From its inception a year ago, China’s Green Beat has received a fair amount of attention in the international blogosphere. It recently was named one of the best blogs covering China by Danwei.

Green Beat co-founder John Romankiewicz shared some thoughts with Global Voices for our second GV-Enviro interview.

“Green” - one of the three Olympics themes - got a big boost in China during last month's Games. What do you foresee for China's environmental movement now that the Olympics have passed?

At least in Beijing, there's been a big focus on how Beijingers are very happy with the blue sky the Olympics have brought, and many have even proposed keeping the car restrictions in place. But for some people (rich people and migrant workers alike), one effect that the Olympics have had is that people associate car restrictions, factory closings and construction restrictions with “Green Olympics.” They associate this economic restriction that has been put on their economy for over a month with the word “green”, which I think is a very bad thing. On the other hand, the government is making laws which include language like sustainable development (可持续发展) and circular economy (循环经济), which is a sign of good things to come…The Beijing Olympics show that the national government has full dominion in Beijing and areas immediately surrounding; the real test will be if the national government can show growing enforcement power over all provinces and especially rural areas, perhaps through growing ministries such as the Ministry of Environmental Protection and recently-formed National Energy Bureau.

How effective has blogging been for spreading the Green Brothers' message?

Blogging, and especially video blogging, is a very effective way of getting out the message quickly. Because other blogs and websites can embed our videos into their site, we get so many more eyeballs. The visual content adds so much to the message.They remember our faces, it leaves an impression, because we start off the videos in such a personable way, with simple name introductions….
On the other hand, this kind of online community doesn't replace or come close to the meaningfulness of a physical community, with meetups and face to face interaction. So in the future I think we'd like to continue to create online activities, but begin building our message and network offline as well.

Do you use other social media? If so, which sites?

I also use Current.com for reading news and video journalism. I subscribe to a bunch of RSS feeds relevant to China and the environment from small bloggers to big-wig blogs like Worldchanging and Treehugger as well.Recently I just found about avaaz.org.

What's next for China's Green Beat?

We'd like to expand beyond video content into more articles, resources, and online tools to learn more about the why and how of going green. Also, since [Green brother] Shane is in school in America now, Shane will begin producing videos (with Chinese subtitles) about America's environmental solutions/movement. We hope to breed more cooperation on environmental issues among people in America and China, because we're all in this together (no matter what the current political argument is about who is and isn't responsible for GHG emissions) and we can all contribute.

Kunming, home to many environmental NGOs, has Car Free Days on the last Saturday of every month. China's Green Beat gives us the skinny:

The policy has its limitations, of course. Rather than fully banning cars throughout the entire city, only private cars are forbidden to enter the first ring road. Taxis, buses, bikes, scooters, and special purpose vehicles (or vehicles with greater than 17 seats that are more than 50% full) are allowed to travel anywhere in the city.

They go on to say:

The policy seems to have mixed results. On September 22, the Kunming Environmental Bureau reported much better air quality due to the limitation of private cars…On the same day, the BBC reported Beijing drivers as having all but ignored the call for No Car Day, where the event was voluntary and not enforced as in Kunming.

China's Green Beat “Green Sisters” Ouyang and Jenny give a report about the day.

Video: No Car Day in Kunming

China plans to hold a car-free day in 108 cities this Sept. 22, as part of the world's No Car Day. China's No Car Day should cut 3,000 tons of emissions and save 33 million liters of gasoline.

In addition to the ‘No Car Day' initiative, Beijing is planning major traffic restrictions around this year's Olympics in Eastern China.

China's netizens weighed in on the new rules. GeLaDanDong complained:

随着北京奥运会的日益临近，奥运对我们的生活的影响也开始越来越大了：禁烟令、禁塑令、坐飞机不能带洗发水、打火机、坐经济舱只能带一件随身行李……，听说以后地铁也要这样；坐火车也不让带水果刀了……，应该还有很多很多。 还有就是从7月20日开始直道9月20日的单双号限行！由于住地距离单位有30多公里的距离，所以早早开始考虑如何解决这个问题。 首先想到的是再买一辆车…无论是买新车还是二手车似乎都不太理想。 那么，乘公交车吧！好，至少要换乘三次。而且换乘站点距离较远，全程大约需要2.5小时.

