China Niu Lingjuan 1

Transcription

1 1. Hand in Hand Earth Village Northeast Asia: China China Niu Lingjuan 1 Background: The Project titled "Hand in Hand Earth Village" is a nation-wide program that provides Chinese school children an opportunity to interact directly with the environment. It encourages children to take the initiative in environmental conservation activities. The Project has proved to be effective in educating children on the importance of environmental conservation and protection. Its primary objectives are: To improve children's awareness and understanding on the importance of environmental protection through a variety of curricular and extra-curricular activities. To make children to collect and classify recyclable materials in their collection facilities. At the beginning of 1996, the Chinese Aid Committee for the Culturally Disadvantaged, the National Working Commission for Children, the National Environmental Protection Bureau and the Chinese Teenager's Journal jointly sponsored a Project for children called "Hand in Hand, Collecting Hope Together, Saving the Earth Through Individual Efforts". The Project encouraged children to collect recyclable materials and then sell to the recycling companies. The money received thus contributed to build Hand in Hand Environmental Protection Primary School in rural areas. Millions of Chinese children took part in the Project. On the 5 th of June 1997, this Project was formally named Hand in Hand Earth Village in Beijing. The motto of the Hand in Hand Earth Village Project is: Environmental protection is our responsibility Minimizing waste and recycling are our responsibility Helping friends is our responsibility Since 1996, some companies have donated money to the Project. They are: (1) Hong Kong Asia Agriculture Research and Development Fund, (2) Japanese Embassy, (3) Community Volunteer Fund of GE (China) Corp., (4) Dow 1 Center for Environmental Education and Communication, State Environment Protection Administration 1#yuhuinanlu, Chayang Distric, Beijing, PR China Tel: / Fax: niulingjuan66@263.net Home:

2 Chemical (China) Co. Ltd., and (5) Kai Mi Co. Ltd. The Hand in Hand Earth Village Project has an office to operate its programs. The office is managed by volunteers coming from advertising companies, computer companies etc. Description of Activities: A school student who joins the Project is a member of the Earth Village. The students organize a Hand in Hand Earth Village forum where they are given all the administrative positions of Little Village Administrator, Little Environmental Expert, Little Journalist, Little Accountant etc. There is also an advisory committee representing school administrators, environmental experts, parents, teachers and supporters. The village forum formulates plan of activities, holds regular meetings and manages the following: An 'Earth Ph.D. Letter Box' (collects and disseminates information on the environment). A 'Little Journalist Station' (publishes an environmental bulletin on environmental activities around the school). A 'Hand in Hand Recycling Bank' where the Little Accountants keep records of income generated from the sale of recyclable materials. Under the guidance and support of teachers, the Earth Village conducts various activities such as the following. In school Collection of recycling materials Training Preparation of propaganda materials Lecture, painting, newspaper Organizing drama Election Suggestion box - In Community Survey of the environment Clean up Communication Set up recycling station Outdoors Set up of an ecological garden in school Flora research in school Conduct research study on river Tree Planting Organize summer camp, outing etc. - Here are some results of the activities of the 'Earth Village' schools. They are 126

3 extracted from students diaries. Northeast Asia: China The students of Changba Primary School and Shawo Primary School are encouraged to collect newspaper articles. These articles are then complied, bound into booklets and are made available to all the students in the schools. Sharing information in this way makes everyone the promoter of environmental conservation. Students at the Temple of Earth Primary School subdivided their 'village' into several blocks of gardens. These gardens were assigned to students to make them green for the new millennium. These gardens included Grass Garden, Wood Garden, Green Garden etc. Students at the first Qinghe Primary School encouraged their parents to use baskets and cloth bags or baskets rather than plastic bags when doing the shopping. As a result of close monitoring, within a few days parents developed new habits of carrying cloth bags. On the occasion of the International Earth Day on 22nd April 2000, some 100 Hand in Hand Earth Village schools in Beijing initiated a large scale recycling endeavor and encouraged the participation of the adults from the village. The first Yundinglu Primary School sent a letter to all parents reporting on the progress of the environmental protection activities at the school and encouraged them to join in the recycling activities of the school. There was an impressive turnout on the day, with many parents and grandparents. The school also had organized an 'honor card' competition that involved each family competing to clean up and recycle as much as they could in order to obtain as many honor cards as possible. The activities of the International Earth Day also involved the wider community. The Yonganli Primary School sent a letter to all the local resident committees, who in turn sent representatives to the Earth Day activities. A grandmother came to the school with a bicycle loaded with paper for recycling. A grandfather told that as a grandpa, environmental protection is one of his "responsibilities. Local residents in the west of Beijing were so impressed with the White Cloud Primary School about their Earth Day activities that one of the heads of resident committees called the 'Earth Village' organizing committee to offer their supports. The resident's committee also encouraged 86 subdivisions, including local hospitals, government institutions, universities and theaters in the area to join with the White Cloud Primary School's Earth Day activities on recycling programs. Students at the Cuiwen Road Primary School urged other students throughout China to refuse to eat the barbecued lamb kebabs sold by street vendors. And they also designated two days each month as paper saving days. 127

