Hu Lili and Xu Yanyou attend the 2025 UN China Youth Environment Forum. [Photo/Tide News]

At the 2025 UN China Youth Environment Forum in Hong Kong, a teacher and a student from Ningbo, Zhejiang province, demonstrated how hands-on environmental education can inspire global engagement.

Teacher Hu Lili and fourth-grader Xu Yanyou from Ningbo Xiuren School were invited to present their work integrating natural journals with low-carbon education. This event marked Ningbo's debut on a UN-backed international platform for youth environmental exchange. Xu shared two projects documenting the growth and traits of rare species, highlighting the importance of observing, understanding, and protecting nature.

Hu emphasized that the greatest challenge in her four years of teaching natural journals was not curriculum design or student performance, but her own professional knowledge. She credited Ningbo's 34-member natural journal mentor group, composed of experts in ecology and biology, for helping expand the depth and reach of her teaching.

Their presentation drew significant attention at the forum. A compiled collection of Ningbo students' natural journal projects became a highlight of the exhibition, earning praise from attendees and prompting on-site reservations for Ningbo ecological observation tours.

Ningbo has developed an ecological education model that encourages students to engage with local natural spaces — including museums, zoos, and botanical gardens — through immersive observation and creative recording. Over three years, this approach has trained over 1,000 young ecological observers in more than 100 schools, demonstrating how focused initiatives can cultivate deep environmental awareness and serve as a national benchmark for youth ecological education.