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Partner Profile: Blue Dalian
Name: Blue Dalian
Director: Chen Shuling
Region: Liaoning Province, Dalian City
Website: www.bluedalian.org
Mission: Blue Dalian works to increase public awareness and participation in environmental protection by cooperating with student environmental groups, local governments, and members of the community.
Programs/Strategies: Established in 2007, Blue Dalian employs a range a strategies to increase residents' environmental awareness by fostering student and community involvement in its initiatives. Blue Dalian began conducting an in-depth investigation on the Biliu River's pollution sources in 2010 and teams up with university environmental groups to organize forums and disseminate related information to the public though various forms of media. Student movements are the essence of Blue Dalian's work, and they encourage youth engagement in water protection projects though the College Environmental Alliance. Establishing relations with schools, community members and local governments has been critical to Blue Dalian's success.
Current Projects: The Biliu River supplies about 90% of Dalian's domestic water use and is currently threatened by gold mining and garbage dumping. In the fall of 2010, Blue Dalian helped residents along the Biliu River put together a petition calling for the government to publicly address pollution caused by local gold mining. They submitted it to Liaoning Province's Representatives to the People's Congress and the Ministry of Environmental Protection. In 2011, with a team of volunteers, Blue Dalian is conducting surveys and investigations to better understand the potential harms to villagers in the vicinity of the gold mines. To help alleviate garbage disposal problems in the area, Blue Dalian is promoting "waste composting" among residents, as well as conducting environmental workshops and other activities, to increase residents' awareness of solid waste pollution impacts. Blue Dalian is also raising awareness of impacts to spotted seal habitats by the new trans-provincial freeway planned along China's coastline. Throughout these projects, they are also strengthening the environmental alliances among college student groups.
Accomplishments: One of Blue Dalian's most successful events occurred in March of 2011, when over 130 school children and their families participated in drawing an image of "their ideal river" on reusable cotton bags. This event earned Blue Dalian dozens of local and national media hits in the subsequent months. In April and May, Blue Dalian also organized three teach-ins on environmental protection of the Biliu River, in which 400 middle school students participated.
Winter Travels with Blue Dalian
