NGO 1: Green Beagle Environment Institute 达尔问环境研究所
What person, group or organization is being profiled, and why are they of interest to this project?
Green Beagle Environmental Institute is a NGO registered in Beijing, China. It focuses environment impact monitoring, environmental investigations and promotion of public environmental knowledge. It has independent data collection site and provides reliable environmental data to public, which increase public awareness of current environmental status and possible influence on public health.
What have they done – through research, or a public health program or education forum, for example-- that illustrates how they have worked to improve air pollution governance and environmental public health?
They have professional water, air, and magnetic field monitoring equipments. They have case study, research and provide professional service to local community in rural area where environmental governance is weak. Aug. 6th 2011, Green Beagle took part in the negotiation between a rural small town and local heavy pollution Polyacrylamide factory. Local community had the complaint about repulsive smell and polluted water for almost ten years. Also the villagers think pollution of the factory caused cancer rate in village increase dramatically. Green beagle observed that the factory secretly vent repulsive gas and dumped polluted water directly into the river. With clear evidence, the factory agreed to stop vent the gas and open to inspection by third-party detection organization to prove factory is no longer endangering local health.
What timeline of events illustrates how this way of addressing environmental public health has developed?
Nov.2009 - Feb.2010 Green Beagle organized investigation on impact of Hebei Province plastic recycling industry on environmental health. (http://www.greenchina.tv/news-1886.xhtml)
Mar.2013 - Green Beagle revisited trash-dumping pit near Miyun water reservoir and contacted local government for removal of the trash.
Feb.2014 - Green Beagle investigated and reported to local government in Shunyi about garbage burning problem. The government accepted the garbage disposal plan suggested by Green Beagle and promised to prevent further garbage burning.
Does this person, group or organization claim to have a new or unique way of addressing environmental public health? Does this approach point to or suggest problems with other approaches?
No, this group doesn’t claim to have a unique way of addressing environmental health. But I noticed that besides providing environmental monitoring data and promote public awareness, Green Beagle investigate some environmental issues that may harm public health. Moreover, it reveals the uncovered truth to public and accelerates solving of the issue by actively contacting government.
What data have they collected or used to support their approach to environmental public health? What visualizations of this data have been created?
They collect data of PM 2.5, magnetic field strength, noise, and water quality. It created chart of volunteer personal PM 2.5 data in one day to promote the idea that smoking in public harms people's health. Addressing the same issue, it developed an app that shows all restaurants in Beijing that don’t allow smoking.
What research has the organization produce or draw on on in their initiatives – in the last year, and over the last decade?
Research report on air pollution by smoking of cigarette in selected restaurant of Beijing; Life style affects carbon emission case study; Influence of different heating scheme to indoor air condition report;
What kinds of technology and infrastructure do they rely on in the production of environmental health care?
They rely on professional environmental data measuring device to collect data. They recruit volunteers to help environmental health professional to perform investigations and write reports.
What social ecology does this person, group or organization work within, and how did it shaped their way of conceiving and engaging asthma?
This organization works within condensed populated city environment. Since urban population usually congregates indoors and people tend to smoke in the restaurant, the organization centers its investigation on air quality in restaurant and writes report on harms of second-hand smoke.
What events or data seem to have motivated their ways of thinking about and engaging environmental health?
The heavy polluted urban air situation, few reliable source of monitor data available seem to motivated the way the group engaging environmental health. Also due to irresponsibility of government institute in Beijing rural area, this organization was pushed to put more effort in investigating and following up severe environmental issue in rural area.
What funding enables their work and possibly shapes their way of thinking about environmental health?
This organization doesn’t show any funding information on Internet but it’s in corporation with other NGOs such as Friends of Nature. It may also receive funding from Ministry of Environmental Protection. It uses volunteers as main force and scholars in related field are invited to give guidance. This infrastructure results in most reports and cased studies have limited scope but are closely related people’s daily life.
What in the history of this person, group or organization likely shaped the way they conceived or and engage environmental health?
Green Beagle Environmental Institute had the main focus on pursuing knowledge and understanding of the nature and helping people to make a difference, according to its founder. So it developed two branches: one is environmental monitoring that engages public with current environmental status and effect on human health; the other is environmental investigation that pushes relevant stakeholders to solve the environmental problems.
What does this person, group or organization seem to find methodologically challenging or concerning in dealing with environmental health?
One challenge I noticed is that when it works on environmental accident, it needs to revisit the site multiple times to ensure local government have resolved the issue.
