“Exchanging Trash for Dreams”: China UnionPay leverages art show to promote ecological preservation for China’s “water tower”

CHENGDU, China, June 24, 2024 /Xinhua-AsiaNet/–

On June 5, an art exhibition titled “Exchanging Trash for Dreams” opened in Harvest Moon Art Centre in Chengdu, capital city of southwest China’s Sichuan Province.

Using light and shadow techniques and recycled garbage, the exhibition showcases the true stories of eight eco-activists in the Sanjiangyuan Nature Reserve, where the Yangtze River, Yellow River, and Lancang River originate.

Image: On June 5, an art exhibition titled “Exchanging Trash for Dreams” opened in Harvest Moon Art Centre in Chengdu.

Among them are the caravan that collects garbage along the way to protect the environment, the couple volunteers who come from afar to protect the Sanjiangyuan Nature Reserve in winter, the independent grassland director who insists on capturing the ecological environment through the lens, and the young volunteers who hang a string of plastic bottles on their bodies to collect tiny pieces of rubbish.

This is an environmental art exhibition jointly planned by China UnionPay and the Sanjiangyuan Ecological Protection Foundation, with strong support from China UnionPay’s Qinghai and Sichuan branches.

The two parties aim to promote environmental awareness and call for more people to participate in the protection of the Sanjiangyuan ecological region, the pristine landscapes, and China’s natural beauty.

In addition to the art exhibition, the two sides also set up an ecological trade-in supermarket in Qumalai County, Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture.

The environmental guardians of the Sanjiangyuan region can exchange and accumulate ecological credits by collecting litter, and then use these credits to redeem daily necessities, books and other materials. In this way, the litter on the ground is transformed into the fuel to help the environmental guardians pursue a better life and fulfill their dreams.

Since 2023, China UnionPay has been contributing to the ongoing conservation efforts of the Sanjiangyuan ecological region through various means.

In five years, China UnionPay will assist the Sanjiangyuan Ecological Protection Foundation in the continuous restoration of 1,000 mu of sandy land and 2,000 mu of grassland on the southern shore of Longyang Lake in the upper reaches of the Yellow River. Additionally, a 1,000-mu animal conservation area will be established.

Furthermore, through online public fundraising and the sale of themed blind boxes, China UnionPay aims to engage more consumers in participating in protecting the ecological region.

China UnionPay’s commitment to green finance is an important part of its implementation of the requirements set forth in the Central Financial Work Conference. It also plays a part in supporting the achievement of China’s carbon peaking and carbon neutrality goals.

In recent years, China UnionPay has been fulfilling its corporate social responsibility through various initiatives, such as issuing green and low-carbon cards, establishing a low-carbon program, and enabling carbon account interconnection with China Construction Bank, CITIC Bank, Hangzhou Bank, and other financial institutions.

So far, the UnionPay’s low-carbon program has expanded to cover 20 scenarios including public transportation, subway, bicycles, catering, and hotels. It has driven green consumption of 2.5 billion transactions, resulting in a reduction of nearly 40,000 tonnes of carbon emissions.