Author's Word

“Adults must not always meet and meeting, but should instead take action”. The appeal was made to the participants as well as peoples all over the world by three children, who were from three different countries at the opening of 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg , South Africa . Today, as the world people are promoting the core spirit brought about by the summit, we can be more aware of the tender voice of the children, which have strong inspiration for the world towards the sustainable 21 st century.

To adult and children, sustainable development seems to be a “BIG” issue.

In the past one year and a half, PSDAP has mobilized more than a dozen of participatory activities for public in terms of the concept of sustainable development and the world summit spirit. All of these actions involved the deep concerns of people from different walks of life, providing them with a useful platform in the forms of workshop, site visit, exhibitions and so on.

Students from 15 universities in Kunming gathered together and proposed “A sapling caring action plan” to 1.5 million students the province over in 1 July, and 26 September, 2002. They took action right away during last summer holidays.

“The local Environment Protection Departments should responsible for rubbishes such as cigarette ends, empty beer bottles, wasted batteries etc. disposed in the nature reserve ”. This was a criticism gave by a 10-year-old girl pupil during <A Pupils' Workshop>. The workshop was one of the activities under 2003 Winter Camp for Bird Watching in Lashihai Plateau's Wetland Nature Reserve in Lijiang, Yunnan Province dated 10 to 14 February 2003. Through activities such as bird watching, tree planting, family visit and some other one on one activity, 62 pupils, both from urban and rural, came to realize the importance of the environment protection. Notes and photos they took, and pictures they drew are vivid reflections of what they saw, did and thought in the articles they wrote after the close of winter camp.

In the eyes of children, some “BIG” issues, which adults take it for granted, may be considered by them as an “EXCUSE”, because children were taught always to be a child who, admits mistake bravely, and makes correction immediately.