New Try of Chinese Entrepreneurs: Join Hands to Control sandstorms in Northern China |
| http://www.sina.com.cn 2005/06/30 12:22 |
Nearly a hundred entrepreneurs, driven by consciousness of responsibility, have contributed money to establish a fund for environmental protection, trying to take the first step in their long trip of social public welfare, with control of Alxa Desert in Inner Mongol as a starting point.
Each of the about 100 entrepreneurs plans to contribute 100,000 Yuan annually for successively 10 years to maintain a public welfare foundation for sandstorm control in northern China.
This is the first time in China's history that entrepreneurs take the initiative to bear environmental and social responsibilities and jointly set up a public welfare foundation with the goal of environmental protection.
They will gather at the Moon Lake in Alxa Desert in Inner Mongolia around the world environmental protection day for the "Alxa SEE Ecological Association Establishment Meeting ﹠ SEE Foundation Preparation Meeting" to discuss how Chinese entrepreneurs can conduct environmental protection activities efficiently and effectively in a nongovernmental organization under the principle of equality, transparency, open, and democracy.
Experts of China Academy of Sciences think that Alxa in North China is an important source of sandstorms affecting Beijing, S. Korea, Japan, and even northwest United States. The 100 entrepreneurs are trying to take the first step in their long trip of social public welfare, with control of Alxa Desert in Inner Mongol as a starting point..
The development history of developed countries shows that the forces of NGO, government and public opinion form three wheels which promote social development. Entrepreneurs are the pillar in the social public service. With more than 90% of the assets coming from financial groups of enterprises, tens of thousands of foundations in western society form a huge public service fund system, which, guaranteed by a transparent and rational operation institution, works for public welfare.
Foundations for social public welfare initiated by entrepreneurs have long been a blank in China's history. Over 1000 existing foundations are of charitable nature other than public service, and they are mostly the extension of government organs. The idea that a hundred entrepreneurs set up the public service foundation started on February 14 of 2004. From the name list of initiators, most of them are successful private entrepreneurs representing every walk of life.
Public service is known as a kind of difficult long march without any termination, whose success or failure will be directly determined by the way these entrepreneurs take their first step. The initiative entrepreneurs think that, in order to ensure the public trust and efficiency of the foundation, the operation of the foundation must follow the principle practicalism, open, transparency, democracy and public supervision. All activities and financial states of the foundation are disclosed at the websites (www. see. org. Cn), waiting for wide supervision by contributors and the public.
In view of the long history and abundant experience of public foundation management in the West, the entrepreneurs have decided that based on the operation mode of U.S. National Geographical Association with a history of 116 years, the prospective foundation will gradually develop a mechanism with a positive cycle of mutual supervision and democratic management during its operation, in hope of setting up an example for later NGO and exploring a healthy way of wealth distribution for China social public service.
