phase achievements and defined their future challenges. UNDP and GEF Project Managers concluded on their successes of protecting local biodiversity and culture, promoting democracy and natural resources management, reducing poverty and helping build up community capacity. It was, among others, said that local participation in environmental protection is a more effective mechanism when it is compared to traditional governmental methods. Speakers expressed their hopes that the combination of poverty reduction and environmental protection will further influence the government's decisions so that this useful experience will be implemented elsewhere.

--GEF, UNDP

Certificate Given to Model Households for Tourism Development

Sponsored by WWF, the households of 10 farmers were awarded certificates as “qualified tourists host families” in western Dongting Lake area.

Dongting Lake has rich biodiversity and WWF sees its ecological environment as a possible support for the area's future economical development. Thus WWF helped develop eco-tourism in the area.

“Nong-Jia-Le” (Happy Farmer's House) is a new tourism model in Southern China and is based on the idea of offering pure nature: a stay in farmhouses, fresh air, green trees and organic food. It needs relatively small initial investment and has low costs. WWF has chosen 10 households with convenient locations and nice environment as first grant receivers and helped them install a tourist infrastructure.

--WWF

Participatory Methods in Community Capacity Building

On September 1 st , Ms. Wu from Global Village of Beijing had a meeting with local residents from 32 communities of Tianlin Street, Xuhui District, Shanghai and introduced community participatory methods and environmental activities.

Two days later on September 3 rd , GVB, together with Tianlin Street Office and Exxon Mobile, started the Tianlin Green Lifestyle Campaign.

--Tianlin Street Office, Exxon Mobile, Global Village of Beijing

Lecture on Kitchen Garbage Separation

In the morning of September 14 th , representatives from Dongsi Douban Community in Beijing listened to the lecture on how and why to separate kitchen garbage. Residents in this community were originally living in traditional Siheyuan and are not used to life in apartment buildings. Therefore, it is important to help them adapt to their new lives and at the same time educate them environmentally.

At the end of the lecture, resolvable green plastic bags were distributed to model households.

--Global Village of Beijing, Dongsi Douban Community

Public Environmental Policy Course Opened in Chinese University

To promote environmental education and encourage more environmental courses in higher educational institutions, the Environmental Collage of Beijing Normal University started a new course called Public Environmental Policy.

Two main lecturers of the course are Jia-Feng from CEEC (Center for Environmental Education and Communications of State Environmental Protection Administration of China) and professor Liu-Jingling of Beijing Normal University. This course will also invite environmentalists from different social sectors.

Jia-Feng, the main promoter of the course, hopes that university environmental education will improve through newly designed environmental courses.

--Beijing Normal University, CEEC

Grants Facility for Indigenous People

The World Bank is partnering with the leaders of indigenous people on the initiative Grants Facility for Indigenous Peoples, which supports sustainable and culturally appropriate development projects planned and implemented by and for Indigenous Peoples. Founded in 2003, this is the second year that the Grants Facility is inviting applications for small grants.

Please view: http://www.worldbank.org.cn/English/Content/271w62845266.shtml for the application form and more information.

--The World Bank

International NGO Events and Campaigns Around China
Written by: Shannon Lee

• International Dongting Dragon Boat Race

September was filled with interesting and fun events throughout China that could tickly any environmentalist's fancy. For the sports enthusiasts, the World Wildlife Foundation (WWF) hosted the first International Western Dongting Dragon Boat Race on September 26. The dragon boat race took place on the Anle Lake in the town of Jiangjiazhu, Hanshou County, Hunan province. Cash prizes were awarded to the first three teams with the first place prize at 5800 rmb. There was also a dragon boat tug of war with three 1800 rmb prizes up for grabs. Speed and brute strength was not the only qualities rewarded; there were awards for both “Best Performance” and “Best Spirit”. This event was packed with excitement, competition and opportunities to discover upcoming WWF activities and campaigns.

• Windows on the Yangze Published

The WWF is stimulating both body and mind. The WWF recently published Windows on the Yangtze, the first sustainable development education guide for teachers throughout China. The guide is published in Chinese and it focuses on educating Chinese students on biodiversity and sustainability issues. WWF hopes that the guide not only serve s as an environmental education tool but will also be integrated into other courses.

For more information on Windows on the Yangtze contact,

Alex Marston, WWF Education Communication Coordinator

Tele: 86 10 6522 7100 ext 233

Email: alex@wwfchina.org

--WWF

• Voices from Yunnan

For those in search of visual candy, the Nature Conservancy hosted a photo exhibition entitled, Voices from Yunnan . This exhibition was part of the Nature Conservancy's Photo Voice Project which gave villagers a visual “voice” by putting a camera in their hands. By creating these photo essays villagers were able to convey messages to the public and policy makers on their life and issues impacting their community. This was a great example of grass-root empowerment and increasing public awareness through non-confrontational techniques. Voices from Yunnan was held in the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre from 8/4 to 9/30.

