"I want these four apples and I don't need a plastic bag," Wang
Fengzhu, a junior at Huazhong Agricultural University said to the
salesman working in the school's fruit store. The salesman is a
little surprised so he still puts the apples in a plastic bag and
hands them to her. Wang adroitly takes the apples out, puts them in
her black duffel bag and returns the plastic bag to the
salesman.
Another salesman sees Wang and smiles: "No plastic bag girl
again!"
It's Wang's habit to go out shopping with her duffel bag. "It
just came back from Japan with me," Wang says pointing at her black
duffel bag. Every time Wang saves a plastic bag, she feels a sense
of achievement.
Wang was born in 1986 and was elected to the Tunza Youth
Advisory Council of United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) on 30
August 2007.
She attended the TUNZA-NEAYEN in Tokyo, Japan this
September.
Wang speaks fluent English. She is also very talkative. More
than 180 delegates from 145 countries participated in the UNEP's
meeting held in Germany this August. Wang talked about the Korean
star Rain with Koreans and the footballer Kaka with Brazilians…
Most of the delegates got acquainted with her in less than a
week.
Before the election for the Tunza Youth Advisory, each delegate
had a last chance to give a speech. Wang happened to bump her head
on the last night and had a bandage tied up around her head.
"I just donated my blood to this meeting and I believe that I
can do much better in the future," Wang said. Her joke won
everybody's applause; ultimately she was elected to the Tunza Youth
Advisory Council of the UNEP.
Environmental protection has always been Wang's priority.
When she was in Japan this September, Disneyland could be seen
from the window of her room. She gave up the opportunity to visit
it even though it had been her childhood dream to go there. "I
didn't want to miss the chance to communicate with other delegates
about environmental protection," Wang said.
Wang likes reading books on environmental protection. She
learned a lot about London fog and the Los Angeles photochemical
smog episode when she was in elementary school.
A year and a half ago Wang became a member of the Green
Association of HZAU (Huazhong Agricultural University, based in
Wuhan City in central China.) And there she participated in her
first environmental protection activity.
She spent her first college summer vacation near Liangzi Lake
and Huama Lake in Ezhou, Hubei Province. She and her fellows taught
local kids lessons on environmental protection for 11 days.
In the games section, Wang asked students to write down the
names of the animals that they knew on the blackboard. And then she
asked the kids: "We chop down trees everyday, where will the birds
be if they lose their nests?" "They will be sad and then they will
die," a kid said. Wang then erased the bird from the blackboard.
"The kids were surprised. Many kids cried when the animals were all
erased. They promised to protect animals and plants in the future,"
Wang said.
Those innocent tears moved Wang very much. "I decided to devote
my strength to environmental protection so the kids wouldn't cry
any more," she explained.
When Wang was in Germany for the meeting, an old German man sat
beside her. Wang said to him using the German that she just
learned: "Good morning, it is really fragrant here." The old man's
answer shocked Wang. "That's because there's no pollution here.
It's the fragrance of the nature." Wang thought for a moment,
"China will have the same fragrance if you come to Beijing in
2008," she replied firmly.
Environmental protection is Wang's priority but she thinks that
her environmental efforts start with small things.
She often takes a pair of chopsticks with her and uses them when
eating in school's dining hall or eating off campus.
Once a student in her classroom tore up a piece of paper and
dropped it on the floor. Wang picked it up quickly. The student was
very embarrassed and put the wastepaper in his pocket. "What I did
may change his view on environmental protection," Wang said
proudly.
Greeting cards are everywhere with the advent of Christmas and
the New Year. Wang and other volunteers in the Green Association
advocated "sending fruits instead of cards." And they will deliver
the fruits for free.
Wang is not alone. The Green Association has more than 1000
members. Most colleges in Wuhan have set up associations for
environmental protection. These associations have good
communications with each other and conduct joint activities.
Wang's aim is to become a postgraduate student in sociology to
improve her theory and knowledge. After graduation, she wants to be
a professional environmentalist to make China's mountains greener,
China's water cleaner.
(China.org.cn by Li Xiaohua November 5, 2007)
