Students help residents of Hefei's development zone take oride in their environment

With the process of modernization and industrial development, migrants have flooded into the Hefei Economic Technological Development Area.

The increasing size of the population and the improvement of living standards have inevitably resulted in the creation of more rubbish and waste.

"We were local farmers before this place was turned into a development zone 20 years ago," says Wei Pingying, a 70-year-old grandmother from Haiheng, one of the development area's five major communities.

"At first, we didn't quite understand the importance of environmental protection, but now people in my neighborhood have started to try to do something good for our environment."

Wei's new awareness has been influenced by the efforts of local college students and community workers.

Five years ago, students of Hefei University, also based in the development area, organized a group named Environmental Protection Union. They regularly organize campaigns on campus or in the local communities, such as the "One Hour for Earth" and "Recycle Your Life".

"We go to communities and distribute free garbage bins to the residents every now and then," says Du Long, the president of the union. "We call on them to sort out their domestic waste for recycling and have received overwhelming support, which makes us more confident about the job we're doing."

The university gives them funds to cover part of their expenses, such as the purchase of garbage bins, to help form sense of social responsibility in the student population, while the rest of the money required is collected by waste-recycling on campus.

They also often organize competitions in making handicrafts from waste material.

"I have to say the participants have such good imagination that they can make marvelous things with waste bottles, paper or even bricks", says Du.

Granny Wei is one of the residents who participated in the "Recycle Your Life" activity. She has been collecting plastic bottles and paper from around the community and on the streets since then. She also asks her senior friends and children to join her in the work.

"We give the collected bottles and papers to the students as a donation for the work in the future, in exchange for a symbolic potted plant," she says.

Community workers also play a vital role in environmental protection.

"We have been engaged in propagating a green lifestyle among the residents for years and really want to make a difference," says Yang Yanfeng, an official of the Haiheng community.

"We are happy to see that good things are really happening now."

zhulixin@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily Africa Weekly 01/03/2014 page16)