--Nature Conservancy

• Green Warrior Training

For environmentalists who prefer face to face and hands on environmentalism Green Peace is offering Green Warrior Training. This workshop will train volunteers for Green Peace style canvassing, giving volunteers the opportunity to spread the mission of Green Peace. Green Peace is looking for volunteers who are able to commit for six months. If you like to talk to people face to face then this is a program to check out.

For more information and requirements on Green Warrior Training contact

Mr. Yu at 28548399 / 98042439

Email: truefood@hk.greenpeace.org

--Green Peace

From the editor: For decades there has been controversy on whether or not to build big hydro power plants like the Three Gorges Dam. After the Three Gorges Dam project was finally decided and started, many environmentalists and protectionists were disappointed. Till early this year, when dam building became a hot topic again in Southwest China, anti-big hydro, “protect the nature and immigrants” floated up again. This time, environmentalists, conservationists, scientists, and local residents started to work together to stop harmful hydro plants. On the issue of Nujiang dam building, there was a short-term success that the Chinese government at least temporarily stopped the project. However, China Huaneng Group - a monopolized enterprise specialized in hydro development - is still seeking for more opportunities to make a fortune, and southwest China is no doubt their priority. There is not much English coverage on the dam building issue at the moment and therefore this article on Tiger Leaping Gorge is short. Our hope is that, by bringing up this issue, we will make people think and discuss.

Tiger Leaping Gorge—lack of western coverage
Shannon Lee

The first thoughts that the name Tiger Leaping Gorge triggers are visions of natural beauty with a misty mountain backdrop. Most westerners know about the world's deepest canyon from descriptions from guidebooks or reminiscing travelers who have visited the area. Its great beauty seems to be well known throughout the West. However, its demise is not. There is a surprisingly small amount of western media coverage on the proposed dam project that will submerge the famed Tiger Leaping Gorge. In fact, a search of popular newspapers and magazines on the topic of the Tiger Leaping Gorge would only produce articles on the area's profound beauty and uniqueness.

Oddly enough in 1997, Simon Winchester, author of “The River at the Center of the World”, a novel on his travels on the Yangtze River, wrote an article entitled Chinese Greed Menaces Another Natural Treasure for the travel magazine Wanderlust . In the article, Winchester describes how tourism and development is damaging the picturesque area. These were his discoveries in the 1990's, “So where once there was wilderness, there is now an airport; where once a peaceful meadow grazed by yaks, now there are plans for a course for playing that most land-hungry of pursuits: golf.” In his article Winchester discusses the conservation benefits of naming the area a national park. One can only imagine how Winchester would feel about the current status of the Tiger Leaping Gorge. Hopefully, the future plight of the Tiger Leaping Gorge will be given the publicity it truly deserves in western media outlets.

Women, Youth and Environment(Back To Top)

From the editor: Mr. Tang-Xiyang's environmental book “Wrong! Wrong! Wrong!” will be published soon. I read a few articles he has written before and came across this speech his wife Marcia B. Marks gave on the opening ceremony of the Green Camp of University Students in China in the 1996 when she was in severe pain from cancer. Ms. Marks was a great lady who devoted 15 years of her life to China. Her spirit today, as I was reading this speech, is still encouraging me to keep going on my environmental protection track.

I’m Very Proud of All of You
Marcia B. Marks

I'm very proud of all of you. You've all been so eager and willing to help and to cooperate with one another. That's the right spirit with which to begin your trip.

You're off to learn about nature. I hope you won't just admire the grand vistas and spectacular trees and animals. To experience nature you must learn to know it intimately. That takes patience and humility. I remember when I went on a backpacking trip into the wilderness area of the Great Smoky Mountains in North Carolina, the outfitter of our group advised us to learn the names of all the wildflowers we saw. He said if we were to go to a party and found people there we'd never seen before, we would be sure to learn their names and something about them. It was the same when we went into the wilderness--we should learn the names and connections of everything we saw.

And not just in the wilderness either. One day I was watching the swallows flying back and forth to their nests under our eaves here in Beijing when I suddenly noticed they had red patches between their tails. I immediately looked them up in my bird book and discovered they were red-rumped swallows, a species I had never seen before. We shouldn't be content to say, "Oh, those are swallows; those are sparrows. " What kind of swallows; what kind of sparrows? We should honor them with the same individuality we want others to see in us.