What kinds of governance are (implicitly or explicitly) called for in the way they think about environmental health?
It may need more responsive governance in rural area to resolve the incident more effectively. Also due to most of their work are concerning about selected district or specific places in Beijing, it may need more publicity in those areas.
How can The Asthma Files enable or supplement this way of thinking about environmental health, and the work of this person, group or organization?
For example, Green Beagle collected PM 2.5 data in restaurant to show the harm to health of second hand smoke. Asthma File can support this by correlating asthma rate increase with second hand smoke intake.
NGO 2: The Institute for Environment and Development 道和环境与发展研究所
What person, group or organization is being profiled, and why are they of interest to this project?
Founded in 1994, The Institute for Environment and Development (IED) is one of the oldest NGOs in China. It promotes education in sustainable development in China and provides comprehensive solution to government and the public through extensive researches and field tests.
What have they done – through research, or a public health program or education forum, for example-- that illustrates how they have worked to improve air pollution governance and environmental public health?
For example, in 2010, it launches Eco-school Model Program. The program aims to refine a school’s energy systems, material recycling and waste management systems. Moreover, it promotes a school culture of environmental awareness by offering lecture and extracurricular activities.
What timeline of events illustrates how this way of addressing environmental public health has developed?
2003 - Youth Sustainability and Energy Education Program (YSEE) 2009 - Eco-community Program 2010 - Eco-school Model Program
Does this person, group or organization claim to have a new or unique way of addressing environmental public health? Does this approach point to or suggest problems with other approaches?
It has a program called New Ventures China Program that is one of the few business-supporting program targeted specifically at environmental small and medium enterprises (SMEs). The program provides the connection between the SMEs and the investors also holds symposium and create a platform SMEs to consult with international financial services.
What data have they collected or used to support their approach to environmental public health? What visualizations of this data have been created?
IDE collected graphs that show enterprises in environmental industry steadily increase over the past 10 years. The growth of environmental industry will continue because environmental protection laws continue to be revised and improved and become more rigorous. IDE believe that SMEs are crucial to environmental industry growth.
What research has the organization produce or draw on on in their initiatives – in the last year, and over the last decade?
May.2013 - A practitioner’s guide to impact investing in China’s green SMEs
Dec. 2013 - Eco-school Guidebook
Oct. 2014 - CHINA CROWDFUNDING REPORT-HOW TO LEVERAGE CROWDFUNDING TO SUPPORT CHINA'S SOCIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL SGBs
What kinds of technology and infrastructure do they rely on in the production of environmental health care?
IDE uses youth program like YSEE, Eco-school programs to promote environmental awareness. It also provides developmental guidance and funding to environmental SMEs.
What social ecology does this person, group or organization work within, and how did it shaped their way of conceiving and engaging asthma?
Government revives environmental protection laws and provides financial support for environmental companies. Complying the trend of policy, IDE specialized in giving support to SMEs in environmental industry, which may help to reduce asthma rate in large scope.
What events or data seem to have motivated their ways of thinking about and engaging environmental health?
The government policy plays an important role in their method to approach environmental problems. As the Environmental Protection Law in China improved over time, IDE increased its focus on practical solution on solving conflict between development and environmental protection not just simply promotes sustainable development as before.
What funding enables their work and possibly shapes their way of thinking about environmental health?
They receive funding from various international sources e.g. The Ford Foundation, Citi Bank and also from domestic sources for instance ministry of agriculture. International sources usually endorse programs that promote education in school and public awareness. Domestic sources usually endorse programs that foster environmental SMEs.
What in the history of this person, group or organization likely shaped the way they conceived or and engage environmental health?
Lead-China program was founded in 1994 just after establishment of IED, funded by Rockefeller Foundation. The program trained perspective leaders in various industries to have long-term vision and ability to resolve environmental and developmental problems. IED’s approach to engage in environmental health in a broad scale started from this program.
What does this person, group or organization seem to find methodologically challenging or concerning in dealing with environmental health?
The group is concerning with rate of environmental protection and restoration may be not enough to compensate for increasing climate change, depletion of resources.
What kinds of governance are (implicitly or explicitly) called for in the way they think about environmental health?
Supportive government policies on environmental protection industry are needed to provide financial and industrial resources for SMEs.
How can The Asthma Files enable or supplement this way of thinking about environmental health, and the work of this person, group or organization?
Asthma File provides insight to environmental policy establishment and difference governance. This gives IDE ideas to suggest to local government and improve environmental health in large scale.