4 Before the 50th Anniversary of the People's Republic of China on October 1, 1999, thousands of members of Earth Villages volunteered to undertake environmental protection activities for domestic and international tourists in Tiananmen Square over six weekends. Also, the members of the 'Earth Villages responded to a call for help from the Youth League of the Central Committee on 'Safeguarding the Mother River'. In an action called the "Hand in Hand Collecting Hope and Restoring the Greenness of the Mother River", they raised money through the sale of recyclable materials for the establishment of recycling plants and a green zone, later named the Chinese Children's Millennium Forest. This forest is situated at the source of the Yellow River, the Mother River. In 1999, China hosted the signing ceremony of the Montreal Agreement on the Elimination of Substances Consuming the Ozone Layer, the highest level international environmental protection effort before the turn of the century. The first agenda on the program was the presentation of a letter from the office of the "Hand in Hand Earth Village" Project to the children of the world to promote environmental conservation through individual efforts. The 'Hand in Hand Earth Village' environmental project has drawn the attention of all communities and cites where it has been implemented. In Beijing, the Mayor and Secretary of the Beijing Communist Party, Mr. Jia Qinlin wrote a letter to the teachers and students of the Hand in Hand Earth Village schools to express his appreciation and support. The mayor's letter also outlined the objectives of Beijing's environmental protection efforts. This event received great media attention at both national and municipal levels. In December 2000, the Hand in Hand Earth Village Project received 2000 Ford Motor Environmental Protection Award. This was the first time the award was given in China by the Ford Motor Company. In April 2001, two member schools of the Hand in Hand Earth Village received 2000 Earth Award. These schools are Chong Wen Primary School and Bai Yun Road Primary School. Earth Award is the most prestigious award given by the Chinese government. By the end of 2001, more than 1,000 Hand in Hand Earth Village schools had been established, 220 of which are located in Beijing. And these schools have set up environmental protection stations equipped with recollection and classification equipment, and the hand in hand environmental protection libraries, which have hundreds of books for the kids on environmental protection. By the sale of recyclable materials, little villagers saved more than 1,000,000 yuan RMB and built 5 Hand in Hand Environmental Protection Primary Schools. The first such school was in Cherry Village, in one of the poorest counties of Jiangxi Province. 128

5 Issues and Problems: The Project is still evolving and needs financial assistance. Donations it received from various sources have been spent to buy recycling equipment for schools and provide environmental awards and prizes for teacher-trainers. In order to provide the continuity to the Project, financial assistance is urgently needed. Since 1970s the Chinese government has begun to encourage schools to promote environmental education. More and more schools have been starting environmental education course for students, but teachers have not received any training. The result of the Hand in Hand Earth Village project is better in primary schools than in high schools. The main reason being that primary school students can spend more time in this project, whereas high school students have to study hard for their university entrance examination. Also it is difficult for high school students to break off their bad habits, whereas for primary school students it is much easier. This suggests that school must start environmental education for children early childhood. Reflections and Lessons Learned: What makes the Hand in Hand Earth Village project stand out from other environmental protection projects is the commitment of its members, volunteerism and concrete actions. All the proceeds gained from the sale of the recyclable materials (which are collected by the children) are used to set up the Hand in Hand environmental protection primary schools for children in poverty- stricken areas of China. This has been the biggest incentive to the volunteers. Future Prospects: The Project needs more training courses and teaching materials for Hand in Hand Earth Village teachers. There is a good opportunity for students and teachers to exchange their experiences and excitement with others and thereby enhancing their knowledge, ideas and analytical ability. The project has been successful to prove that an individual action can make a difference. Environmental education enables children to pass on this experience to their families and then to their wider community. The Project is planning to set up more Hand in Hand Earth Village schools, not only in Beijing, Tianjin, but also in other provinces and cities of the country. For Additional Information, Contact: Room 513, Zhong Jian Ke Building, No. 2 Zuo Jia Zhuang Bei Li, Chaoyang District, Beijing P. R. China Tel: (86-10) / Fax: (86-10) office@childrenandearth.org.cn 129