An English translation of the comments would be:

As the Beijing Olympics comes closer with every passing day, the Games' influence on our lives is also increasing: commands to stop smoking and a ban on free plastic bags; when taking planes you can't bring shampoo, or lighters; when sitting in economy rows you can only bring one piece of carry-on luggage….I hear that these rules will soon apply to subways, too: on the trains, you can't even bring a fruit knife…there will probably be more and more rules. And now there's this temporary regulation that will alternative driving days according to cars' even and odd-numbered license plates, from July 20 to September 20! Since my residence is more than 30 kilometers from my workplace, I'm going to have to start thinking soon about how to solve this problem. First I thought about buying another car (with a different license plate)…but no matter if I buy a new or a second-hand car this isn't ideal. Alright, then, take the bus! Well, I have to change buses at least three times. Furthermore, the place to change the bus is far, and the whole process will probably take about 2.5 hours.

And another, at RenXin Blog:

这虽然在意料之中，但也感觉时间有点太长了，会给人们出行带来很大的不便。没有办法，为了奥运，我们要做好充分的思想准备，克服一切困难，确保奥运圆满成功。

The comments' English translation is:

Although it's being anticipated, I still feel the (two-month) period is a little too long, and it will bring a lot of inconvenience to the people. There's no way out, (because) for the Olympics, we want to the fullest amount of thought preparation (and) get around all difficulties, to ensure satisfactory success.

Daniel Beekman at Blogging Beijing interviews locals about the ban:

“We brought our own bags today!” crowed a young woman outside the Shuang'an branch Chaoshifa - one of Beijing's most popular grocery chains. “We heard about the ban from T.V. - it's a good thing. We want to protect the environment. We want to host a successful Olympic Games.”
“I brought a bag here today,” a middle-aged woman said. “Why? To protect the environment - the same as you foreigners do.”
Chinese shoppers haven't revolted yet; 77.5 percent of respondents to an online survey conducted by CIIC-COMR, a market research firm, supported the ban.

Jane Voodikon at Barking at the Sun reports that despite the earthquake chaos, Chengdu merchants seem to be adhering to the ban:

I’ve made three purchases in the past 24 hours, all of which culminated in the cashier/shopkeeper asking if I’d like a bag. Instead of having to fiercely insist “bu yao daizi!” in attempts to avoid having anything I purchase wrapped individually in plastic bags, shopkeepers were asking me whether or not I “needed” a bag—and replying with a “xiexie” when my response was negative.

The bag ban has been spreading throughout the world over the past couple years, popping up in places like San Francisco and England, and others. Such a proposal appeared in the southern city of Shenzhen last year, and even earlier in a city in the southwest China province of Yunnan has even tried to control 白色污染 (”white pollution,” or plastic pollution) starting five years ago with such a ban, with favorable
results.

On Chinese-language environmental BBS boards and blogs, news of the plastic bag ban has been a hot topic since it was announced in January. Many netizens are supportive, others concerned; below are some excerpts.

Blogger Liu KenPeng on Sina.com writes:

看到这个消息，真是 BIG FAST PEOPLE HEART（大快人心）啊！
记得在评论人类历史上最糟糕的发明时，塑料袋耻登榜首。这东西最可怕的地方，就是自然界没有办法分解.
When I saw this news, it really was most gratifying!
In discussing the most terrible invention in the history of man, plastic bags are the worst of the worst. This thing's most scary aspect is that it has no way to decompose in nature.

Others seemed nervous about the ban's implementation. One netizen posts on Baidu.com:

这其实是一个很严峻的问题.而且实际实施中必然重重困难.

从消费者的角度来看,增收塑料袋费,对于比较节俭的家庭主妇来说,为了最大限度的得到利益,对一些额外的不必要的物品的消费就自然减少.消费减 少，商场的利益减少，不排除某些无良商家谋私利私自提供免费塑料袋，消费者的了便宜，特别是一些素质不高的人，自然是你不说，我不说，大家心知肚明。所谓 上有政策，下有对策。环保目的最终仍不能实现。

This is a rather serious issue, and the implementation will be difficult.
From the consumer point of view, for housewives, in order to maximize their interest, they will reduce spending on unnecessary items. It will affect the interest of shopping malls. Some irresponsible businessmen may provide free plastic bags. Consumers, especially those without environmental conscious, will accept that. We have policy on top, but people have their own strategies, and environmental objective still can't be accomplished.

