World Environment Day: Dinghai Ancient City in Zhoushan embraces clean energy

A refreshing touch of green has recently appeared in Dinghai Ancient City of Zhoushan, Zhejiang province, as the "Sail Toward Green, Light Up the Blue" themed event — hosted by State Grid Zhoushan Power Supply Company — kicked off, drawing crowds of local residents to participate.

Fun and games: Knowledge slips in quietly

Despite the scorching sun, enthusiasm on-site never waned. The liveliest spot was the "Sorting Treasure Hunt" game at the Green Power Station. Participants used fishing rods to "catch" cards scattered across the "island", earning small prizes for successful catches. This playful approach attracted many families. Children lined up eagerly, passing fishing rods from one small hand to another, while cards on the "island" were continuously reeled in — along with ocean conservation knowledge, which quietly settled into people's minds.

The "Energy Flip-Flip" zone was equally packed with visitors. Twelve migratory bird cards were crafted into a double-sided flip game. When residents flipped over a card bearing a bird's name, they discovered introductions to rare species such as the Chinese crested tern and the Chinese egret. Many were drawn to the card of the "mythical bird" — the Chinese crested tern. Some parents even read the card descriptions aloud to their children on the spot. Resident Ms. Zhu told reporters that it was her first time learning Zhoushan is home to so many rare bird species. "Flipping cards is much more memorable than typical science outreach. Today I learned about five or six species I'd never heard of before," she said. A small ornithology lesson was quietly completed with each flip and each reading.

The silent guardians behind the "mythical bird"

The secret behind why migratory birds rest easy in Zhoushan lies just nearby, at the "State Grid Green Ark Program Encyclopedia". On-site staff explained that State Grid's "State Grid Green Ark Program" public welfare project was launched in Zhoushan in 2023, dedicated to using clean electricity to protect rare species habitats. After three years of relentless effort, an off-grid microgrid combining solar, diesel, and storage has been built on the islands. A 47.7-kilowatt photovoltaic array and 200-kilowatt-hour battery storage now serve as a "giant power bank", delivering clean energy 24/7 to monitoring equipment and research bases. It is precisely because of this that more and more Chinese crested terns have come to spend their vacation on the islands — a world-first precedent was even set when two islands simultaneously succeeded in breeding chicks.

Many visitors found the project fascinating. Ru Zhenfeng, a freshman studying at a university in Zhoushan, was drawn in by the lively atmosphere. Wandering through the interactive zones and listening along, he gained a completely new understanding of environmental protection. "Before, I only knew to turn off lights and take the bus more often. Today I realized that clean energy is what fundamentally preserves a home for wildlife," Ru said. He plans to share the "State Grid Green Ark Program" with people around him when he returns, so they can all help guard this patch of blue.

Today marks the 55th World Environment Day. While the world ponders how humanity and nature can coexist better, this event on the shores of East China Sea in Zhoushan offers a unique green answer. A single card flip can help a child remember a rare species they've never heard of; one kilowatt-hour of clean electricity can silently guard a critically endangered bird. Environmental stewardship has never been something distant or unattainable — it hides in the cards lifted by fishing rods, and in the migratory bird names turned over by fingertips.

As the event wound down amid laughter and joy, the story of State Grid's "State Grid Green Ark Program" continues in the crashing waves of Zhoushan's Wuzhi Islands. Sail toward green, light up the blue — in this city embraced by the sea, kilowatt after kilowatt of clean green electricity is crossing the islands, awakening more people's reverence for nature.