6 Website: Green Hope Initiative Northeast Asia: China Background: With the development of industries in rural townships, the problem of waste discharge is increasing every year and has posed a serious threat to the environment of rural areas. Already a host of pollution-related problems have appeared in the rural areas, where industries have been established. Along with the problem of water-discharge, chemical fertilizer, agro-chemicals and hazardous wastes have aggravated the deterioration of the environment. This is a serious environmental problem to rural communities. Public awareness is an effective measure to ameliorate the severity of environmental problems. However, in the rural area, public awareness is low and the channels for exchanging information are rather many and difficult. Thus, the public awareness on environmental deterioration is lower in rural areas than in the city areas. Therefore, it is important to conduct special awareness programs for children and teachers in rural area if their awareness levels are to be improved. With a view to raise environmental awareness of school children in rural areas the China Youth Development Foundation (CYDF) initiated a project named China Hope Project in The objective of the project was to assist the school children to raise their environmental awareness and improve their schools environment. Until now, some 2,000,000 children have been benefited by this Project and 7000 schools have been named Hope Schools in rural areas. Also, the China Hope Project trained 6,000 teachers from Hope Schools and contributed books and educational materials to these schools. To move this cause forward, the Friends of Nature (FON), the first grass-roots conservation group in China, in collaboration with CYDE launched a project called Green Hope Initiative Project in April Its goal was to increase the environmental awareness among school students in Hope Schools, for which the following objectives were set up. To spread awareness, knowledge and hand-on experiences on environmental protection and sustainable development among students in Hope Schools. To collect basic data and information on Hope Schools. To provide opportunities to FON members to learn more on environmental education and quality in rural areas. Description of Activities: FON developed a series of teaching plans and modules on environmental education that is suitable for the students in rural 130

7 area. FON recruited volunteers as the members of teaching groups. Usually each teaching group included 3 volunteers. FON organized training workshops for the members of teaching groups on the following: Brief introduction of the Green Hope Initiative Project. Demonstration of interactive teaching methods used in environmental education. Demonstration of teaching module on water, tree, frost, eco-system, energy, environmental issues, plant and animal etc. Sharing of experience and information on teaching processes and methodologies. Each teaching group selected one Hope School as the pilot school. The teaching group contacted the schoolmaster and learnt some basic information about the school. Then the teaching group in consultation with schoolmasters and teachers made teaching plans and selected some suitable teaching modules for the students. In fact, the module focused around local environmental issues. When the teaching plans and modules were confirmed, then the teaching group began to teach in the classroom. The teaching groups also provided some books and educational materials to the school. While at school, the members of the teaching group collected basic data and information on local environmental issues and problems. These data and information were used for further research studies on environmental education in rural areas. Then, the teaching group submitted a final report to the project office. The teaching group also shared its experience with others in the annual meeting. Achievements and Results: By 2000, there were 9 teaching groups, who joined the Green Hope Initiative. These teaching groups visited pilot schools in Shanxi Province, Heber Province and Inner Mongolia. The teaching groups were successful in using various teaching methodologies and raise students interests on the problems. The teachers and the staff of the education department of local government also benefited from these teaching methodologies. The groups not only completed the teaching plan successfully and obtained experience on environmental education in rural areas, but also gathered general information on local environment and schools. All this information was beneficial toward the improvement of the project. In 2001, the teaching groups visited 20 Hope Schools of 7 provinces; Hebei, Henan, Shandong, Inner Mongulia, Shanxi, Hubei and Hunan. 131

