Working alongside China's oldest NGO, Friends of Nature
'The best days I have spent here at XTBG thus far have been alongside China's oldest NGO, Friends of Nature.
The organisation works to raise awareness of the most pressing environmental issues in the country. Their efforts range from protecting endangered species to Environmental Education initiatives aimed to connect people back to nature.
This February, a group of about 15 children and their parents came to the garden from various major cities across China. They came to breathe the beautiful, fresh air, to marvel at the exotic plants, and to experience and appreciate nature with the help of the incredible adventure leaders from FON.
Here, in the video, you can see I was all smiles as I led the blindfolded, naturally curious children through a maze of plants in what the called the 'caterpillar' game. We walked with soft feet and used our heightened hearing to listen for critters. I so hope that these children have been imprinted with the joy of nature and all of her magical gifts! I take my hat off to this organisation as giving children experiences in the outdoors can be one the most important acts in the conservation of our planet.
Written by Katie Breneol
Publication date: 25 March 2015
