On 6 June to celebrate World Environment Day, over 300 youth representatives from universities of 30 countries and regions gathered in the 129 Hall of Tongji for the “Sustainable Consumption and Production” Summit during the International Student Conference on Environment and Sustainability 2016. Students shared the innovative thinking and best practices on the topics of energy transition and climate change, ecosystem and wildlife, eco-city and green lifestyle. This Conference is co-hosted by Tongji University, the United Nations Environment Programme, Xinhua News Agency and Beijing Environment Foundation for Young Talents from June 3rd to June 8th  to celebrate World Environment Day.

During the summit, Prof. Wu Jiang, Executive Vice President of Tongji University, Ms.Jiang Wei, Chief of Xinhua News Agency Shanghai Bureau, Ms.Qian Hong, Vice President of Agricultural Bank of China, Shanghai Branch, respectively, delivered a speech with the hope that youth students can take a lead in putting sustainable production and consumption into practice for green production and life in order to realize the global goal of sustainable development and to make greater contributions to building the earth into a  harmonious home of humankind.

During the summit, Dr. Monika G MacDevette, Deputy Director of Division of Environmental Policy Implementation, UNEP, made a review on the partnership between UNEP and China, which played a significant role in promotion of sustainable production and consumption consciousness. Dr. Yogendra Chauhan, Director of Technology (IT & Appliances), Global Industrial Marketing, Covestro (Shanghai) Management Co.Ltd (Former Bayer Material Science AG) made a speech on “Solutions for Sustainability – Powered by Smart Materials”

As a special event for the World Environment Day, the conference also held a celebrity event.Dr. Monika G MacDevette, advocators of UNEP sustainable consumption projects, the famous actress Song Jia, Wu Jiang, Executive Vice President of Tongji University and students from Tongji Green Road Association discussed sustainable consumption in daily life.Dr. MacDevette certificated Song Ja as an advocator of UNEP sustainable consumption project.

On the conference,a sustainable production and consumption dialogue was hosted by Ma Jianguo, Senior Reporter of Xinhua News Agency.Ms Li Shaoxin, Programme Assistant in UNEP Beijing Office, Ms. An Yan, epresentative in China Marine Stewardship Council, Mr. Cui Yixiong, CEO of Shanghai City Shop, Mr. Xiao Chaoyang, China Supply Chain Coordinator of Better Cotton Initiative, and Ms. Hanna Hallin, Sustainability Manager of H&M analyzed sustainable production and consumption from the perspective of the UN, NGO and enterprises.

Today,the Green Seedling Fund (2015), and Green Future Award (2016) presented the awards to their winners. More than sixty students from environment-relevant fields of thirty-plus universities were engaged in these projects. Twelve student teams won the prize from the Green Seedling Fund for their research projects, and thirteen academic articles and reports win the Green Future Award. Four projects from Tongji University won the two awards. What’s more,the Golden Brick Future Scholarship(2016) funded by Golden Brick Finance presented awards. Dr. Monika G MacDevette, Prof. Wu Jiang, Ms. Zhang Li, Chair of the Board of Beijing Environment Foundation for Young Talents，Professor Li Fengting, Vice Dean of Institute of Environment for Sustainable Development(IESD) and College of Environmental Science and Engineering and Mr. Lin Changmao, executive board member of Golden Brick Finance presented the awards to the students.

The five winner teams of Tongji Universities for the Green seedling and Green Future Scholarship were as follow:research on classified source reduction and recycling system of rural household garbage by Zeng Chao and Zhou Meng from College of Environmental Science and Engineering, research on energy consumption and energy saving in sewage treatment industry by Lin Xiaohu, Ren Jie and Zhao Gang, research on hydropower relationship and sewage treatment by Li Yue,Liu Misha and Lu Bowen, and research on Urban E-waste situation and treatment- a case study of Shanghai by Wang Yan, Ma Xiaoliang and Yu Xiaoxin.

The Green Seedling Fund scholarship and the Green Future Award are established by Beijing Green Future Environment Foundation for University (undergraduate, graduate, and PhD) students of environment-relevant majors. The Green Seedling Fund awards student scientific research projects, encouraging students to innovate, invent, or answer academic questions, particularly in an inter-disciplinary manner. The prize for each selected project is 20,000 RMB. The Green Future Scholarship award student social practice projects, encouraging students to conduct social research on environmental issues of local or social concern, and write on existing national/local environmental policies. Each selected report or article is awarded 10,000 RMB.

Golden Brick Future Scholarship is co-founded by IESD and Beijing Golden Bricks International Holding Group Co.Ltd. Shao Luyu, Sheng Yiwen, Wang Hairen and Zhao Yuanchen from the College of Environmental Science and Engineering and College of Architecture and Urban Planning(CAUP) were the first this year winning support on the project of “Research on Shanghai Environmental Health and Performance Index”. The scholarship is set up mainly to encourage project groups of college students to do research on “Green Habitation and Sustainable Development” by combining their expertise and social needs when making scientific research and practical innovation to demonstrate students’ accountability for the cause of environment and sustainable development.

As one special session of 2016 International Student Conference on Environment and Sustainability, GUPES Sustainable Lifestyles Challenge Competition was hold as a unique opportunity for participants to find out just how sustainably minded they really are! Using a special online strategy game called Aqua Republica, participants planned and developed their own countries. Being coached by two professional trainers flying from UNEP DHI Denmark, 78 students from 23 countries were divided into two groups and worked in pairs to play the game.

Today, the conference also exhibited 150 posters from student participants. These posters showed their social practice and opinions. The conference organizers and participants would vote for the “Best Poster Award”.

Before today’s Summit, students have participated in exhibitions,on-the-spot studies and seminars  as well as lectures and debates on the four themes. These seminars, workshops, field-trips, and poster exhibitions promote frontier knowledge sharing and idea exchange. The Conference will conclude on June 8th, with the announcement of  Global Youth Tongji Announcement.

The head of the organization council marks, the conference caters to the theme of “Sustainable Production and Consumption”on the World Environment Day and meets the need of “Improving Environmental Quality, Promoting Green Development”in China. It’s extremely important to gather university students from all over the world to discuss critical environmental and sustainable development issues. This conference encourages the youth, relevant institutes dedicated to green development, non-governmental organizations and enterprises to create an opportunity for information sharing, and at the same time, invites the youth to projects and practices on sustainability.