8 Issues and Problems: Because of the diverse backgrounds, volunteers could not understand the requirement of the Project fully. It was difficult for them to process and analyze these data. Also, the teaching members stayed in school only for a short period and could not really grasp the environmental problems of the school and constraints of the environmental education activities in Hope Schools. Reflections and Lessons Learned: For the students and teachers in Hope Schools, this is the first time that they have learnt new concepts and new ideas related to environmental protection and sustainable development. The students were very interested in new teaching methodologies. Unlike the traditional teaching methodology, they were encouraged to actively participate in the teaching-learning processes. Because of this, the students learnt more about environmental protection and sustainable development. The data and information collected by different teaching groups were useful in improving the teaching methods and teaching modules. Also, the teaching groups obtained more skills and experiences on how to use the teaching module and prepare local educational materials while teaching students in rural area. In deed, the Project provided chances to volunteers to learn more and get new experience in rural areas. Future Prospects: The Project should continue to seek the support from the education department of local government and do the following in the future. To maintain contact with these pilot schools and support their activities on environmental education. To encourage more schools to join the roster of the Hope School Project. To invite more volunteers to participate in the project and provide them more support. To organize training workshops on environmental education for teachers in rural area so as to enhance their capability and their school s capacities. To organize exchange programs for teachers as well as for students between cities and rural area To develop educational materials including newsletter for different target groups of students and teachers. Reference For Additional Information, Contact: Han Jing Friend of Nature No 10 Qiheloubeixiang, 132

9 East District, Beijing PR China Postcode: Green Schools Northeast Asia: China Background: Awareness, knowledge, attitude, skill and participation are the buzzwords for environmental education. These words have been extensively used since the Tbilisi conference of And they are common in all channels of education. Schools have been placing more emphasis on environmental education and are trying their best to integrate the principle of sustainable development into their school policy, day-to-day management, curricula and extracurricular activities. In 1994, the Foundation of Environmental Education in Europe launched a Europe-wide eco-school program. The objective of eco-school program was to first recognize and then encourage a whole-school approach to the conservation and management of the environment. Its emphasis is on raising awareness of students and teachers on environmental management of the school within the participating countries. Now eco-schools have been formed in almost all the European Union member countries, and few countries in Central and Eastern Europe. In Europe, eco-schools may be known by different names in different countries (e.g. 'green schools' in Ireland, 'Umweltschule' in Germany, and 'ecoescolas' in Portugal). In China, the State Environmental Protection Administration, the Ministry of Education and the Communication Department of the CPC Central Committee announced in 1996 the National Action Plan on Programme for Environmental Publicity and Education ( ). As a result of this action plan, a Green School Project was launched across the country. The principal objective was to assist schools to be green and promote environmental actions in China. Description of Activities: The Green School Project is an integrated system of environmentalizing the school with support from teachers, students and concerned actors. This Project consists of six steps. 1. Initiating the process of green schools: A green school committee consisting of headmaster, teachers, stakeholders, students, parents and environmental experts is formed to organize and direct Green Schools activities. 2. Assessment of the situation and formulation of an action plan: The Committee made an assessment of the environmental situation of the school. The Committee concentrated its emphasis on (1) materials and design of the school 133

10 building, (2) coverage of plants in the compound, (3) collection and treatment on litter and waste, (4) measures of saving energy and other resource, and (5) environmental performance in and around school etc. Then the Committee worked on teaching methodologies, infusion of environmental themes and concepts in relevant subjects, conducting action research and extracurricular activities for students. Based on the assessment, the Committee formulated an action plan for green schools, which included (1) priority areas, (2) targets, (3) timetable, (4) responsible people, (5) resources allocation, (6) budget, and (7) monitoring and evaluation methods. 3. Implementation: The school launched a series of activities as identified in the action plan. They are (1) training workshops for teachers, (2) purchasing and using educational materials and environmental friendly equipment, (3) exchange of information among students, teachers, parents and the concerned in the community, and (4) record keeping for monitoring and evaluation. 4. Monitoring and evaluation: Regular monitoring and evaluation was undertaken to ensure the progress towards achieving the goal. 5. Recognizing successful schools: The Green School Committee, on the basis of review and evaluation of the performances, selects the school and confers the title of the Green Schools. 6. Recognition: Designation of the successful schools as green schools was not the end of green school activities. Rather it is considered to be the beginning of a new stage. The green school is itself a process of environmentalizing the school and improving its environment continuously. As of November 2001, there are 4235 green schools from 31 provinces of China. Issues and Problems: Issues and problems can be summarized as follows. Firstly, green schools are misunderstood as only introducing knowledge on the environment to students, or planting trees and grass in the school area. Secondly, the facilities are not enough to control pollution, and save water and energy. Thirdly, the school governors make decisions by themselves for some activities. The teachers and parents have no chance to supervise the activities and participate in the decision-making process. Finally the teachers do not have opportunities for refreshing their knowledge, exchanging information and sharing experience with other fellow teachers within and outside the school. Reflections and Lessons Learned: Green school is not only an important opportunity to apply concepts and ideas of environmental education to the daily life of teachers and students, but also an effective way to (1) improve the 134