Qianyuyu at Bjelf.com, the online Beijing environmental law forum, writes:

关于购物塑料袋不应该收费,而是应该限制使用!

从六月份开始,消费者在超市购买东西,使用塑料袋商家要开始收费了.这一政策不知道政府经过听证没有.如果开始收费,在这物价非涨的年月,老百姓的消费支出无形当中又增加了.这给老百姓带来的生活压力,不知道政府考虑过汉有.
为什么政府不出一个限制使用的办法,比如,每个购物都只能免费使用一个,想用第二个就是付费了了而动不动就是收费.塑料袋收费不是便宜了商家吗?现在大多数老百姓都是在超市购买生活必须用品.每一个都收费,会给商家带来多少利润.
…should limit the use of plastic bags rather than collecting fee.
Consumers need to pay for the plastic bags in supermarket starting from this June. I wonder if the government had any public hearing on such policy. As the inflation rate has been very serious this year, the fee would add pressure to ordinary citizen. I wonder if the government really thinks this through.
Why doesn't the government adopt a policy to limit the use. For example, everyone can get one free plastic bag and has to pay for the second. The policy of plastic bag fee will only favor the business people. People are buying necessary items in supermarket, with the fee, the business will gain extra profit.

On the Baidu.com BBS, others wondered if the small fee for plastic bags would even make a difference:

1 塑料袋才3毛一个,太便宜了.
基本上不会有什么影响嘛!

2 回复：塑料袋才3毛一个,太便宜了.
馒头1元3个 现在成2个了 你说有没有影响

1 Plastic bags (fees) will only be 3 mao, that's too cheap
Basically there will be no influence!

2 Reply: Plastic bags (fees) will only be 3 mao, that's too cheap
Steamed buns were 1 RMB for three, now it's down to two Now tell me if that's influenced anyone

Plans for a proposed petrochemical plant that brought out NIMBY protesters earlier this month may be shelved after the earthquake. Six people were detained for the protest, called a “stroll” to get around applying for a protest permit. Charlie McElwee at China Environmental Law blog says:

I would hope that those arrested and detained are treated leniently. It appears they had valid points to make, and they wouldn’t have had to make them in an unorthodox fashion if the public participation regulations applicable to construction projects had been complied with.

Julian Wong at Green Leap Forward blogs about the long-term energy implications of the earthquake. He notes that the operations of China's largest steam turbine producer were evidently decimated, while the impact on Chengdu's dams and hydropower are potentially even more serious,. Julian expresses hope that long term considerations will come into play after normalcy is restored, saying

It is hard to imagine that amidst the chaotic frenzy to restore a sense of normalcy across the region, that such far sighted considerations will be given much weight over the immediate needs of those affected. When the dust settles, however, there will be an opportunity to consider, and not without international cooperation, what it means to rebuild a more sustainable set of infrastructure.

Several bloggers are highlighting stories about animals. Richard Heisler spotlights the plight of the Wolong Pandas and the efforts of Panda International organization.

In the aftermath of the earthquake earlier this week the situation is very desperate in Wolong. Both the animals of the Wolong Giant Panda Preserve and the caretakers need all the possible support they can gather to assist with the incredibly difficult task of caring for the bears, the cubs and the people of the town of Wolong. Pandas International is assisting Wolong directly with the help of the Red Cross in China to get medicine, food and supplies flown in to the completely isolated town to aid the doctors, veterinarians, pandas and people.

The IFAW Animal Rescue blog writes about the plight of Animals stating

By now, there have been more than 300 smaller aftershocks in the region. The torrential rain has been unrelenting, causing mud slides. Huge boulders are coming down the mountains, blocking the already treacherous roads and making any rescue attempt difficult. Wolong Nature Reserve, the synonym for China’s Giant Panda is at the epicenter and is still not accessible.
I am not so concerned about wild animals. They often have the ability to sense the abnormalities in nature and thus get away, like those elephants and monkeys that sensed the Indian Ocean Tsunami and scurried away from the beach to higher ground. It is the animals that are in confined environments that will likely become victims, millions of livestock on farms, companion animals in people’s homes and even pandas that are kept in captivity.

Danwei reports that the Yunnan White-Handed Gibbon of southwest China has been declared extinct.