So I hope you'll not just look through your binoculars at the far-distant objects, but turn them around and look through the other end at the tiny flowers and ferns at your feet. You'll be amazed at the intricate patterns, colors and shapes you'll see. Some are functional, to attract insects and such, but some we cannot explain other than as proof of the enormous diversity of our universe.

Be quiet and let nature come to you. Don't plod on unseeing, unaware. Nature has secrets, and so do you. Your own secrets may be unknown even to you. During your month together you'll learn from each other as well. It can be a harmonious and expansive experience in terms of human relationships just as it should be in terms of your finding your own place in the grand scheme of nature. Learn to appreciate one another and you'll learn to appreciate yourself.

You're young enough to retain a sense of wonder toward the world. Actually, we're all young enough, but sometimes we bury this sense of wonder under cares and concerns that we rather needlessly pursue. Wonder goes along with creativity and inspiration--without it we would have no great writers or artists and no great scientists. Nature not only fosters a sense of wonder, but confirms its truth and validity.

I could say much more, but I don't want to ramble on. My thoughts will be with you constantly, and I shall be anxious to hear all the details of your trip when you return, so keep a journal and keep your hearts open. The more you give during this experience, the more you'll receive.

WSSD(Back To Top)

Review of Brazil’s urban household garbage reclamation practices
Translated by Adam Jung

From the editor: On August 14th, a group comprised of officers from the National Natural Resource Commission, the National Development and Reform Commission, SEPA—the State Environmental Protection Administration, Beijing Olympic Committee, and staff from Global Village of Beijing and Tetrapak China set off from Beijing to France and then to Sao Paulo in Brazil. It was a trip sponsored by Tetrapak China and organized by Global Village of Beijing, aiming at learning from Brazil their advanced garbage recycling policies and techniques. Recycling has become an extremely hot topic around the globe after the concept of “sustainable development” was shouted loud after the 2002 World Summit in Johannesburg and building up a recycling society is a crucial part of achieving long-term development.

August 14 to the 26, representatives of nine organizations including the National Natural Resource Committee, the Beijing Olympic Committee, SEPA, GVB, and Tetrapak among others, went to Brazil to investigate their cities' practices in dealing with household waste. During the investigation, we examined a number of organizations and facilities including the city's street side recycling equipment, garbage sorting cooperative, a small scale wastepaper pulp making factory, a factory producing recycled paper, another for recycling waste plastic and so forth.

1, Basic outline of Brazilian urban household garbage recycling

Brazil is 85.47 million square kilometers, the fifth largest country in the world and the biggest in Latin America. It is divided into 26 provinces and one commonwealth area with a total population of 175 million. Brazil produces 140 thousand tons of garbage daily, 45% of which can be reused or recycled. There are 500 thousand scavengers gathering the recyclable and reusable garbage to earn a living. At the moment, there are organizations devoted to garbage sorting, most of which are in a few big cities. There exists managing system for garbage disposal and marketization of garbage recycling.

1-1, Marketization of garbage recycling

Capela of Sao Paulo State has ten million residents, who produce 800 tons of garbage daily. This includes 30% which can be recovered and reused, 50% which is organic and needs to be safely compacted or composted, 20% which cannot be recycled. The city government has contracted garbage recycling, clearing and sanitation compacting services through a public bidding process. As for un-recyclable household garbage, the city government pays contractors 15USD per ton to take responsibility of disposing it. Contractors collect downtown garbage twice a week, once a week from outside the city center. Garbage is taken to a sanitary landfill which charges a disposal fee of six USD per ton. Garbage that can be reclaimed is sorted by a government sponsored, garbage sorting cooperative society (the municipal government provides the facility and equipment for their work). In the long term this policy has greatly reduced the amount of garbage sent to landfills. After sorted by the Garbage Separation Cooperative, the garbage is sold to businesses to be used as production materials.

1-2, Implementation of a market based Garbage collection system

In Brazil, commercial garbage collection systems are implemented in almost all big cities like Sao Paulo and Capela. However, their commercial garbage collection is aimed at kitchen waste and garbage that cannot be reclaimed and reused. In Sao Paulo City for example, commercial garbage collection rates for households are calculated 2.38 USD/10 L/Month. Residents living in a house of which the property value is less than 8000 USD do not pay garbage collection fees. For businesses garbage, it is measured in increments of 30 liters, every 30 L unit each month will cost 7.14 USD. There is an individual reporting system built up for people to receive their garbage disposal bills and to pay through the bank. Residents or businesses that do not pay the bill will have it reflected on their credit record and their garbage production is monitored by the garbage collecting companies. Those who surpass standard garbage producing levels are heavily fined at a normal price of 70 USD. In apartment buildings, management of garbage production is the responsibility of the residents committees, if the garbage exceeds the amount, the residents committee can be fined. Reusable and recyclable garbage is collected by the government once a week. This collection service is free; however you can also sell it to the Garbage Separation Cooperative.