11 system of the school environment through reduction in litter and waste, and saving energy and water (2) increase environmental awareness through curricular and non-curricular activities, (3) encourage students and teachers to take appropriate decisions on environmental management; (4) promote cooperation among students and teachers, governors, and community; (5) enhance the capacity of schools and community, and (6) adopt good environmental management system. Future Prospects: The Project has tremendous prospect and should concentrate on the following activities such as organizing workshops for facilitators and stakeholders, establishing China Green School Network, updating the website of China Environmental Green Schools, exploring further studies on the prospects of China Green Schools, and establishing relation with eco-schools in Europe. Reference For Additional Information, Contact: Green Schools Project Office Center for Environmental Education and Communication State Environmental Protection Administration No I, Yuhuinanlu, Chaoyang District Beijing, PR China Tel: Fax: Website: 4. Environmental Education Initiative Background: The Earth Summit of 1992 was an important event in the history of human development. The Summit critically reviewed human beings lifestyles and development and came up with Rio Announcement and Agenda 21. In response, the Chinese government formulated its first national level principles to implement Agenda 21, which contains environmental education as an important area of action. The Chinese government has recognized that environmental education is the foundation of environmental protection, and set environmental education as a basic policy. Since the 1990 s, the Ministry of Education (formerly State Commission of Education) has begun to integrate environmental education into the national curriculum. These initiatives promoted the status of environmental 135

12 education in the basic education system. For the sake of upholding and strengthening the Chinese government s efforts on improving quality and publicity of environmental education in China, the Ministry of Education, World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and British Petroleum, after having assessed the situation, have jointly implemented Environmental Educators Initiative Project in China. The Project commenced on 14 th July The goal of this project is to improve the quality of and public awareness on environmental education in China. In order to achieve this goal, three operational objectives were set up. They are: 1) to improve environmental education capacity of Chinese formal education system, especially of primary and middle schools; 2) to help schools develop and use environmental education resources; 3) to promote understanding of the cross-curriculum features of environmental education and its educational functions. The Project trained teachers enabling them to 1) teach students so that they can participate effectively in environmental protection activities; 2) assist students to analyze environmental issues from social, physical and scientific perspectives; 3) arouse students awareness, curiosity and commitment to solve the issues of the environmental deterioration. Description of Activities: In 1997 three environmental education training centers were established, one each at Beijing Normal University, East China Normal University and South-West Normal University. The normal universities are entrusted with the responsibility of providing training to teachers. Young teachers from these universities participated in a training-cum-workshop delivered by environmental education experts from the UK. In the workshop, these participants studied environmental education, its philosophy, scope and teaching methodology. Then, they were appointed as master teachers with the responsibility of developing training materials, providing training course to facilitators, administrators and teachers from about 30 pilot schools to run under the Project. These three normal universities and pilot schools conducted numerous activities on environmental education from 1997 to 1999 and extended the Project until During this period, about 500 teachers received training on environmental education, together with the publication of textbooks, reference books and teaching materials in Many visible changes were seen in pilot schools. The Project was formerly concluded in July However, recognizing its significance and satisfactory outcomes, three universities decided to continue it until In 2001, eight other universities joined the Project. They are (1) North East Normal University, (2) North West Normal University, (3) Shanxi Normal University, (4) Central China Normal University, (5) Hunan Normal 136