What person, group or organization is being profiled, and why are they of interest to this project?
Green Beagle Environmental Institute is a NGO registered in Beijing, China. It focuses environment impact monitoring, environmental investigations and promotion of public environmental knowledge. It has independent data collection site and provides reliable environmental data to public, which increase public awareness of current environmental status and possible influence on public health.
What have they done – through research, or a public health program or education forum, for example-- that illustrates how they have worked to improve air pollution governance and environmental public health?
They have professional water, air, and magnetic field monitoring equipments. They have case study, research and provide professional service to local community in rural area where environmental governance is weak. Aug. 6th 2011, Green Beagle took part in the negotiation between a rural small town and local heavy pollution Polyacrylamide factory. Local community had the complaint about repulsive smell and polluted water for almost ten years. Also the villagers think pollution of the factory caused cancer rate in village increase dramatically. Green beagle observed that the factory secretly vent repulsive gas and dumped polluted water directly into the river. With clear evidence, the factory agreed to stop vent the gas and open to inspection by third-party detection organization to prove factory is no longer endangering local health.
http://www.bjep.org.cn/pages/Index/39-1107?rid=1870
What timeline of events illustrates how this way of addressing environmental public health has developed?
Nov.2009 - Feb.2010 Green Beagle organized investigation on impact of Hebei Province plastic recycling industry on environmental health. (http://www.greenchina.tv/news-1886.xhtml)
Mar.2013 - Green Beagle revisited trash-dumping pit near Miyun water reservoir and contacted local government for removal of the trash.
Feb.2014 - Green Beagle investigated and reported to local government in Shunyi about garbage burning problem. The government accepted the garbage disposal plan suggested by Green Beagle and promised to prevent further garbage burning.
Does this person, group or organization claim to have a new or unique way of addressing environmental public health? Does this approach point to or suggest problems with other approaches?
No, this group doesn’t claim to have a unique way of addressing environmental health. But I noticed that besides providing environmental monitoring data and promote public awareness, Green Beagle investigate some environmental issues that may harm public health. Moreover, it reveals the uncovered truth to public and accelerates solving of the issue by actively contacting government.
What data have they collected or used to support their approach to environmental public health? What visualizations of this data have been created?
They collect data of PM 2.5, magnetic field strength, noise, and water quality. It created chart of volunteer personal PM 2.5 data in one day to promote the idea that smoking in public harms people's health. Addressing the same issue, it developed an app that shows all restaurants in Beijing that don’t allow smoking.
What research has the organization produce or draw on on in their initiatives – in the last year, and over the last decade?
Research report on air pollution by smoking of cigarette in selected restaurant of Beijing; Life style affects carbon emission case study; Influence of different heating scheme to indoor air condition report;
What kinds of technology and infrastructure do they rely on in the production of environmental health care?
They rely on professional environmental data measuring device to collect data. They recruit volunteers to help environmental health professional to perform investigations and write reports.
What social ecology does this person, group or organization work within, and how did it shaped their way of conceiving and engaging asthma?
This organization works within condensed populated city environment. Since urban population usually congregates indoors and people tend to smoke in the restaurant, the organization centers its investigation on air quality in restaurant and writes report on harms of second-hand smoke.
What events or data seem to have motivated their ways of thinking about and engaging environmental health?
The heavy polluted urban air situation, few reliable source of monitor data available seem to motivated the way the group engaging environmental health. Also due to irresponsibility of government institute in Beijing rural area, this organization was pushed to put more effort in investigating and following up severe environmental issue in rural area.
What funding enables their work and possibly shapes their way of thinking about environmental health?
This organization doesn’t show any funding information on Internet but it’s in corporation with other NGOs such as Friends of Nature. It may also receive funding from Ministry of Environmental Protection. It uses volunteers as main force and scholars in related field are invited to give guidance. This infrastructure results in most reports and cased studies have limited scope but are closely related people’s daily life.
What in the history of this person, group or organization likely shaped the way they conceived or and engage environmental health?
Green Beagle Environmental Institute had the main focus on pursuing knowledge and understanding of the nature and helping people to make a difference, according to its founder. So it developed two branches: one is environmental monitoring that engages public with current environmental status and effect on human health; the other is environmental investigation that pushes relevant stakeholders to solve the environmental problems.
What does this person, group or organization seem to find methodologically challenging or concerning in dealing with environmental health?
One challenge I noticed is that when it works on environmental accident, it needs to revisit the site multiple times to ensure local government have resolved the issue.
