Date: Mar 5th 2014 3:22p.m.

Contributed by:
chelseastone

Roots & Shoots

 

 

Planting trees is Roots & Shoots’ flagship program, but there are plenty of ways to get involved, many of which don’t even require getting your hands dirty. Visit their website to donate a single tree, or even — with the help of your classmates or colleagues — an entire forest.

 

While you’re there, see how many kilograms of CO2 are eaten per tree (250) as well as how many hectares of desert have been turned back since this program began (912, at time of writing). Other Roots & Shoots programs train volunteer mentors to deliver environmental education in schools around Shanghai and build organic gardens in local elementary schools to introduce children to the idea of sustainable and organic farming.

 

 

Rotary Club of Shanghai

 

 

 

 

This charity was set up so business professionals could give something back to society by using their skill set. The Rotary Club has an environmental section of their charity as well helping deal with poverty and vulnerable children. The group hosts weekly dinner meetings at the Hilton in Jing’an. For inquiries, please contact club secretary Terri Lau.

 

 

Friends of the Earth

 

 

 

If you want to adjust your day to day life in order to help the environment, it’s worth signing up to Friends of the Earth’s “Tip of the Day”. While it’s a UK-based charity, the tips are universal — for example, you’ll learn to make your fridge more energy efficient.

 

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Do you know of any other green volunteering groups in Shanghai? Let us know in the comments below. And don’t miss our full feature on China’s Environmental Problem Solvers.