Shanghai - Home To Green Initiatives

Green Drinks China, a non-profit organisation that organises monthly forums aims to make real life connections in order to pursue green principles, has been in Shanghai since 2009 and has just recently launched its new brand, Green Initiatives. Green Drinks China began as a monthly chapter of the global Green Drinks organisation, which has chapters in over 600 cities around the world. Shanghai is undoubtedly one of the most booming cities of the 21st century, however, inevitably, over-production and excessive construction affects the city and its many inhabitants; Shanghai is China’s most populated city proportionally to its size after all. Many inhabitants believe that it’s time to turn it into a healthier, greener city! 

Green Initiatives has decided that it is time to not just talk, but also to start doing. Rather than just having a drink and talking about sustainability, as Green Drinks China did, they intend to work with businesses, local communities, the media and other stakeholders to implement scalable projects. The organisation is currently raising funds to oversee positive, sustainable and ground breaking environmental projects in the local community. It has been created to act as a platform for the community to take ownership of problems and individually work towards making changes. Everyone can play a part. It is as easy as unplugging devices you regularly use, and cooking at home sometimes instead of dining out all the time! 

Green Initiatives is also always looking for new ideas to implement in the community as community projects. Currently, Green Initiatives is in the process of developing several projects: firstly, getting home owners to insulate their windows using DIY installation kits to reduce energy requirements, save on energy bills as well as increase comfort, and secondly, getting the community to be aware of the growing problems of e-waste, its implications, and actually going about recycling electronic waste in an ethical manner by collaborating with a company that currently has the capacity and the technology to do so.

Green Initiatives will also shortly be launching a Student Outreach Programme to develop a set of sustainability-focusedworkshops, and curriculum, to involve local children in green living.

Since launching Green Initiatives, the awareness events, such as the monthly forums and film screenings, will still be branded under Green Drinks China. However, the awareness events, the community projects and the student outreach program will all fall under the umbrella of the new organisation i.e. Green Initiatives. The organisation will also have its new website ready in the first weeks of the New Year and they promise that it will be more resourceful and useful than the former.

If you see a relevant problem in your community that you think is harmful for the environment but can be fixed, or if you're a business owner wanting to be more socially and environmentally responsible, you can send your proposals to Green Initiatives who will then make every effort to work with you or your organisation, and try to make it happen in a way that is beneficial to all stakeholders.

Join Green Initiatives in this journey of theirs. Play your part as a community member or visit www.greendrinks.cn to submit your project idea.