A number of ordinary Chinese people who have dedicated
themselves to a special cause were rewarded for their efforts to
protect the environment Friday.
The Earth Award, jointly organized by China Federation of
Environmental Journalists and the Hong Kong-based charity Friends
of the Earth, presented its awards on the eve of International
Earth Day in the hopes of inspiring the public to better protect
the environment.
Ten people each received awards of 40,000 yuan (US$5,000) and
ten nominees were given 10,000 yuan (US$1,250) each. The Earth
Award is the richest environmental prize in the country.
"As an ordinary farmer, I feel honored to get the award here at
the Great Hall of the People, and I am encouraged to carry on my
personal campaign of saying no to 'white pollutants,'" said Chen
Fei, a farmer from east China's Zhejiang Province, who was honored for his
six-year campaign to persuade people to use re-usable sacks or
baskets instead of accepting plastic bags for every purchase.
At the ceremony Chen presented a weaved willow basket to Pan
Yue, the vice-head of the State Environmental Protection
Administration (SEPA).
"It is a great gift and puts pressure on me to promote
environmental protection across China," said Pan, adding that
Chen's efforts show that "protecting the environment is not only up
to the government, it's up to all members of society."
Another award winner, Zhao Hong, started an environmental
association called the Daughters of the Earth five years ago. The
organization is credited with collecting 300,000 dead batteries and
organizing 20,000 people from more than 20 countries to plant
trees.
The award ceremony was held as the capital braces itself for
another sandstorm the second of the week. The sandy weather has
raged through half of the country's major cities, affecting more
than 100 million people, SEPA announced on Friday.
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said earlier this week that China
should be on high alert to worsening environmental pollution and
ecological deterioration and environmental protection should be
given a higher priority in the drive to national modernization.
(Xinhua News Agency April 22, 2006)