Coruripe City had the foresight during the 1960s to put forward a “garbage is not garbage” campaign. Purpose was to encourage the public to cherish the environment and to encourage responsible garbage disposal, sorting and recycling. They promoted the idea that “if you mix everything together its garbage but if you separate them become resources”, consequently the city not merely improved long polluted waters and, at the same time it also greatly reduced on city municipal expenditures. Reclaiming recyclable waste also provides a significant new source of income. They set down three principles for handling garbage: 1 reduce the amount discarded, 2 reuse things to the best of your ability, 3 circle of recycling, in order to encourage urban residents to live a garbage conscious lifestyle. In this city one can even use recyclable/reusable garbage to barter for vegetables and food. This method is not only effective at motivating households; workplace garbage sorting has also resulted in a big reduction of non recyclable/reusable waste.

1-3, Garbage recycling supported by all sectors

Brazil's Reuse and Recycle Enterprise Association, CEMPRE, was established in 1992, it is made up of 20 companies from all different industries including Tetrapak, Coca Cola, and Unilever. Its purpose is to promote reuse and recycle of garbage, to strengthen urban residents' awareness of environmental protection, and to make each of them protector of the environment. The municipal government has also provided services for scavengers. It has given free counseling, established a garbage sorting area, and provided a platform to give access to technology and business to assist in their work. CEMPRE has targeted campuses, businesses, and society to promote environmental protection and the use of renewable resources. It has initiated garbage sorting, spread awareness of sanitary disposal of waste, trained scavengers in the use of garbage sorting technology, organized scavengers and established a garbage separation cooperative. The government is very active in its communication with CEMPRE and supporting garbage separation. As a result of the hard work of the CEMPRE, the government has provided every garbage separation cooperative with tax reductions and subsidized loans for purchase of transport trucks. Since 2001 the number of garbage separation cooperatives in Sao Paolo State has increased from 15 to 34. They employ nearly 2000 people and each month they receive and separate over 2000 tons of garbage. Separation cooperatives sort garbage, pack it up, and sell to enterprises as raw materials. It is said that one ton of used Tetrapak packaging can be sold for about 75 USD, while scrap plastic each ton can be sold for more than 100 USD per ton. Through garbage sorting and selling, cooperative members (formerly scavengers) can earn 100 to 200 USD per month, much higher than government minimum wage standard of 75 USD per month.

1-4, Integration of technology to accelerate garbage reclamation

The market for recycling garbage is still very open, and there is room for significant profit margins in garbage sorting. We see how businesses will buy discarded Tetrapak containers, use high pressure water to remove debris, the paper portion is turned into pup and sold to recycled paper making factories and the aluminum is sold to construction materials factories. The aluminum is used to make housing construction materials, rooftop tiles, car safety boards and office and home furniture.

The group visited a cleaning implements factory which is using 100% recycled materials for production. The factory was opened in 1986. It uses PET bottles to produce brooms, brushes, and floor squeegees of which raw and processed materials are all recycled materials, broom shine cover board and broom shine is all made using the aluminum materials from Tetrapak containers. Every month this factory uses sixty tons of recycled materials and 25% of the products are exported to Argentina and Chile.

Clabin paper mill is Brazil's biggest manufacturer of recycled paper and packaging materials. It has been around for 105 years. Annual capacity for production of cardboard is 1.5 million tons and is expected to increase to 2 million tons within four years. The company is very dedicated to environmental protection. Their paper making inputs derives from fast growing artificial forests and recycled wastepaper. There are four factories producing recycled paper with a combined annual production of 400,000 tons. This factory has already passed the Forest Stewardship Council's international forest management certification. Clabin has cooperated with Tetrapak Brazil and local researchers to develop ionizing technology to separate the aluminum from paper in used Tetrapak containers. Next march they will introduce new process to increase the recycling value of scrap paper and aluminum composite packaging.