13 University, (6) South China Normal University, (7) Fujian Normal University and (8) Tibet University. Environmental education centers were established one each in these universities. About 3000 facilitators are expected to receive training in these centers. Achievements and Results: Some positive changes have taken place in pilot schools. For example, environmental education activities have been implemented both in and outside the class. Some 30 pilot schools have already improved schools administration, campus decoration, curriculum setting, teaching and learning style, and communication with community. Environmental education also has provided the schools with an opportunity to bring about reforms in the educational system. The seeds of environmental education were sown in universities. As mentioned earlier, eleven environmental education centers have been established in all participating universities. These universities already have departments (or disciplines) dealing with environmental sciences or education, but not a research team (and institution) specialized on environmental education. The centers integrated research chips on the environment and education and have attracted newcomers to enter the environmental education field. Research on environmental education was promoted in these universities. Some of the achievements are summarized below. Providing training at universities and pilot schools: Formally environmental education in China placed an emphasis on training scientists and engineers more than school teachers. But it has been realized that it is schoolteachers who urgently need training on environmental education. The Environmental Education Initiative Project realized this point and began to provide training to primary and middle school teachers. In addition, the Project also has begun its efforts on training university teachers. Establishing a multi-level environmental education network: Participating universities and pilot schools formed a multi-level network involving schoolteachers, university teachers, environmental education experts and students. The network publishes a quarterly newsletter as a forum for exchanging information. The network also provides a port facility for other universities, schools, and even kindergartens, and links with the existing network built by the Ministry of Education, WWF and BP-Amoco. This extensive network is an important outcome of the Project. Introducing education for sustainability into the Chinese education system: The concept of sustainable development was introduced in the 1990s. In 1997, environmental education was refocused as education for sustainability. But in China, few people can relate environmental education and sustainable 137

14 development together. The Project introduced a new trend in environmental education and adapted it to the Chinese context as education for sustainability. It was a new turn in China s basic educational policy. Issues and Problems: Although there are many environmental education centers built under this project, these centers work independently and separately, and there is a lack of communication and collaboration among them. Need of a follow-up training for master teachers: It is very important to build the capacity of master teachers in environmental education. They are required to refresh their training skills and research skills continuously. If the follow-up programs are organized for the master teachers, then the quality of this Project could be highly improved Lack of advanced research: Research provides a theoretical base for good practice. In this Project, participants concentrate only on teaching practices and methodology, not on research. The practices are meaningful and fruitful, but they need to be reviewed academically and should be transformed into some extensive theories. Publicity of the Project: The Project is known to local and international organizations but not to the Chinese public. It needs to be disseminated to local Chinese people as well. Management is the key to the success of the Project. This is what is lacking in the Project. Roles of different participants should be defined and clarified. Reflections and Lessons Learned: Collaboration and efficient resource uses are the keys to the success of this Project. This program was the first example, where government, NGOs, companies, universities and schools collaborated together to promote environmental education in China. Resources (such as resource person, material and fund) required for the programs were provided. Another important ingredient that made this Project successful is the meeting of the requirements of the teachers and schools. In recent years, it has been recognized and realized that the children s awareness on the environmental conservation should begin right from the primary school, or even from kindergartens. To our dismay, even the government report points out that the major obstacle of developing environmental education in schools is the lack of teachers knowledge and skills. This Project was successful in filling this gap by conducting a series of training workshops for teachers at different levels. These workshops provided the teachers, new knowledge, skills and methodologies on how to conduct environmental education in schools and share experiences among teachers. 138

15 Another ingredient that made the program a success was the introduction of a new concept of teaching and learning in the classroom, which led to the gradual reforms in the policy of the China s educational system. In the pilot schools, various environmental education activities were initiated. The students showed their interests in these activities. Consequently, a lot of changes took place in school as mentioned elsewhere in the paper. Environmental education provided an opportunity for teachers to make educational reforms in their educational system. Future Prospects: In near future, this Project will enter into a new phase. More primary and middle schools will join the list of pilot schools. More university teachers and school students will participate in the Project. Due to lessons learnt from the first phase, the Project has a chance to enhance activities on cooperation, research and dissemination. In addition, the government has made some policy revisions. As a result, the Project is to implement a plan to develop the national syllabus of environmental education in collaboration with the Chinese Ministry of Education and thereby playing an important role in the reforms of Chinese national education system. References Huang Yu & Tian Qin (2001). The Experiences and Inspirations of the Environmental Educators Initiative Project, Environmental Education, 2001, Vol. 3. Environmental Education Center at Beijing Normal University. Project Reports for WWF, For Additional Information, Contact: Environmental Education Center Beijing Normal University Beijing, P. R. China Tel & fax: Eco-Curricular Activity Background: Co-curricular activities are one of the effective ways to improve the environmental condition of the community. When taking part in these activities, students can select topics by themselves and participate in various actions with great interest and creative spirits. Their involvement and participation enable them to learn practical knowledge on the environment, acquire skills for environmental protection, apply theory into practice, get the first-hand experience of practical activities etc. This example shows how 139

