Global Environmental Institute

Mission

The Global Environmental Institute (GEI) is a Chinese non-profit, non-governmental organization that was established in Beijing, China in 2004. Our mission is to design and implement market-based models for solving environmental problems in order to achieve development that is economically, ecologically, and socially sustainable.

Organization Type Non-Governmental Organization

Contact Information

Primary Contact
Ms. Chongying Chen
cychen@geichina.org
Secondary Contact
Ms. Lei Wang
leiwang@geichina.org
Address #401, Suite 1, building 5, New World Villa, Dongcheng District
Beijing,
100062
China
Website www.geichina.org
Phone 86-10-67083192
Fax 86-10-67083193
Calling/Fax Instructions

Our Focus

Primary Initiatives, Target Populations, and Scope of Work:

GEI believes that solving environmental problems cannot be separated from solving social and economic problems. This is especially true in developing countries like China, where conventional approaches to environmental protection often fail because they hinder economic activity. There is urgent need for new solutions that work with the market to provide sustainable livelihoods and thriving ecosystems. GEI was founded to find those solutions. Specifically, we aim to:

- Integrate environmental and economic problem-solving in China by building local and international collaboration between government agencies, research institutions, private enterprises, and non-governmental organizations.

- Achieve self-sustaining and ecologically-sound rural development by linking local communities directly with outside partners in such areas as biodiversity conservation, bioremediation, renewable energy, and organic agriculture.

- Mitigate global warming and increase energy conservation by commercializing environmental technology, fostering sustainable enterprises, and developing innovative business and financing models.

- Develop the capacity of leaders and civil society to design, implement, and enforce socially and ecologically-sound development policy in rural, urban, and industrial sectors in China and around the world.

Fuels/Technologies: Biogas
Biomass
Solar
biochar
Sectors of Experience: Agriculture
Behavior Change
Carbon Finance
Education
Energy
Environment
Health
Renewable Energy
Rural Development
Small Business
organic africulture,climate change, environment governance
Countries of Operation: China
Laos
Sri Lanka
United States

Our Experience And Interest In The Four PCIA Central Focus Areas

Social/Cultural barriers to using traditional fuels and stoves:

With growing income, rural residential energy consumption pattern is shifting from biomass dominated to fossil fuel dominated, leading to significant pressure on energy provision and greenhouse gas emissions. However, the increasing price of coal has compromised to affordable energy resources, even in major coal producers like Shanxi Province, putting a serious strain on poor households aiming to meet their heating demands. Therefore, new clean, efficient, and affordable technologies are necessary for addressing these challenges. The improved biomass heating stoves and boilers have been disseminated in rural China for many years, while not fully commercialized. We hope to promote the dissemination of these technologies through different financing and market based approaches, e.g. carbon finance.


Market development for improved cooking technologies:

We already developed market based models to disseminate biogas technologies in rural China and other developing countries, e.g. Sri Lanka. We are working on developing the similar model to promote improved biomass heating and cooking technologies, such as domestic stoves, institutional/commercial boilers, and biochar-producing stoves in rural China to address indoor air pollution, climate change and rural development.


Technology standardization for cooking, heating and ventilation:

There have been some standards, e.g. DB 11T 540-2008, DB 11T 541-2008, both of which are regional standards. We hope to contribute to the establishment of national standardization for improved biomass heating and cooking stoves and biomass briquetting machines in China.


Indoor air pollution exposure and health monitoring:

We have not had any experience in indoor air pollution exposure and health monitoring. However, we hope to learn from other members in terms of monitoring approaches because we might be involved in this field in the new project which is under development.

Relevant Publications or Studies

None noted

Our Contribution to the Partnership

GEI is willing to share our experiences in disseminating biogas technologies through market based models and in screening of improved biomass technologies, biochar technologies, biomass briquetting technologies, wind power technologies, small hydro power technologies, and solar technologies with other members.

We are also eager to learn the best practices from other members.