Following the Master on a Shopping Trip - Interview with Ni Huan

Ms. Huan Ni received her M.Phil in Development Studies from the University of Cambridge, UK. She has over 18 years of experience in working with international projects and organizations such as the DFID, UNDP, IFC, FCO, UNEP, and WWF.

After returning to China, she continued practicing a low-carbon lifestyle herself while promoting sustainable lifestyles within the Shanghai as well as Suzhou communities.

In 2016, she founded Green Light Year, an environmental NGO committed to becoming a professional education organization to promote sustainable development in China (Education for Sustainable Development or ESD as it is commonly referred to).

Through three levels of cognitive, emotional and behavioral changes, it guides Chinese youth to understand the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.

Ms. Huan Ni shared her opinion about Education, Sustainability and NGOs with Seeds of Change volunteer, Kawa. 

Education – 'Following the Master on a Shopping Trip'

 

One of the first projects that attracted me from Green Light Year was ‘Follow the Master on a Shopping Trip’. Could you give us a glimpse of what brought you this idea?

Huan: Sure. I was building a solar power plant at my place, attracting many people to visit it. that´s when I found that kids are surprisingly eager to learn on environmental topics and have conversations among themselves on it. This kind of socialization is not very common in school unfortunately. Then one day, I went to the fresh market. It reminded me of my childhood when we were playing with friends and we would seek to answer the questions of life. That is a kind of project-based learning, isn´t it? So, I decided to use this kind of approach.

Most kids nowadays are actually learning in an ‘island.’ They come back from school with piles of homework and attend tutorials on weekends. People´s imagination about the various paths to obtain success in life are limited. That is why they all follow the same direction, and then of course everything gets too competitive. This needs to change. I want to innovate in a less expensive way (both economically and temporally) in order to create richer habits, and bring real education back to life.

Supermarkets, e-commerce platforms, waimai, and group buying among communities have been gradually squeezing the life out of these fresh/wet markets. How will this affect children´s cognitive development when we see that the percentage of physical spaces is rapidly shrinking?

Huan: We´ve discussed the same issue during our events. I will have kids interview those vendors and even imagine the future of food markets at the end of each event. Among those, one of the most surprising answers came from a little boy who said, ‘I think the future food market will be made of nano-materials that can go through walls at any time so that whenever a family needs something, they can get it through the walls.’

You see, although the market may disappear eventually, creativity will not be destroyed.

 

What did you learn from the whole experience?

Huan: You know how parents are always complaining about the ‘involution’ of education. There is a great deal of concern that education nowadays is actually destroying children´s creativity. In fact, creativity can be easily stimulated if parents and teachers use the right methods.

There was this one time I taught kids about ‘hard demand’ and asked them to name one thing in their life that belongs to ‘hard demand.’ One kid blurted out that the medicine in the movie ¨Dying to Survive¨ is an example of hard demand. What I mean is that it´s unnecessary for parents to be anxious. If you´re able to inspire your children, they´ll surprise you for sure. I haven´t done any academic research on theis topic, this is only my personal belief.

Good news indeed! Current school education is still dominated by competition and elimination, which is, as you said, somewhat like isolated “island”s. That´s why Green Light Year´s (project-based learning) PBL will help. Do you have any other suggestions?

Huan: Educators need to think systematically and insert their kids into society, not in a self-centered way. Always keep in mind that children will eventually become a part of society. Interdisciplinary education is also important so for our ¨go-to-market¨ program. I developed a curriculum that incorporates sociology, environmental studies, economics, etc. In addition, peer education is critical as well.

In fact for children, a big part of their wisdom will come out during their interactions with peers, whom they can inspire and motivate as well.

 

As a mother yourself, do you also feel anxious about your children's education? How do you deal with the anxiety?

Huan: Of course I do, but I always tell myself that every child is unique, so do we really have to compare? What´s the purpose of comparing? We often use the ‘Pareto Principle’ (or the 80/20 Rule) to say that society is not fair. It is actually a normal distribution. What you need to do is help your child to find out his or her uniqueness and try to get your child to be on the right side of the normal distribution. The zone with relatively less competition. Remember, uniqueness is a great way to avoid "involution" in education.

