Groups of volunteers growing across country

Timeline

1978 The Chinese Society for Environmental Sciences is established. It is the first national academic institute for pollution control research in China.

1993 The Friends of Nature is officially registered. It is reported to be the oldest environmental nongovernmental organization in the country. The mission of the organization is to build a platform for the public to participate in environmental protection, as well as to raise awareness about the environment and transform that awareness into conscious action.

April, 1993 The China Environmental Protection Foundation is created, becoming the first Chinese foundation dedicated to environmental protection.

July, 2005 The Shenzhen Blue Ocean Conservation Association is approved in Shenzhen, Guangdong province. It claims to be the first nonprofit organization focused on marine environmental protection in China.

2018 Five central government bodies, including the Ministry of Ecology and Environment and the Central Commission for Guiding Ethical and Cultural Progress, initiate a campaign to select 100 national models for environmental protection volunteers a year across the country, starting in 2019. The names of the models are announced every year during the celebration of National Environment Day on June 5.

February, 2021 The Ministry of Ecology and Environment, together with six other governmental bodies, including the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, jointly publish an action plan to promote the awareness of the concept of ecological civilization among the public. The plan includes 10 special campaigns, with one of them aiming to promote the development of voluntary environmental services.

June, 2021 The Ministry of Ecology and Environment and the Central Commission for Guiding Ethical and Cultural Progress jointly issue a guideline on boosting the development of voluntary environmental services. The document vows a series of preferential policies to encourage the development of voluntary environmental service organizations.