• 2024 Eco-Trip in Ningxia

    GENERAL TRIP GUIDELINES

  • Dear Participants,

     

    Welcome to the 2024 Autumn Eco-Trip in Ningxia! To all of our donor company volunteers, your participation in this trip is proof of your passion and dedication to the environment. As the organizers,
    Shanghai Roots & Shoots strives to make this trip a very special experience for you. That is why we have developed thisGeneral Trip Guidelines package for you- to equip you with full knowledge going to Ningxia.
     

    These Guidelineswill introduce you to Shanghai Roots & Shoots, how the Million Tree Project operates, our achievements to date, our destination, our planned activities, local facilities, packing requirements, and more. If you have further questions, please contact Shanghai Roots & Shoots staff immediately; we will do our best to assist you.

     

    As the purpose of this trip is environmentalrestoration, we strongly request your individual actions reflect our values and help us make this an eco-friendly trip. Here are some of our suggestions:

    - Pack wisely. Less is more

    - Bring your own toiletries (toothbrush, shampoo, soap in smallcontainers)

    - Bring your own chopsticks

    - No littering

    - Reduce food and drink garbage

    - Print less: store electronic copies in your phone or other gear

    We could not have achieved this forest planting experience without the support and help from all of you. With this trip, we hope you will walk away with an understanding of what is going on in other parts of China, witness the current ecology, and experience the hard work of desertification control. As Dr. Jane Goodall always encourages us, let’s learn to understand, care and help.

     

    Kind Regards,

    The Million Tree ProjectTeam

    August 2024

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    “Only if we understand can we care; Only if we care will we help; Only if we help, shall all be saved.”

     

    ——Dr. Jane Goodall

  • 行程安排

     

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    第1天 Day 1

    15:00 银川河东机场集合 Assemble at Hedong Airport, Yinchuan

    15:00-16:00 大巴前往银川灵武, 办理入住 Bus ride to Lingwu, check in hotel

    18:00-20:00 晚餐 dinner

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    第2天 Day 2

    07:00-08:00 早餐 Have breakfast

    08:00-09:00 大巴前往白芨滩自然保护区 Bus ride to Baijitan Nature Reserve

    09:00-12:00 扎制草方格 Straw grid making

    12:00-14:00 用餐午休和工作坊 Lunch break and Workshop

    14:00-16:30 生物多样性探索 Explore the biodiversity

    16:30-17:00 回到酒店 Arrive at the hotel

    18:00-20:00 晚餐 Dinner

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    第3天 Day 3

    07:00-08:00 早餐 Breakfast

    08:00-09:00 大巴前往白芨滩保护区 Bus ride to Baijitan Nature Reserve

    09:00-12:00 参观全国防沙治沙展览馆 Visit National Desertification Control Museum

    12:00-14:00 用餐午休和工作坊 Lunch break and Workshop

    14:00-16:30 参观沙漠 Visit desert

    16:30-17:30 到达酒店 Arrive at the hotel

    18:00–20:00 晚餐 Dinner

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    第4天 Day 4

    07:00-09:30, 早餐 Breakfast

    09:30前, 完成退房并出发

    9:30-10:30 大巴到达河东机场 But ride to INC airport

    - 结束行程 – End the trip-

  • Packing List 

    Clothes

    • Comfortable jeans or sports trousers for outdoor activities
    • Sturdy sneakers or hiking boots for activities on sandy land (it is very sandy, so don’t bring sneakers with netted/mesh material)
    • T-shirts or other tops that are comfortable, flexible, and stain resisitant
    • A hat or scarf (to block wind and sand)
    • Sport socks

    *Reminder: The weather varies from day to day and day to night so bring layers that can be removed or put on easily.

    Toiletries

    • Toothbrush and toothpaste
    • Soap, towel, and other shampoo and shower items
    • Personal medicine kit

    *Reminder: The hotel provides towel, single-use toothbrush, toothpaste, shampoo and other shower items. But we encourage you to bring your own to reduce waste and carbon footprint.

