In recent years, environmental protection and sustainable development have become important issues of global concern. Addressing this challenge requires not only the joint efforts of governments, enterprises, social organizations and communities, but also the participation and contribution of everyone. As the future and hope of society, the influence and potential of youth power play a vital role in promoting environmental protection and sustainable development.
In order to solve the problems of waste packaging and lack of education on responsible discarding behavior in rural communities and rural industries, in 2014, Mars Wrigley joined hands with the China Rural Development Foundation to launch the "Sustainable Future, Mars Wrigley" project through "Give to Asia", which stimulates young people's attention and thinking about environmental protection issues through education and training, encourages young people to propose innovative solutions around environmental protection issues, and guides them to use innovative thinking to contribute to sustainable development. After nearly ten years of exploration and practice, the project has attracted more than 55,000 college students to participate, received more than 8,500 environmental protection creative proposals, and affected more than 78 million people, which has aroused widespread social attention.
Group photo at the launching ceremony
In order to better protect the beautiful countryside and promote the sustainable development of the countryside, the launching ceremony of the 2023-2024 Public Welfare Future Mars Wrigley "Sustainability, Mars GO" National Youth Environmental Protection and Sustainable Innovation Project was unveiled in Beijing. On the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the project, the China Rural Development Foundation, together with Mars Wrigley, environmental experts and student representatives, launched a three-day kick-off meeting and rural research in Beijing and surrounding villages, starting the 10th year of the "Sustainability, MA GO" project.
So, what changes have taken place in the project after nearly 10 years of iteration, what problems have been solved, and what are its characteristics and highlights? Recently, a reporter from the "Public Welfare Times" visited the project.
Ten years of environmental action
Igniting a passion for sustainability in the countryside
In the past decade, the project has been continuously iteratively upgraded, from carrying out environmental protection projects around urban communities to focusing on rural environmental protection issues, from the design of portable garbage bags to environmental protection innovation practices to the application of sustainable business models, which has continuously promoted the process of rural environmental protection and sustainable development.
Wang Peng, Deputy Secretary-General of China Rural Development Foundation
According to Wang Peng, deputy secretary-general of the China Rural Development Foundation, from 2014 to 2020, the "Sustainability, Mashang GO" project mainly focused on environmental protection projects in urban communities, and after 2021, combined with social development needs and the national rural revitalization strategy, the project focused on rural environmental protection issues, and supported creative solutions to be incubated in rural areas, encouraging young people to put forward creative solutions around environmental protection issues such as the classification and reuse of rural waste.
The predecessor of the "2023-2024 Public Welfare Future • Mars Wrigley Sustainable Mars GO Project" is "Waste Throwing into Fun". In 2021, the "Waste Fun" project evolved into the theme of "Sustainable Packaging", paying more attention to sustainable design at the packaging level, by convening young college students who are creative, passionate about environmental protection, and dare to practice, using sustainable thinking and innovation awareness, planning packaging solutions and participating in public welfare practices.
Since 2022, the project has begun to pay attention to the problems of product packaging waste in rural scenarios and the lack of education on responsible garbage disposal behaviors, explore the environmental problems caused by packaging waste in rural communities and villages, propose creative solutions, and explore the feasibility of the solutions, evaluate the effects of the solutions, and promote the sustainable transformation of packaging and plastics in the field of rural life and production in the context of rural revitalization.
Talking about the upgrading and expansion of the project, the person in charge of the project told reporters that it is mainly reflected in three aspects:
First of all, the feasibility of implementation should be enhanced with the help of local environmental protection organizations. This year, the project plans to become "peer partners" with five local environmental protection organizations in Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, Guangzhou, Wuhan and surrounding areas to provide support for college students' rural needs research, implementation and related counseling. The local organization will raise the environmental problems caused by the local village to be solved in the rural community and the packaging waste within the village area, and carry out online knowledge explanation for the participating students. The participating students designed a plan around the pain points of the rural environment, so as to enhance the possibility of landing the project after the competition.
Secondly, the four directions of rural environmental protection should be clearly divided. 2023-2024 Public Welfare Future · Focusing on the theme of "Sustainable Packaging in Rural Scenarios", the "Sustainability, MASHANG GO" project enables college students to participate in rural environmental protection in a more targeted manner through specific classification in four directions: technological innovation, packaging design innovation, classification and recycling, and publicity and education.
Finally, the "Rural Environmental Protection Continuation Fund" is set up to focus on long-term local impacts. In the first half of this year, the project provided half a year's practical fund for outstanding student teams, and arranged for students from Chinese Renmin University, Minzu University of China, and Central University of Finance and Economics to carry out social practice in Hugezhuang Village, Xiongxian County, Xiong'an New Area, Hebei Province, and put their rural environmental protection workshops and new cup material designs into the village. The project will also officially set up the "Rural Environmental Protection Continuation Fund" to provide 30,000 yuan for two teams that are close to the needs of rural environmental protection and have high feasibility and innovation. With the support of the Companion Program, college students will carry out a six-month implementation practice in cooperative villages, hoping that through this funding, they will ignite the enthusiasm for environmental protection and sustainable development in rural areas and promote the process of rural environmental protection and sustainable development.
"Next, we will organize a series of activities to stimulate young people's environmental awareness, enhance their environmental skills and leadership, and enable them to become an active force in promoting environmental protection and sustainable development in rural areas. Wang Peng said.
Youth power helps rural ecological revitalization
Student representatives conducted field research on rural sustainability
On the second day of the launching ceremony, representatives of environmental protection organizations and university students went to Xiayuan Village and Xinzhuang Village in Xingshou Town, Beijing, to learn about the source reduction and classification and recycling of packaging waste, and to learn the advanced experience of rural sustainability through conversations with villagers.
