Beijing Cultural Heritage Protection Centre (北京文化遗产保护中心, CHP) and That’s Beijing magazine have launched a network to enlist public participation in the protection of Beijing’s historical hutong (alleys) and courtyards whose architecture and community life are under pressure from breakneck urban development.

Over 70 environmental activists and journalists gathered in Beijing on October 11 to attend the launch of an online directory of Chinese environmental NGOs produced by China Development Brief with funding support from the Ford Foundation.

At a signing ceremony in Beijing today, the government of Norway—which, against the international trend, is continuing to expand its cooperation with China—pledged USD 1 million to support two environment sector projects jointly developed by the UN Development Programme and China’s State Environment Protection Agency (SEPA).

So says Jonathon Porritt, a veteran environmental campaigner who now serves as Chair of the UK’s Sustainable Development Commission, and who visited China in late September under the auspices of a UK-China Sustainable Development Dialogue. Here, he talks to Nick Young about some of the ideas in his recent book, Capitalism As If The World Matters, saying that although the earth is closer than ever to environmental meltdown, he remains an optimist. He believes the impending crisis will draw people together; that a few progressive corporations really are beginning to get the message and take actions that go well beyond “greenwashing,” and that China is not only critical to global sustainability but also, in some ways, way ahead of Western countries in taking action.

Chang Tianle (常天乐) reports on the growing role that religious leaders in Tibetan areas are playing, both in delivering social services and in protecting their environmental heritage.

In October the Ford Motor Company will, for the sixth year in succession, award grants to Chinese environmentalists and green NGOs in recognition of their ongoing contribution to sustainable development. This year, the car manufacturer is increasing the total prize money to CNY 1.7 million (USD 214,000) which is expected to be divided between fifteen organizations

Thirty two young Chinese reporters spent a week in September at an environmental journalism training workshop that was opened by Vice Director of the State Environment Protection Agency, Pan Yue (潘岳), and that features former Chief Environment Correspondent for CNN International, Gary Strieker, as a lead trainer.

Grassland protection in China should take a more integrated approach and synergise the resources of government, academic and NGO sectors, according to researchers and environmental NGOs.

In response to such needs, a Grassland Conservation Network was launched on September 3 in Beijing, with more than 30 people attending its first meeting. The Network, organised by Beijing Brooks Education Centre (天下溪教育咨询中心) and supported by the Ford Foundation, aims to enhance communication and information sharing among people involved in the area to improve their understanding and capacity.

A village-level association in the Tibet Autonomous Region is hoping to reach a wider audience for an annual journal of Tibetan language materials about environmental protection.

Six years ago, the 1,347 Tibetan residents of Tserangding, a cluster of 13 hamlets in Gonjo County, Chamdo prefecture, Tibet Autonomous Prefecture, established a community organisation called the Voluntary Environmental Protection Association of Kham Anchung Senggenamzong.

As Beijing’s city planners continue to re-model the capital ahead of the 2008 Olympics, a cultural heritage protection NGO has set out to preserve not just the city’s traditional courtyards and hutongs but also the work of architect, Xu Zhong who designed two Ministry of Commerce buildings completed in 1954 and now slated for demolition.