2, Reviewing Brazil's Garbage Recycling Inspiration

Brazil and China are both nations in the development process. Brazil's natural resources are richer, and population is lower, but their environmental consciousness is greater, and environment conditions are better. Some aspects for their urban garbage sorting and recycling are worth studying and using as reference. They have introduced a market mechanism for disposal of kitchen waste, have realized usable resource sorting, and have very much reduced the amount of garbage sent to landfills. They have undergone marketization of waste transportation. By employing garbage reclaiming and sorting, they have integrated a number of links to form a chain. They have successfully utilized the NGOs to publicize significance of garbage reclaiming. Organized training of scavengers has promoted garbage sorting, not only solving scavengers' employment problem, but also increasing their living and working conditions. In Brazil we have not seen modernization of garbage transportation disposal and landfills, but they have chosen another path to solve the problem of garbage handling and disposal.

3, Several suggestions for urban household garbage disposal

3-1, Strongly recommend reform of the city garbage handling system; Remove the government controlled system and move towards market based garbage disposal.

3-2, Establish a payment based system for kitchen waste and non-renewable waste. Promote the separation of dry and wet garbage and improve the proportion of recyclable garbage. Reduce garbage handling facilities and garbage handling rates.

3-3, In the fairly developed coastal areas, expend a lot of energy to improve the garbage market system. Introduce a market-based system for garbage transport of urban garbage. Organize scavengers for garbage to improve reclaiming and sorting, and develop resource integration.

3-4, Strengthen middle and primary school students curriculum on environment and resources. Instill in from a young age the ideals of environmental protection and a consciousness of the value of resources. Cultivate their love for the environment.

Upcoming Conferences (Back To Top)

Chinese-German Workshop on Urban Climate and Remote Sensing

Date: Oct. 11-15, 2004

Location: Beijing

Organizer: Chinese Academy of Science, Institute for Geoscience

Sponsor: Heinrich-Böll-Foundation, Germany

Language: Chinese and German

Webpage: http://www.igsnrr.ac.cn/index.jsp

Contact: Mr. Zhang Jinping, Tel. 010-64889843, 13810356215, Fax: 010-64889630

Email : Zhangjp@Lreis.ac.cn

2004 CIGR International Conference . the Olympics of Agricultural Engineering

Date: Oct. 11-14, 2004

Location: Beijing International Conference Centre (BICC)

Introduction: The International Commission of Agricultural Engineering (Commission Internationale du Genie Rural, CIGR) has planned to hold an international conference with the following 5 sessions to choose from:

- Land and water management: decision tools and practice

- Bio-product processing and food safety

- Information technology for agriculture

- Conservation tillage and sustainable small farming

- Modern agricultural equipment and facilities

Contact: 2004 CIGR International-Beijing, Tel.: +86 10 64849687, 64882523, 64882231, Fax: +86 10 64849687, 64883508

Email : info@2004cigr.org

Webpage: http://www.cigr.org/

2004 International Symposium on Water Resources Managem. and Developm. of Cities

Date: Oct. 12 . 14, 2004

Location: Beijing Yongxin Garden Hotel (Haidian District)

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

Theme: Harmonious Development with Human, Water and Nature.

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

Deadline for submission of registration form and abstracts by email: June 30, 2004

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

9th International Symposium on River Sedimentation (ISRS)

Date: Oct. 18-21, 2004

Location: Yichang, Hubei Province

Organizer: Ministry of Water Resources of the PRC, UNESCO

This symposium is part of a triennial worldwide conference series. Since 1980, 8 symposia have been organised successfully in Asia, Europe, North America and Africa, respectively.

Theme: Interactions between Fluvial Systems and Hydro Projects and Their Impact, including large hydro projects, river sedimentation, estuarine and coastal works, soil erosion, sediment and the environment, etc.

Contact: Prof. Dr. HU Chunhong, Secretary General of the Secretariat of ISRS, International

Research and Training Centre on Erosion and Sedimentation (IRTCES), P.O.Box 366, No. 20 Chegongzhuang West Road, 100044 Beijing, Tel.: +86 10 68415522 ext. 6577, 68472789, 68413372, Fax: +86 10 68411174

Email : irtces@public.bta.net.cn or irtces@95777.com

Regional Environmental Quality Change and Environmental Security in China

Date: Oct. 22-26, 2004

Location: The Chinese University of Hong Kong

Content: E nvironmental waste, effects on human health, water, air, soil pollution and management, GIS, RS, GPS models, etc.

Language: 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, Wind Power Asia 2004

Date: Oct. 31-Nov. 4, 2004

Location: International Convention Centre, Beijing

Introduction: China is making big efforts to foster its wind energy utilisation 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: Mr. Zhen Yingjun, WWEC2004, Room 710, 86 Xueyuan Nan Road, Beijing 100081,

Tel.: +86 10 62180145, Fax: +86 10 62180142,

Email : registrar@wwec2004.cn ,

Webpage: http://www.wwec2004.cn

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