April 22nd, 2020 is the fiftieth anniversary of World Earth Day. In order to enhance students’ awareness of protecting the environment and labor loving, members of the Communist Youth League of China in University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) held an activity with the theme of Environmental Protection Starts With Me.
It is our duty to protect our own home, Earth. Several proposals have been made to encourage students to take actions: pick up litter and put it into the trash bin to build a better environment; save every drop of water, every kilowatt hour and every grain of rice to be thrifty; use products made of renewable materials instead of disposable products; use environment-friendly battery and place waste batteries in recycling bins to prevent mercury and chromium pollution; use detergent with cautious to reduce water pollution; actively participate in afforestation to protect plants; promote the act of waste classification and reduce white pollution; ride bicycles as much as possible during short trips, etc.. The members of the Communist Youth League of China actively responded to the proposals and took actions accordingly.
Activities held on World Earth Day
Now that we are all part of the global village and share a common future, it has become more and more important to protect our environment. For a long time, the concept of environmental protection has been integrated into every aspect of USTC students’ life, and many projects are formed to inherit and carry forward the tradition of devoting to environmental protection and labor loving. Fangcao Young Volunteers Association of USTC has carried out Clear Your Plate campaign against wasting food each year while also helped recycle headphones used in the College English Tests to advocate recycling behavior. Energy conservation and emission reduction competition was held every year to enhance students' awareness of energy saving and environmental protection, scientific and technological innovation as well as team spirit.
Photos of activities held by Students Associations
Students associations take actions in environmental protection according to their interests and majors. In addition to daily training, the Association of Scientific Exploration organizes large-scale scientific investigation and exploration activities during each summer vacation: they conducted an in-depth investigation on the degradation of the salt lake on the plateau, the protection of birds in the lake area, the degradation of grassland and the living conditions of herdsmen in Chifeng, Inner Mongolia; in Hainan Province, they conducted research on the distribution of marine microplastics; they went to Xinan river, which is located in Anhui province, to investigate on the quality of water; they also conducted research on the botany, ecology, geology and humanities of Guniujiang National Nature Reserve. For more than 20 years, the Association of Scientific Exploration has reported their investigations and hold photo exhibitions, meetings on the campus to promote environmental protection.
Natural Preservation Association has long carried out water quality monitoring, wild birds observation and other activities in Chao Lake, and published the first campus bird watching manual in North China. In order to promote environmental protection in an interesting way, Xuanyin Association produced a rap video with the theme of waste classification at the initial stage of waste classification.
Li Shouchen, provisional League branch secretary in USTC, said that we should follow the instruction of Xi Jinping, our general secretary, to value labor as the most honorable thing. He also said we should devote ourselves to environmental protection and labor loving through daily practice, and strive to grow into talents who are well-developed morally, intellectually and physically.
(Written by Mairehaba, edited by LU Hongyu, USTC News Center. Material from USTC Youth League Committee, Fangcao Young Volunteers Association, provisional Youth League branch, Management Committee of Students Associations, and Students Associations)