Wang Xiaoli, a fourth-year finance student at the School of Finance and Finance of Chinese University, and Yuan Zihua, a second-year art student at Huizhou University, are active participants in the project. At the launching ceremony, the sharing of the guests also benefited Wang Xiaoli and Yuan Zihua a lot, which gave them a deeper understanding of ecological environmental protection, paid more attention to environmental protection in product design, and also provided a new direction for learning and life. They said that as young college students, they should have a sense of responsibility and mission, and should actively participate in social practice and make more contributions to society.
The "Sustainability, MA GO" project is characterized by the encouragement of innovation and practice. Wang Xiaoli said that what attracted her to the project was its innovation, and compared with the school's volunteer activities, the project encouraged them to use their own innovations to popularize environmental knowledge, which is a new experience. Yuan Zihua believes that this project is a good opportunity for students to learn and grow in practice, "not just academic learning".
In terms of planning, Wang Xiaoli and Yuan Zihua also have their own ideas. Wang Xiaoli plans to attract more students to participate in the exhibition and promote environmental protection knowledge. Yuan Zihua hopes to provide a platform for more students to participate, so that they can better develop their creative points.
In Yuan Zihua's view, the development of the "Sustainability, MA GO" project can stimulate students' enthusiasm for environmental protection, thereby influencing their future career choices, so that more people can choose environmentally related careers.
Wang Xiaoli believes that in the process of promoting rural ecological revitalization, the strength of young college students will play a key role. In her hometown of Gansu, there have been generations of people who have planted trees in the desert to control desertification, but in recent years, as more and more young people have gone out to work, the cause has faced the dilemma of brain drain. She hopes that more young people will participate in the revitalization of rural ecology and inject new vitality and creativity into rural development.
The road to rural environmental protection: challenges and opportunities coexist
When asked about the biggest challenge in the process of participating in the process of rural ecological revitalization, Yuan Zihua told reporters that through the survey, it was found that in the process of urbanization, a large number of rural people have migrated, leaving behind the elderly and children, which makes the resources in rural areas more scarce and the task of environmental protection more arduous. "In order to solve this problem, we, as young people, should actively participate in rural environmental protection work. ”
Students discuss environmental issues in rural areas
Through this rural survey, Yuan Zihua has a deeper feeling of rural environmental protection issues. "Through the research, I deeply felt the severity of rural environmental protection problems. The lack of technology, experience and resources in rural areas makes the task of environmental protection more arduous, and we should strengthen the tilt of talents and resources towards rural areas. Yuan Zihua said.
During the visit and research, Wang Xiaoli also saw good cases in environmental protection. "Taking Xiayuan Village in Changping District as an example, they have a better awareness and methods for garbage disposal. There are sorting garbage cans at the door of every house, and the cleaning aunt is responsible for recycling garbage, transferring it to the garbage sorting station, and resorting the garbage. In addition, there are facilities such as a cart for composting food waste and a green box for collecting used clothes. These measures have effectively improved the environmental health situation in the villages, and have also provided lessons for other villages. ”
Build a platform to connect rural areas with young students
After ten years of exploration and practice, the project has produced more far-reaching value and significance. In Wang Peng's view, the project first established the influence and appeal of young people in colleges and universities, not only focusing on rural environmental protection, but also opening a window for promoting the revitalization of rural talents and industries, cultivating a group of reserve troops for green and low-carbon development, guiding all sectors of society to pay attention to environmental sustainability issues, and forming a green and low-carbon production and lifestyle. Secondly, the project explored and initially formed a platform for youth to participate in environmental advocacy, gathered experts in the field of sustainability, and provided professional guidance for students and their solutions. This kind of cross-field cooperation and exploration has brought new ideas and solutions for rural environmental protection and sustainable development.
The third-party survey and evaluation found that the project has achieved remarkable results in improving the cognition, behavior and ability of college students. First of all, their understanding of the current status of packaging sustainability has been enhanced, and more than eighty percent of college students in the project are more concerned about the topic of packaging sustainability. Second, their behaviour in terms of packaging sustainability has improved, and university students who directly benefit from the project often recycle packaging resources. Finally, their comprehensive literacy and ability have also been improved, including the ability of literature research or field research, execution ability, program planning and writing ability, innovation ability, communication ability and teamwork ability.
Student representatives analyze the results of the rural survey
In addition, the project has had a positive impact on the awareness and action of residents in the surrounding communities about sustainable packaging. The evaluation results show that the environmental protection plan implemented by the outstanding participating college students has achieved significant results in making more villagers accept the concept of sustainable packaging, promoting the recycling of recyclable packaging, and guiding villagers to use more scientific and environmentally friendly technologies or equipment to deal with rural waste.
"College students are the future of society, and they will also be indispensable participants and builders of rural revitalization and sustainable rural development. As a platform to connect rural areas with young students, we will give full play to the creativity and passion of the younger generation, cultivate and support innovative projects, and help young college students contribute to rural revitalization." We will jointly build the project into a practical position for young people to participate in rural revitalization, and promote rural environmental protection and improve the ecological environment. Wang Peng concluded.
Xi Qing, Vice President of Corporate Affairs of Mars Wrigley China, said that Mars believes that "the future begins now", and hopes to leverage the enthusiasm and innovative thinking of young people to brainstorm and arouse public awareness of environmental protection, so that more organizations and partners can join in practical actions to build a sustainable and better tomorrow.