Green Club not just a walk in the park
By Cheryl Rossi-Staff writer
published on Vancouver Courier 08/11/2006

Many Chinese immigrants understand the importance of the environment, says nature enthusiast Joseph Lin. But because most, especially those from Taiwan, come from urban areas, they're lost in the woods when faced with B.C.'s greatest treasure.

That's why Lin runs the Green Club, an offshoot of the Taiwanese Canadian Cultural Society. Founded in 1994 to offer interpretive walks, workshops and eco-tours in Mandarin about Vancouver, the Lower Mainland and West Coast, it's now an independent registered non-profit. It's the only environmental education group in B.C. targeting Taiwanese and Chinese communities.

"Through education people can understand their surroundings, not just the nature [but] also including the heritage so after that they can have a sense of belonging," said Lin. "Then the third step is they can do something for themselves, their family or for their community as a whole."

Most Taiwanese immigrants-80 per cent of the club's members-are well educated and know the importance of the environment, he said, but if they've been living in urban areas without close contact with nature, "they almost forget the relationship that they have."

As a former doctor in Taiwan who spoke out against pollution, Lin knows how human health is affected by the environment. It's why he tries to remind people about the consequences of their daily actions.

He also promotes greater involvement of immigrants in the broader community.

"In most of the ethnic groups when they have any kind of educational program, not necessarily environmental, 90 per cent is social activities. That means they just share experiences or they talk to each other in their community and among their own events and everybody lives in the their small community for several decades," he said. "This is not what I think is the spirit of multiculturalism."

Lin occasionally piggybacks Green Club outings on other events such as the North Shore's Harmony Arts Festival, the annual watershed tours hosted by the GVRD and the Eastside Culture Crawl in November.

He said nobody in the Chinese community knew about the Eastside Cultural Crawl, despite his attempts to promote it. But when he advertised his willingness to guide people to the event, 50 signed up.

Lin joined the Vancouver Natural History Society after he and his family moved to Vancouver from Taiwan in 1993. They attended every field trip and seminar on offer through the society and the GVRD. Although he learned a great deal and studied more on his own, he wanted his own interpretive walks to focus on youth and to stress real environmental information.

He said most of the members in the nearly 90-year-old Vancouver Natural History Society's are around 65, though he also wants to inspire young people's interest in the environment. Lin encourages families to come to Green Club's walks. Between half and two-thirds of his participants are youth.

He also found that too many nature talks seemed to be for enjoyment and don't address the broader ecosystem and why it's important to conserve habitats.

Lin said many Chinese immigrant families are concerned with getting ahead financially in Canada and with the achievement of their children, so he tells parents that having a good understanding of their environment can be their child's first step on a bright path.

Lin also submits columns about the environment to all the major local Chinese papers. Lin said he's the only writer he knows of who's addressed environmental issues in these publications over the last 13 years.

The club offers free walks guided in Mandarin and English at local parks. The next one is Aug. 14 at 7 p.m. at Queen Elizabeth Park. Phone 604-327-8693 or visit www.greenclub.bc.ca  for more information.

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