The China Environment Federation Secretariat announced that it will promote an environmental case in Jiang Yan, Jiangsu Province to the entire nation as a successful mode to address environmental issues.

In recent years, rural areas have witnessed rising environmental stress. Although the system of environmental law undergoes constant revision in China, some illegitimate enterprises have tried to hide in the relatively less informed and loosely controlled countryside. As a result, rural citizens have been sending spontaneous letter petitions to the authorities because of the rapidly deteriorating living environment.

In order to enhance the strength of supervision on the enterprises and relieve local concerns, the Jiang Yan government adopted the first round-table meeting at the beginning of 2007. The enterprises and residents sat together discussed environmental issues, and when it ended, both sides shook hands in appreciation and acknowledgement.

The Homestead Association of Jiang Yan Rural Environment and Ecology Protection was founded June 14, 2008. At the very beginning it constituted 14 people including the mayor, deputy from the local EPA as well as mass representatives. Within this past year, the association has expanded to 16 branches with over 300 members. As the first non-governmental organization for environmental protection in rural China, the association actively helps monitor discharge from the illegal enterprises, urges enterprises to improve pollutant facilities and coordinating hot-spot environmental petition, etc.

• Hearkening To True Public Voice

Retirees, teachers and young volunteers from the association left their marks in numerous villages and alleys. They sent out questionnaires to assess the environmental sense of local people, stayed in the fields to listen to the farmers and patrolled around the houses to witness the actual living conditions.

• Disabusing Doubts

When one reporter met Boren Zuo, a member from the association, Zuo had been explaining to two farmers, “Don’t worry, that’s just water vapor.” It turns out that these villagers had reported to Boren about suspicious white gas coming from an iron tube, and Boren followed them to the site immediately, confirming that the gas was merely water vapor. Relieved and pleased to hear this, the villagers left the scene.

In the past, some villagers have stirred up unruly conflicts because of their outrage at their living conditions. However, they had little scientific knowledge to prove anything. Now, with the presence of the environmental association, they know whom to consult with.

• Round-Table to Address Hot-Spot Conflicts

The industry of stainless steel in Xing Tai Village used to be small and scattered. As a result, lagging techniques and deficient pollution prevention measurements ensued. To address this problem, the branch in Xing Tai presided a round table. While the factory supervisors listened to the villagers’ take on environmental protection, the villagers took into account the firms’ difficulties.

In the end, villagers gradually changed their attitudes towards firms and the firm owners also realized the importance of undertaking social responsibility and giving the villagers updates. After brainstorming, it was proposed that the government shrink the number of firms from 50 lagging ones to 2 with high-level equipment. Since then, the water quality and air quality of Xing Tai town has improved conspicuously and complaints have dropped. In another case, the enterprise even invited villagers to tour its facilities for pollution treatment.

Air pollution from burning straw waste in the summer and fall has also been a long withstanding concern. In December 2008, the Qiao Tou branch gathered villagers and government deputy to the round table.

“In my opinion, the key to the solution is how the government can encourage the reuse and recycle of straw, say, by giving some subsidy,” said Shanlin Li, head of Qiao Tou’s farm machinery division.

“Our farmers should also pack the straw while waiting for the solution,” he said. “Imprudent burning is poisoning ourselves!”

Finally, the local community decided to set fines on straw burning, utilize straw for cottage building, and compress straw for exporting. Consequently, the burning problem disappeared.

• “the Small Red Flower Award of Environmental Protection”

One of the association’s prominent influences was the “Small Red Flower Award of Environmental Protection.” In the name of young students, this award was given to local contributors to environmental protection.

On June 14 2008, pupils at local elementary schools issued the first awards to Xinlin Wang, the board chairman of Jiangsu Fei Chuan Ltd., and an 84-year-old party member. A number of entrepreneurs regard this award as laureate honor and therefore, push themselves to the front edge of pollution reduction and public affairs.

Now in Jiang Yan, one can see the busy association members here and there. In 2008, the Homestead Association handled 47 environmental conflicts and reported 9 events of environmental law transgression. Moreover, the Jiang Yan government has decided to promote the development of rural environmental-protection NGOs by incorporating it into the index of government performance assessments.

As the association gains fame, the China Environment Federation investigated Jiang Yan in June with some well-known professors and specialists. The interviewers were deeply impressed by the role the association plays on overlooking enterprise operation, dealing with farmers’ complaints and organizing of face-to-face conversations. Keqin Lv, the counselor of China Environment Federation Secretariat, affirmed the work of the association.

“We are trying hard for the new mechanism of a government-leading, public-participating environmental protection,” he said. “The case of Jiang Yan provokes our thoughts. The round table mobilizes all sides, including the villagers, plaintiffs, enterprises and deputy from the governmental department, and encourages villagers to express their appeal in a rational, legal and orderly way. It is a mode worth of following.”

As the most influential environmental-protection NGO in China, this Jiang Yan case will be spread all over the nation.

(Translated by Yimei Shen and proofread by Alicia Zhao of Harvard University. Original abridged from  http://www.ngocn.org/?action-viewnews-itemid-60526 and http://www.hwcc.com.cn/newsdisplay/NewsDisplay.asp?id=213122)