About Us
GECKO – An innovative and different approach to environmental awareness in China
What is GECKO and why is it so important?
With the largest population in the world and an astounding rate of industrial and economic growth, the health of the environment in China is becoming an increasingly grave concern. However, due to the education level and economic status of many of the students we reach out to, environmental awareness has not yet been integrated into their mainstream values. The government has created a green schools program but there are not yet sufficient resources to reach every school. Greennovate Environmental Challenge for Kids Outreach (GECKO) was established in 2008 to offer free, innovative educational programs to smaller city schools in China, inspiring children to become environmental ambassadors to their communities and encourage their friends, family, and future employers to develop a more sustainable lifestyle.
How does GECKO work?
Our GECKO program is constantly evolving to match the specific needs of the students. We recognize the current economic status of China’s smaller cities and customize our program to everyday situations. The program currently consists of three modules – Easter Island, our environmental footprint, and clean energy and green careers. Each module is supported by individual projects in which participants find ways in their own homes and schools to make small but consistent environmental improvements. The participants learn about the environment through practical cases combined with simple tools that they can easily relate to in their everyday lives. Click here for the full GECKO Program Overview.
Is it really working?
Yes, it is. Our program has been a huge success: since our founding, we have reached out to 5,300 students in 27 schools across 10 provinces in China, including Guangzhou, Guangxi, and Qinghai. A high school student from Renhuai City: “Now on our campus there is such little trash and sometimes you can see teachers, leaders or students bend to pick up the rubbish on the road and throw it away into the trash cans. Seeing this, I feel so happy. Because of you, more people learned about the environment and more people have joined in environmental protection.”
Where is GECKO going?
GECKO goes beyond traditional educational models and challenges young people to carry on the message of environmental responsibility not only to other generations at home, but also to future employers. GECKO contributes towards participants’ future career choices by including elements of the local community and industry that support environmental progress. The integrated approach of our program creates further networking opportunities between local government, industry, academia and media toward improving current conditions.
In November 2009, we launched our Greennovate Train the Trainer program, in which we will enlist and train university student volunteers to deliver our GECKO program to Chinese high schools themselves. To learn more about this exciting new program, click here.
