China aroused nationwide environmental awareness through education, said the United Nations' Environmental Program Executive Director Klaus Toepfer in Beijing Wednesday.

He made the remark on the closing ceremony of the 20th Anniversary celebration of UNEP Sasakawa Environmental Prize, one of the most prestigious environmental prizes of the world.
 
"The fundamental solution of China's environmental problems is to change current production and consumption pattern. I'm glad to see that most of the younger generation have realized what price they will pay for the current growth pattern. It is the most remarkable result of the country's environmental efforts," said Toepfer.

"Our task is not only to solve current pollution, but also to design sustainable growth pattern to prevent future one. The core of the new pattern is people who have the vision of sustainable development," said Xie Zhenhua, head of the State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA).

Heading the country's environmental regulatory body for 11 years, Xie greatly values environmental education. Awarded the Sasakawa Prizein 2003, he donated his share of the prize money, 100,000 US dollars, to build four "green" elementary schools in poor and environmentally vulnerable western provinces.

SEPA has set up more than 16,000 green schools since 2000, whose infrastructure, curriculum, teaching and management all conform to European environmental standards. For the country's 36.7 million teenagers, the schools provide a more convincing argument for environmentalism than a textbook ever could.

SEPA also launched a campaign to build "green communities" throughout the country in 2004. In these cities, citizens will recycle and conserve water and electricity.

Besides, Xie's administration provide seed funds to help college students to build environmental groups. It also trains 1,000 college students every year of running environmental NGOs.

"We hope to set up a new code of behavior for the younger generation, who will be the society's mainstay in 20 years," Xie said.

(Xinhua News Agency September 30, 2004)