The world is not left to us by our parents, it is lent to us by our children.
——African proverb
The duty of protecting the environment falls on everyone’s shoulders. At Wellington College Hangzhou, we don’t just talk the talk, we also walk the walk. Near the end of May, a donation ceremony towards Million Tree Project with Shanghai Roots & Shoots was held successfully at our campus. The ceremony was attended by Mr Brown, Head of Junior High and Senior School, Ms Liu Xian, Director of Million Tree Project from Shanghai Roots and Shoots along with pupils from Junior High Environmental Charity Committee (ECC) and teachers. Sam from Grade 9 hosted the ceremony and together they celebrated the great achievement of the ECC pupils. During the ceremony, Mr Brown proudly donated 25,000rmb on behalf of Wellington College Hangzhou to Shanghai Roots & Shoots. This means that this summer, the first patch of 1,000 trees funded by school will be planted in the desert of Inner Mongolia.
What is ECC and what is its aspiration?
The Environmental Charity Committee of Junior High at Wellington College Hangzhou was founded in 2011. It is a pupil-led committee with members from grades 7 to 10 in Junior High. The committee advocates and encourages a green lifestyle in our Wellington College Hangzhou community, a low-carbon and environmentally friendly lifestyle that requires minimal earth resources. Protecting the environment is the responsibility and mission of everyone for the beautiful planet we live on together, for the preservation of clean water and blue skies in the years to come. In the last two years, the committee has grown from four to twelve members.
What did ECC do to raise sufficient funds?
Over the past two years, every pupil in ECC had worked incredibly hard to organise various events both inside and outside of school to raise money for the Million Tree Project. With this goal in mind, ECC opened a flea market for charity sales, organised activities for the Earth Day event, set up a stall at the Summer Carnival, and held a charity sale outside the school during Christmas to raise funds for the mission to plant a Hiba forest in the areas with severe desertification in the Horqin District, Inner Mongolia, China.
I will always remember that when I was a Grade 8 pupil, we held our first large event, i.e. the flea market for charity sales. There were only four of us back then in the committee, but we received continuous support from many teachers and assistance from our schoolmates. I felt the great strength of teamwork at that time.
This initiative is not just about planting trees, but also about raising environmental awareness and encouraging the public to take responsibility. With passion and commitment to make a difference, everyone can contribute to a better world and a greener planet. This is a big mission, a mission for the shared future of humanity.
At Wellington College Hangzhou, we encourage and empower every pupil to thrive in every way they can. I am so very proud of every single pupil in ECC. These pupils have learnt so much from each other, they have overcome so many obstacles and they have grown stronger not only as an individual but also as a team in every way- responsible, courageous, kind and loving.
In a world where changes emerge rapidly, our pupils never ceased their pursuit of beauty and greatness. Planting trees is the most accessible approach to echo the theme of 2023 Earth Day – Invest in our planet, so our pupils found their way to contribute as well. They raised funds independently and allowed the great love from our campus to be grown in the desert, demonstrating the Wellington values of responsibility, integrity, kindness, respect and courage. At Wellington College Hangzhou, we uphold a proud tradition and educate for the future. With dedication, faith and empathy, we think of the future and work to make it brighter. We look forward to seeing more accomplishment from our pupils in the future, as they contribute to the progress and development of our society.