    Others

    • Water bottle
    • Chopsticks
    • Sunglasses & Sunscreen
    • Cell phone (with sufficient credit balance) and cell phone charger
    • Protective cover for mobile phone and camera (in case of windy and sandy weather)
    • Spending cash

    *Reminder: Please use your own water bottle instead of plastic water bottles. Most of the restaurants only provide single-use wooden chopsticks. We encourage you to bring your own to reduce waste and carbon footprint.

    Kind Reminders

    • Don’t forget to bring your passport or ID
    • Pack as little as possible
    • Don’t pack valuables like jewelry or expensive clothes
    • No liquid >100ml in carry-on luggage

     

  • Trip Gear Provided by R&S

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    *Special thanks to L’Occitane, OJI Paper for sponsoring and supporting the ECO-Trip!

    **MTP will purchase the travel insurance to cover the trip.
     

     

    Be prepared to get dirty and HAVE FUN!

     

  • Contact Information

    Regional Director 地区事务主管

    王凯 Wang Kai 187 4734 0263

    陈汉龙 Chen Hanlong 187 2112 6896

    Trip Director 行程主管

    刘苋 Liu Xian 137 0185 0505

    郭珈源 Jiayuan Guo 137 2164 9341

    Hospital 医院

    People's Hosipital 灵武市人民医院     

    0951-4036016

    Emergency Number 紧急电话

    110

    120

  • Useful Information

    While this trip is not extremely physically challenging, all participants should be prepared to cope with local conditions.

    Local Weather

    During the end of Augustand the beginning of September, the temperature ranges between 14-30°C. Be prepared for heavy winds. Under direct sunlight the temperature rises fast. And the air is very dry and dusty. Please bring necessary sunscreen and moisturizers.

     

    Accommodation

    The hotel on this triphas good facilities; rooms have TV sets, air-conditioners and other amenities. WIFI is available in most circumstancesbut might not be ideal.

     

    The Kaiyue InternationalHotel, is located in the downtown area of Lingwu, on the east side of the Middle Square. It is convenient to reach with shops around. Taxi service is available nearby. The rooms facing the square may be nosiy at night. Please prepare some earplugs if you're sensitive about noise.

    Participants from differentcompanies might need to share a twin room if there’s no one to share with from the same company. Please inform R&S team in advance of any special accommodations and pay the extra cost.

    Medical Emergencies

    There are small hospitals in Lingwu that are equipped to deal with minor accidents. Should we encounter a more severe medical emergency, the nearest hospital is in Yinchuan City, a 1 to 2-hour drive away.

     

    There are pharmacies within 10-minute walk from the hotel. Although getting regular medicine is not difficult, we still suggest you bring your own personal medication.

     

    All participants should inform Shanghai Roots & Shoots if there are any special considerations, including allergy history, religion, and special dietary needs etc. As a school group, the information should be provided by the teacher chaperons.

     

    Food

    The local food is northwestern Chinese style. Meat dishes typically dominate the table (esp. beef, mutton and chicken). We will order a few vegetarian dishes and rice at every meal. Please inform R&S team in advance of any food allergy.

     

    Toilet

    The hotel has standard western style toilets (flushing toilets) in each room; however, squatting toilets are more common in the town’s restaurants and communal toilets are more common in suburban areas. During the activity, there are no toilet facilities nearby. If needed, find a bush or covered area as a natural toilet.

     

    Transportation

    Air-conditioned bus is provided throughout the trip. When bus cannot reach the destination due to the road limitations, participants may need to walk for a while.

     

    Language and Religion

    Both Han and Hui people live in Ningxia. Mandarin is the dominant language in the town. There is also a strong accent in the Mandarin that local people speak.

     

    Shopping

    The shopping center is just a few steps from the hotel and there are also some nearby small grocery stores that open later at night. If you would like to bring back souvenirs for your family and friends, we suggest: wolfberry, jujube and mutton. In general, the shops and restaurants accept both cash and mobile-pay.

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    DOs & DON’Ts

    No sexual, racial or ethical misconduct will be tolerated. All incidences should be reported immediately to trip leaders and/or team leaders.