What kinds of governance are (implicitly or explicitly) called for in the way they think about environmental health?
It may need more responsive governance in rural area to resolve the incident more effectively. Also due to most of their work are concerning about selected district or specific places in Beijing, it may need more publicity in those areas.
How can The Asthma Files enable or supplement this way of thinking about environmental health, and the work of this person, group or organization?
For example, Green Beagle collected PM 2.5 data in restaurant to show the harm to health of second hand smoke. Asthma File can support this by correlating asthma rate increase with second hand smoke intake.
NGO 2: The Institute for Environment and Development 道和环境与发展研究所
What person, group or organization is being profiled, and why are they of interest to this project?
Founded in 1994, The Institute for Environment and Development (IED) is one of the oldest NGOs in China. It promotes education in sustainable development in China and provides comprehensive solution to government and the public through extensive researches and field tests.
What have they done – through research, or a public health program or education forum, for example-- that illustrates how they have worked to improve air pollution governance and environmental public health?
For example, in 2010, it launches Eco-school Model Program. The program aims to refine a school’s energy systems, material recycling and waste management systems. Moreover, it promotes a school culture of environmental awareness by offering lecture and extracurricular activities.
What timeline of events illustrates how this way of addressing environmental public health has developed?
2003 - Youth Sustainability and Energy Education Program (YSEE)
2009 - Eco-community Program
2010 - Eco-school Model Program
Does this person, group or organization claim to have a new or unique way of addressing environmental public health? Does this approach point to or suggest problems with other approaches?
It has a program called New Ventures China Program that is one of the few business-supporting program targeted specifically at environmental small and medium enterprises (SMEs). The program provides the connection between the SMEs and the investors also holds symposium and create a platform SMEs to consult with international financial services.
What data have they collected or used to support their approach to environmental public health? What visualizations of this data have been created?
IDE collected graphs that show enterprises in environmental industry steadily increase over the past 10 years. The growth of environmental industry will continue because environmental protection laws continue to be revised and improved and become more rigorous. IDE believe that SMEs are crucial to environmental industry growth.
What research has the organization produce or draw on on in their initiatives – in the last year, and over the last decade?
May.2013 - A practitioner’s guide to impact investing in China’s green SMEs
Dec. 2013 - Eco-school Guidebook
Oct. 2014 - CHINA CROWDFUNDING REPORT-HOW TO LEVERAGE CROWDFUNDING TO SUPPORT CHINA'S SOCIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL SGBs
What kinds of technology and infrastructure do they rely on in the production of environmental health care?
IDE uses youth program like YSEE, Eco-school programs to promote environmental awareness. It also provides developmental guidance and funding to environmental SMEs.
What social ecology does this person, group or organization work within, and how did it shaped their way of conceiving and engaging asthma?
Government revives environmental protection laws and provides financial support for environmental companies. Complying the trend of policy, IDE specialized in giving support to SMEs in environmental industry, which may help to reduce asthma rate in large scope.
What events or data seem to have motivated their ways of thinking about and engaging environmental health?
The government policy plays an important role in their method to approach environmental problems. As the Environmental Protection Law in China improved over time, IDE increased its focus on practical solution on solving conflict between development and environmental protection not just simply promotes sustainable development as before.
What funding enables their work and possibly shapes their way of thinking about environmental health?
They receive funding from various international sources e.g. The Ford Foundation, Citi Bank and also from domestic sources for instance ministry of agriculture. International sources usually endorse programs that promote education in school and public awareness. Domestic sources usually endorse programs that foster environmental SMEs.
What in the history of this person, group or organization likely shaped the way they conceived or and engage environmental health?
Lead-China program was founded in 1994 just after establishment of IED, funded by Rockefeller Foundation. The program trained perspective leaders in various industries to have long-term vision and ability to resolve environmental and developmental problems. IED’s approach to engage in environmental health in a broad scale started from this program.
What does this person, group or organization seem to find methodologically challenging or concerning in dealing with environmental health?
The group is concerning with rate of environmental protection and restoration may be not enough to compensate for increasing climate change, depletion of resources.
What kinds of governance are (implicitly or explicitly) called for in the way they think about environmental health?
Supportive government policies on environmental protection industry are needed to provide financial and industrial resources for SMEs.
How can The Asthma Files enable or supplement this way of thinking about environmental health, and the work of this person, group or organization?
Asthma File provides insight to environmental policy establishment and difference governance. This gives IDE ideas to suggest to local government and improve environmental health in large scale.