By Vera Penêda

Green is the new energy stirring up the world: from politics to fashion, the economy to arts. Beijingers have the greenest opportunity to jump from concern to action as the third annual event from Greening the Beige (GtB) kicks off tomorrow, inaugurating a full week of eco-creative events set to turn our city Green.

"Our message for this year is Re-Energize Beijing!" Carissa Welton told the Global Times. Welton is the force behind Greening the Beige, a platform dedicated to connecting and strengthening Beijing's green community.

Beijingers from all over the world love GtB. Photo: courtesy of GtB.

Focusing on the city's use of energy and the creativity that fuels it, the eco-arts festival will showcase eco-art photography, theater, dance and music performances, plus a silent auction, put up by a green squad of artists and allies to revisit the use of energy from different perspectives.

The Greening the Beige festival is a week of environmental fun and a powerful inspira-tion to become a green ranger. Learn how here.

Jump on the Green Train

Sustainability, climate change and global warming are jargon discussed in green events held in town every week. GtB has been one of the most active groups to fuel this environmental movement. "We are a collective of Beijing's Green Culture Community," said Welton.

"Our ultimate goal is to further environmental awareness and education in Beijing through arts and culture," she stated, urging everybody to join. We welcome all types of Beijingers that are committed to improving Beijing's environment. Register as a member on www.greeningthebeige.org and let us know what you're interested in doing with us," Welton said, adding that the collective is always looking for interns, volunteers, and new staff.

In three years, Welton's contagious enthusiasm has brought more than 300 companies, NGOs and individuals on board of GtB. "It's wonderful to see the improvement of a grassroots movement such as GtB," said Frances Fremont-Smith, a consultant with the platform and former executive director of Future Generations China, a US founded group also engaged in environmental action and sustainability nationwide.

"GtB action is extremely important in bringing people together under one voice and raising awareness about the little things that people can easily adopt to improve the environment," she added. From a business perspective, such a platform allows companies and environmental groups to join forces, offers media attention and promotes cooperation with upper higher levels, Fremont- Smith said.

So far run independently from the Chinese government or other institutional parties, "The biggest challenge for GtB is operating on a purely volunteer basis," Welton said, adding that the platform is working to consolidate its partnerships in 2010.

Commenting on China's green issues one week ahead of the UN climate conference in Copenhagen, Welton can't pinpoint one priority out of so many green challenges but she's "positive and hopeful" both toward the Chinese government's action plans and the Copenhagen outcomes.

Born to be Green

'Greening' is a twisted form of the present continuous tense, but Carissa Welton's "wordsmith's eccentricity" is the perfect epithet to describe the project she created in 2007. The name is a word play on the Chinese translation: 点废成绿 (dian fei cheng lü), derived from a well known chengyu reminiscent of "turning over a new leaf," and most cleverly transformed into "it's time to turn the city's trash into green."

While developing an individual project aimed at illustrating the blight of white pollution in China and to offer a solution to the problem through art in the US, Welton discovered a green-minded community concerned with, and active in, addressing pollution problems in Beijing.

She later brought all these people together and put out a call for creative action to "green" Beijing. The first event held in May 2007 lasted for a full day and was put together by more than 50 artists, organizations, and volunteers.

In 2008 the eco-activities were stretched to last for a full week across three different venues and GtB went online at www.greeningthebeige.org as a tool to post news, information, events, artwork, and even job listings focused on green living in Beijing.

In 2009, the collective cooperated with other green projects throughout the year. In three years, GtBhas become the annual event that connects innovative "green" artists, musicians, filmmakers, designers, researchers, and local business owners, to promote environmental awareness through the arts.

verapeneda@globaltimes.com.cn  

Event Program – November 21-28

Saturday, Nov 21 Greening the Stage

Opening of the 3rd Annual Event: RE-ENERGIZE BEIJING! with eco-art photography, installations, a silent auction, and performances by Beijing Dance/LDTX and Beijing Improv.

7:30 pm Doors Open

8 – 11 pm Performances, At Cable 8 Creative Culture Center, west of Wanda Plaza, tel. 6595-1111 30 yuan limited advance tickets available

(reserve at http://www.beijingimprov.org) 60 yuan at the door

Sunday, Nov 22 GtB'3 Mini Green Film Fest

Wednesday, Nov 25 Green Trivia Pub Quiz

Thursday, Nov 26 Green Cocktail Social

Friday, Nov 27 "Earth's Hope" - Beijing Film Screening Premiere & Dinner Event

Saturday, Nov 28 3rd Annual Greening the Beige: Re-Energize Beijing! Closing a full week of creative cross-over events, GtB'3 wraps up its 3rd year of events with a recycled film workshop "SCRATCH" hosted by Electric Shadows and sustainable community bazaars in the afternoon, followed by an evening with Pecha Kucha Beijing green speakers, the GtB'3 eco-fashion show featuring WillowWillow and Rafflles School of Design collections, and Acupuncture Records and DJ friends, guest VJs, and out of the ordinary organic performances. 4 pm – 4 am, Free entry before 9 pm

Ticket proceeds from this event will go to support the Hua Dan project, an organization that offers empowerment workshops for young victims of the Sichuan Earthquake.