Andrew Field at Shanghai Journal blogs about the damage of eating shark fin soup, a popular dish in China. He notes that the damage is caused by mass killings of sharks, which causes an imbalance in the ocean ecology. adding…

While many countries are waking up to this disaster, most people here in China are completely in the dark as to what the mass killing of sharks is doing to the ecology of the oceans. Many fancy restaurants in Shanghai and in other cities serve shark fin soup and some restaurants (such as Yu Xin on Weihai Road, where I ate last Sunday) have prominent displays of shark fin cartilage in glass cases. Shark fin soup is especially popular for high-status events such as weddings or official banquets.

As of the writing of this post on May 25th, China Digital Times reports that powerful after shocks hit China. More about that developing story on their blog.

Beijing-based lawyer Liu Xiaoyuan praised the “strolling” method of voicing opinions on his blog:

“散步”不是集会、游行、示威，“散步”是具有中國特色的维权方式，但愿有关部门能给市民一个表达意见的“散步”空间，更愿政府能够重视市民“散步”表达出来的意见。

“Stroll” is not an assembly or demonstration. It’s a unique way of practicing civil rights in China. I wish related government departments could allow the citizens a space for “strolling” and expressing their opinion, and more importantly, the government could respect citizens’ opinions expressed through the “strolls”.

China Digital Times has the full translation. They also report Liu's blog has encountered some censorship.

Many in southwestern China are reeling from Monday's earthquake. A new up-and-coming website called Fractor bills itself as a “simple, groundbreaking web application” that promises to connect well-meaning people with ways to help people affected by disasters world-wide.

Rich Brubaker on the blog Crossroads, which looks at corporate social responsibility in China, posts video links to the PBS series “Shifting Nature“, telling us about the casualties of lightning-speed economic growth in China. It has some pretty high-level interviews, including ones with Pan Yue, China's outspoken environmental leader with the Ministry of Environmental Protection.

And, lastly, a million and a half Chinese children have taken part in a painting contest, held by the United Nations Environment Programme. The painting by last year's grand prize winner, Charlie Sullivan from the UK, is below.

After the Olympics, this [environmental] movement will continue. China can't go back. Now people know what needs to happen. Organizations like ours are starting to play a bigger role in society.

UNESCO leader Gaoming Jiang talks about Beijing's massive water problems on China Dialogue. Beijing's waterways suffer from pollution (a cocktail of fertilizers and even excrement), and a severe lack of water. He also has some expert opinions on cleaning up, with the concluding suggestion being

… ecological management must be linked to poverty alleviation and wealth creation. The challenges faced in protecting water sources are manmade problems. We should take the initiative by helping these areas solve energy problems with methane production technology and a more distributed infrastructure. We must also help with hygiene by building waste and water treatment plants. This will ensure the areas have adequate vegetation coverage, produce enough water, and it will guarantee that the water flowing into reservoirs is clean.

At Treehugger, Alex Pasternack comments on the U.N. Development Program's decision to make a Chinese celebrity National Goodwill Ambassador to promote the environment. Actress Zhou Xun starred in Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress and the moving Chinese movie Suzhou River. He says…

In a country where the rhetoric on environmental protection seems inversely proportionate to public awareness (especially among young people!), celebrity environmentalism may be one of the more effective ways to get the message out. And aside from fur-wearing Gong Li (or Leo, on a recent stop in Hong Kong), few stars in China have become known for their green choices. Too bad. Star-powered campaigns can be a relief from the typical government initiatives…

Last October, Chen was playing on the bank of Jialing River with his parents and found refuse in the water. This spurred him to find out where it came from. After investigating for six months in his spare time, Chen wrote a report on pollution in the river and suggested some measures to clean it up.

Rich also writes about the 11 year old environmentalist, saying

This is another case of how I think China will eventually grow towards cleaning up its environment. Individuals, and collectives, will be motivated on a personal level to investigate contaminations, conduct resaerch, develop solutions, and pressure local officials and businesses.

Meanwhile, China Environmental News Digest posts an article about recycling that may be bad for the environment; the dismantling of electronic circuit boards. The article cites a new study of electronics recycling in China from Hong Kong Baptist University. The study found that a town in southeastern China family-run recycling workshops had high levels of dangerous metals, and that people spread contaminated dust as they walked around.