     

    • DO report to your team leader in the event of any problem or emergency.

    • DO be culturally sensitive. Be mindful of local traditions, customs and hospitality.

    • DO dress for changeable weather. Dress in layers that you can easily peel off or put on.

    • DO be punctual and adhere to the trip itinerary.

    DO listen to instructions during activities

    • DO be aware of your surroundings: care must be taken not to harm any animal or plant at the activity sites.

    DON’T smoke or leave any lit material in the forests and grassland and the surrounding areas.

    • DON’T leave your valuables (if any) lying around unattended. You are responsible for your own items.

    DON’T stray from your group, wander off alone, stay close to your group at all times. DO report to your team in the event of any problem or emergency.

    • DON’T litter.

    • DON’T take anything (plants or animals) from the sites.

    • DON’T consume alcohol if you are below 18.

    • DON’T partake in illicit drug use.

     

  • SHANGHAI ROOTS & SHOOTS: THE MILLION TREE PROJECT

    The Shanghai Roots & Shoots Million Tree Project (MTP), which began in 2007, aims to raise community awareness of the Earth’s precious environment while focusing on steps individuals can take to lessen their negative impact on the natural world. MTP is designed to improve both ecological and humanitarian conditions by planting trees. The project gives individuals and organizations an opportunity to fight climate change by planting oxygen-producing trees. It also encompasses true capacity building as the local population is intimately involved with, and benefits from, every step of planting, maintaining and monitoring the trees.

     

    With the generous support from everyone, MTP had successfully planted TWO million trees in Inner Mongolia in 2016. Significant impact is observed in terms of vegetation restoration and ecosystem reconstruction in the forests planted years ago. In addition to tree planting program in Inner Mongolia, MTP has expanded to Ningxia, and started a desertification control and ecological protection program at Maowusu desert.

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    The program in Ningxia is located in Baijitan National Nature Reserve, Lingwu, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, at the southwest margin of Maowusu desert, where local species are in need of protection, including shrubs like Caragana korshinskii and Oxytropis aciphylla, national endangered and protected plants and animals, such as Ammopiptanthus mongolicus, Nostoc flagelliforme, Otis tarda and Aegypius monachus etc. The average annual precipitation is approximately 200 mm, but average annual evaporation is 2862.2 mm with vegetation coverage less than 10%. Desertification is caused by a complex set of environmental and anthropogenic factors, and is now threatening the critical infrastructure facilities and farmland in the Yellow River corridor. MTP’s effort would contribute to stop Maowusu Sandy Land from expanding, improve the ecosystem and lessen the economic impact of desertification to Yellow River corridor region.

     

    Lingwu Baijitan tree farm is the local partner, who has sound experience in desertification control technique. In view of local circumstances, an integrative method of controlling sand movement by planting a mix of shrubs and constructing massive straw grid will be carried out instead of afforestation technique. Massive straw grid is able to reduce air flow transport capacity by increasing the surface roughness at the meantime decelerate evaporation and improve the soil moisture to ensure the survival rate of shrub and grass planted. Compared with trees, shrubs form a more dynamic soil protection system with its flourishing branches above the ground and extended roots beneath. It provides a solid foundation for soil development and restoration of vegetation diversity.

     

    Planting Species has been selected by its adaptability to the local environment, and currently includes Caragana Korshinskii, Hedysarum Scoparium, Calligonum and Artemisia ordosica. Our objective is to gradually immobilize the moving sand dunes and rehabilitate the ecosystem through restoration of native vegetation by afforestation. It is expected that the demand for straw would be met from local communities nearby, who would be able to sell straw to the project. This project would also generate some income benefits to local farmers, as they would be contracted to carry out the grid establishment, seeds collection, and planting activities.

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    In cooperation with Ningxia Baijitan tree farm, MTP started a pilot project in the spring of 2015, and has been monitoring the forest site ever since. The indigenous grass and shrub have started to revive, and the ecosystem is under progress of recovering. Starting from 2017, MTP will continue to dedicate more efforts and resources to working with Ningxia Tree Farm, joining hands to fight desertification in the local areas.

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