16 students from Qiliyan Primary School were successful in devising a practical garbage collection system for the city, especially for recyclable materials. The objectives of the activity are, To lead students to understand the principle of sustainable development. To increase the students awareness on and responsibility for environmental protection. To introduce the concepts of reusing, recycling and reducing garbage materials and their classification to students. To develop students skills on communicating, team working and reporting. To encourage students to think and act environmentally. Supported by teachers and based on interviews with 221 recyclable-material collectors, the students produced the report on status and measures for solid waste collection and classification for the city. Description of Activities: Green team is a group of students involved in environmental education activities in Qiliyan Primary School. The team consists of 14 students and three teachers each teaching Chinese, mathematics and science. The teachers are the supporters of and facilitators to the student activities. This activity was started in 2000, when teachers found that a group of students showed some interest in classification and collection of city garbage especially recyclable materials. The teachers organized a meeting for students to discuss garbage situation and classification of the city especially the recyclable material as there is no garbage collection system operated by the government in the city. However some collectors could be seen collecting these materials privately and making their livelihood. The Green Team wanted to know how they collect the materials in the city, where they sell them etc. A series of activities were organized for students to know about this problem. Their activities were organized as follows. Preparation and planning: The members of the Green Team were divided into three groups. Each group consisted of 4-5 students. They were provided with questionnaires, notebooks, pencils and cameras. Students in each group worked out an action plan. And they designed a questionnaire under the guidance of the teachers. Students were stimulated to think on the kind of information they need to collect. Together with teachers, they identified 17 questions, some of which are given below. What kind of recyclable materials do you collect? How much recyclable materials do you collect in a day? Where did you go to collect them? Where did you sell them? 140

17 What prices do you pay to residents? What prices does the recycling companies pay to you? What benefits you and the society get from collecting recyclable materials? Please give comments on garbage classification ways etc. The teachers copied questionnaire sheets and handed over to each group. Students were required to write down the answers on the sheet of the questionnaire, while interviewing with the recyclable material collectors. Collection of information: The students went around the city, interviewed the collectors and recorded information. After completion of the interview, the students gathered all the data, and shared their experiences with each other. Guided by the teachers, the students began to analyze what they have collected. They drew a flowchart showing all kinds of recyclable material collected in the city and drew a table for each question. They also discussed how different collectors responded the same question. This is how students were able to learn on garbage collection system in the city and made their suggestion to the city office. Figure 1: Students interviewing with a collector Achievements and Results: After the collection of the information, students wrote a report on solid waste management with remedial measures, garbage collection system and their classification. The report was submitted to the 141

18 Zhengzhou Dairy and was published after a few days. The report was successful to draw the attention of the concerned departments of the local government. It was a matter of great pleasure to members of the Green Team and the Qiliyan Primary School to know that the city government decided to implement some of the measures suggested in the report. Issues and Problems: Students felt that it was difficult to interview the recyclable material collectors as the students were hesitant to talk to the later, who were generally adults. In other cases, these collectors spoke so quickly that the students could not hear and understand the point they have raised and thereby causing the problem of recording. And students were hesitant to repeat the same question. Sometimes the collectors refused to be interviewed. Reflections and Lessons Learned: Co-curricular activities can be made meaningful, if activities are organized on the issue identified by the students and on the topic in which they are interested. Then they actively participate in the activity and show their positive attitude. The teachers could only facilitate (provide information only when needed) students to find the solution by themselves of their problem. The mental and physical involvement of students helps them learn new knowledge, skills and abilities. Students should be the center of activities and the teachers should be there just to support them in times of needs. Interaction with each other made the students confident, creative, cooperative and even thoughtful. Future Prospects: The students and teachers should work together to find more topics on the local environment and help the communities mitigate the problems locally. For Additional Information, Contact: Jiang Dongmei Zhengzhou Normal School No.8, Zhengtong Road Zhengzhou City, Post Code: Henan province People Republic of China jiang99@371.net 142