About Green Light Year, ESD, and NGO

How does your background in economics give you a specific perspective on sustainability?

Huan: After studying Political Economy and Western Economics, I agree with Marx's view on surplus value and realized that there is an irreconcilable contradiction between capitalism and sustainability because the ultimate goal of capitalism is for profit. Capitalism creates unnecessary demands and amplifies our desires. So from this perspective, the Communist distribution on the basis of need seems to be more sustainable.

What do you think an NGO with a healthy business model would look like? How can our local NGOs improve?

Huan: The common problem for NGOs is a lack of talent. Many people would challenge you, take it for granted that public welfare should be free. Recognition of an NGO in the whole society is still far from enough.

In China, there´s a conflict of interest between foundations and NGOs. We don´t want to forget why we started, we don´t want to focus on grants. Instead, we would like to prioritize the professionalism of our projects and build our own identity. That´s a sounder business model.

Any project you would like to try but have yet to start?

Huan: I aspire to grow sustainable educational models for the Chinese education system, including preschool, high school, and higher education. I especially want to translate relevant papers from overseas into Chinese and have really good teachers to guide our children to think deeply on the topics like ‘Does mankind need more forests?’ or ‘How can we change our diet?’

 

How can like-minded people find you and get involved in your career?

Huan: We have now been established for 5 years. Back then, I was not focusing on how to gather more attention, but on how to further spread my influence and create more impact. I believe once we have a social impact, people will find us easily.
About the Founder – Huan Ni 

What does a ‘perfect’ day look like for you?

Huan: When I wake up and feel no stress and excited, I can finish the work I have planned and crossed out all my to-do list items, and still have some spare time to be with my kid.

If you could get any kind of ‘superpower’ when you wake up tomorrow morning, what would you want it to be?

Huan: Mind reading, I guess. Not to rule the world (laughs), but just a lazy idea, because for educators, we really want to be able to read what children are thinking, so we can find better ways to deal with them as well.

If I were to become your best friend, is there anything about you that I would need to know?

Huan: I will let you know that I am a woman of principle, and if you do something that crosses the line between friends, I will be straightforward and tell you what I´m thinking.

Whom do you admire most in this world?

Huan: A good friend of mine who spent her life fighting for human health. She passed away last year. I want to complete her unfinished mission on behalf of her. Her name is Xie Zheng, and she was the deputy chair of the Department of Global Health at Peking University. She broke through a lot of egos and was a woman who did not take the usual path. 

How did your parents influence you?

Huan: My dad is warm and diligent, he would even make me a rabbit lantern. Now that I think about it, you don’t see young people have the same capacity for hard work and tolerance as the older generation, I feel lucky to be brought up by them.

My mom on the other hand is my mentor, she taught me to be independent, both financially and personally. But in the end, it all depends on you and what you make of it.

Closing Notes

 

Today, all kinds of social problems can be attributed to one fundamental reason: education.

Society is rife with anxiety and lacking in fun. Education, therefore, is cloaked with a heavy undertone of utilitarianism, thus creating a model that is lacking in developing children's critical thinking, problem-solving abilities, and creativity. Getting out of this dilemma requires discovering the uniqueness of children, as Huan suggested, and recognizing that everyone has their own spark.

GPA is not the only criteria. Ivy Leagues Schools should not be the only goal. 

Just like the article called "An experiment in the life of a group of poor children" on the “Qing Yun” Project some time ago which indicated that there is no exact standard for greatness and success. Life is full of possibilities so don't let your thoughts be chained.

Green Light Year and Huan Ni's vision looks at things at a more macro level. They do not only want to educate, but they also want education to be sustainable. I wish this topic would get more attention, because after all it is the most fundamental aspect of human growth and development, and defines us and how we treat our societies and planet for life.

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