Join the Green Train

With backgrounds in environmental education and eager to spread the green word in China, Mark Thirlwall and Vinny Ng, the co-founders of the China Charity Challenge (CCC), have quite an exciting year ahead of them.

Vinny originally came to China to film an environmental documentary based around the Yellow River basin. Mark used to lead high-end bike tours, before founding The Hutong, a community and cultural center offering classes and workshops for Beijing expats.

This summer, the CCC is co-sponsoring the Roots & Shoots Yunnan Bicycle Challenge, an intense eight-day journey that will take riders through some of China’s most beautiful and diverse scenery. As a fundraiser for the Yunnan challenge, the CCC will host the “Green Train” on June 26, an after-work bicycle ride throughout Beijing that culminates in a party at Blue Frog in Sanlitun Village. We caught up with Vinny recently to learn more about how the CCC is spreading their innovative vision for philanthropy.

What is the concept behind the China Charity Challenge?
Mark and I started the China Charity Challenge in 2008. The CCC is an umbrella for charity events that will happen on a yearly basis. This year’s main event we are co-sponsoring is the Roots & Shoots 2009 Yunnan Cycling Challenge.

How did the idea for the Roots & Shoots Yunnan Bicycle Challenge come about?
There’s a group based in the UK called the Adventurists, who sponsor different events throughout the year. One of these is the Mongolian Rally, an adventure car rally using cars with one-liter engines. They start from London and go all the way to Mongolia. By taking part, participants raise money for local charities in Mongolia.

Mark and I looked into doing something like this in India. We wanted it to be a three-week long trip for motorized rickshaws from the southern tip to the northern tip. However, we realized this would have caused too much of a carbon footprint, so we decided to organize a more eco-friendly event in China.

Who are Roots & Shoots, your co-sponsors for the Yunnan Challenge?
The CCC’s mission is to look at projects that have a direct positive impact on local communities. We are focused on responsible traveling. When Mark and I did research on what organizations we could partner up with, we went to Roots & Shoots, which is a branch of the Jane Goodall Institute. They focus on environmental education and train teachers to organize extracurricular clubs where students can design and implement their own environmental projects. For example, one of these clubs in Beijing designed their own wetlands restoration project.

So how will CCC work together with Roots & Shoots to pull off this event?
Roots & Shoots has been very keen to expand their network in the Yunnan area. Money raised from the cycle challenge will go towards training teachers in the places that we pass through along the route. Also, riders will be able to participate in activities along the way, such as nature clean-ups with local students. This will give everyone a good sense of how locals think about environmental issues.

What are the details of the challenge?
Riders will fly into Kunming, spend a night there, and then take a bus to Lijiang. From there, we ride around Lugu Hu, a remote volcanic lake. It’s a challenging ride, because we are expecting to cover 30 to 60km a day. It’s very much an adventure challenge. We’re recruiting riders in Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong.

And what sort of scenic areas will you pass by?
We will pass through several ethnic minority group areas. One of these areas is home to the Yi minority, who are known for their elaborate headdresses. We will also pass by the home of the Mosuo group, one of the last matriarchal societies in the world. Women can take on multiple partners, and if there are children, the responsibility to raise them falls upon the brother of the woman. These areas are like what Yangshuo (in Guangxi province) would have been like five years ago – still relatively un-touristy but on the brink of developing.

Is that impending development a good thing or bad thing?
Currently, there are no policies about things such as sewage regulation in this area. Simple things like that are not regulated right now. If the area becomes a bit more open to tourists, issues such as raw sewage will be policed, and this is a positive impact for the area.

So how is the “Green Train” event in Beijing linked with the Yunnan Cycle Challenge?
We have been organizing various events to raise awareness about CCC. The Green Train event aims to drive rider registration [for the Yunnan Cycle Challenge].

How do you think people in China are focusing on environmental education?
I think it is becoming more and more of a mainstream issue. Roots & Shoots has over 500 schools in their network now. Students are also beginning to take more ownership. When the plastic bag ban was implemented in Beijing, a number of young Chinese people went to a branch of Wal-Mart to persuade the store manager to let them set up a stall at one of the counters. The students were there to explain to consumers why plastic bags are harmful to the environment, and they sold Roots & Shoots cloth bags to raise funds. This was a great example of environmental education, and also a positive thing for Wal-Mart to support.

So what’s the next big event for the CCC?
Next year, we’d like to hold a trekking challenge in Guizhou. For our events, we are always looking for companies to become involved. They can even sponsor company teams. With support from individuals and companies, we can further the reach of environmental education throughout China.

The Green Train will be held on June 26, starting at 7pm from the north end of Wangfujing. For full information, please visit chinacharitychallenge.org

The Yunnan Bicycle Challenge will be held from September 26-October 4. To sign up, please e-mail chinacharitychallenge@gmail.com

Interview by Jennifer Ying Lan

Taken from the June 18th - July 1st edition of agenda, out around town now. To find out where to grab a copy, send an email to distribution@agendabeijing.com