The love of Yuan Rishe for the environment grew out of a story she heard as a child: Not having succeeded finding a way to recycle (回收利用) her used batteries (电池) in China, a German woman brought them back to Germany.

After learning that batteries could cause pollution, Yuan started saving the used ones from her toys in a bag. She believed that it was her mission (使命) to protect the environment. When she heard that a children’s group was recycling used batteries, she sent them there right away. To her surprise, the group sent her a thank-you note, which put her on the way to environmental protection.

In 1999, 6-year-old Yuan organized a paper-recycling activity. Her team put a box at the back of their classroom and used it to collect waste paper. The money they made by selling wastepaper was then used to buy saplings (小树苗) to plant. The activity also made Yuan the only school student to win a Ford Conservation and Environmental Grant in 2001.

In 2004, Yuan made a big plan: to plant 2,008 trees on wasteland together with other children before Beijing 2008 Olympic Games! However, many students threw cold water on it, instead of encouraging Yuan. Feeling upset for a short time, Yuan then turned to Wei Guiying, also an environmentalist, for help. Wei offered 0.7 hectares of land without any hesitation. How encouraged Yuan was! Besides, with the help of school students across the country, Yuan succeeded at last.

Now, Yuan, a primary school teacher, hopes to plant the seeds (种子) of environmental protection in her students. “It’s great to see them learning from every environmental protection activity,” she says.