Southeast Asia Information Port News (www.dnyxxg.com) – On the occasion of the 40th International Volunteer Day, the "Three Gorges Ant Workers" ecological and environmental protection volunteer team carried out a "beach cleanup operation" in Yichang City, Hubei Province on the 4th. More than 100 volunteers were busy searching for and picking up litter scattered on the riverbank.
Yichang is the dividing point between the middle and upper reaches of the Yangtze River, the location of the Three Gorges Project and the Gezhouba Dam Project, with a Yangtze River shoreline of 232 kilometers. During the flood season, branches, weeds, and domestic waste from the upper reaches of the Yangtze River and its tributaries are carried downstream and remain on the riverbanks of Yichang after the floodwaters recede. In November 2015, Li Nianbang, a barber in Yichang, initiated the establishment of the "Three Gorges Ant Workers" ecological and environmental protection volunteer association, with the aim of protecting the ecology of the Yangtze River, the mother river, and regularly organizing beach cleanup volunteer activities.
Over the past ten years, the spark has become a prairie fire. From retired cadres and social workers to students, the "Three Gorges Ant Workers" ecological and environmental protection volunteer association has grown from a handful of members at its inception to more than 380 regular volunteers today, with nearly 100,000 person-times of participation in activities.
To date, the "Three Gorges Ant Workers" ecological and environmental protection volunteer team has conducted over 1,200 beach cleanup activities, removing more than 1,200 tons of garbage from the riverbanks. The "Beach Cleanup Campaign" has improved the ecological environment of the Yichang riverbanks and raised public awareness of environmental protection. According to the association's statistics, in 2015, each person cleaned approximately 20 kilograms of garbage per activity; by 2025, this had decreased to approximately 3 kilograms per person, a reduction of over 80%.
"I believe that although the strength of a single ant is small, when they come together, they can generate boundless power," said Li Nianbang. He added that in the next decade, he will continue to lead the "Three Gorges Ant Workers," like ants, using their small contributions to make the Mother River cleaner and its banks greener.
In recent years, Yichang City, based on the principle of protecting the "perpetual eastward flow of the Yangtze River," has cultivated ecological civilization practice brands such as "Yangtze River Sentinels," "Straw Circles," "Three Gorges Ant Workers," and "Zhou Gonghu's Cleanup," and has joined hands with other cities to jointly build the nation's first "Yangtze River Protection Volunteer Service Alliance." The Yangtze River Protection Volunteer Group has been awarded the title of "Hubei Model." To date, over one million people in the city have participated in public welfare activities, and more than 8,000 volunteer service organizations have been established to carry on the torch. The city has been awarded the title of "National Civilized City" for five consecutive terms. (End)
