SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 29 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- Suntech Power Holdings Co., Ltd. (NYSE: STP), one of the world’s leading manufacturers of photovoltaic (PV) cells and modules, today announced its support of The Green Long March initiative to promote increased understanding of environmental successes and challenges in China, and encourage sustainable development.
In early 2007, Future Generations and the Beijing Forestry University, with the support of the State Forestry Administration, launched The Green Long March -- a nation-wide youth program to encourage environmental conservation in 22 provinces and 26 national nature preserves in China. 2,000 core students from 43 Chinese universities formed relay teams to travel by train and foot along 10 routes through China. Suntech sponsored the Yellow River route that traced China’s second longest river from the western province of Qinghai to the eastern province of Shandong where the river joins the sea. The sponsorship provided funding for conservation training, surveys on conservation initiatives, uniforms and equipment, food, transportation and a campaign to increase public awareness of the project.
"Educational campaigns such as The Green Long March are vital to increasing awareness of the environmental challenges that we are facing today, and encouraging the search for solutions that can lead to sustainable development," said Dr. Zhengrong Shi, Suntech's chairman and CEO. "The widespread community involvement in The Green Long March coincides with Suntech’s commitment to promoting broad based initiatives that will help bring about an environmentally sustainable future."
During the course of The Green Long March, students exchanged environmental conservation ideas with approximately 75,000 people from universities, schools, communities and government bureaus. Among its many activities, the project included the planting of a million trees, and surveying of hundreds of local environmental successes as well as areas which need improvement in China. An estimated 9.75 million people were indirectly impacted through this environmental education campaign.
"We believe that China will play a key role in developing global environmental protection initiatives and we look forward to continuing to support programs that encourage conservation of our natural resources," added Dr. Shi.
The closing ceremony of The Green Long March was held at the Beijing Forestry University on November 24, 2007 and commemorated the outstanding environmental activism of the students who spearheaded the march. A collection of The Green Long March Diaries, media coverage and scientific essays were published to mark the successful closing of the March.
For further information about The Green Long March please visit http://www.greenlongmarch.org .
About Future Generations
Future Generations, founded in 1992, is a non-profit educational institution that teaches and enables a process of equitable and sustainable community change in four countries: Afghanistan, China, India and Peru. The process of community change is designed to facilitate three-way partnerships between communities, government and non-government organizations and to scale-up successful community-based programs to the regional or national level.
About Suntech
Suntech Power Holdings Co., Ltd. is a leading solar energy company in the world as measured by both production output and capacity of solar cells and modules. Suntech provides solar solutions for a green future. Suntech designs, develops, manufactures, and markets a variety of high quality, cost effective and environmentally friendly PV cells and modules for electric power applications in the residential, commercial, industrial, and public utility sectors. Suntech's majority-owned subsidiary, MSK Corporation is one of the top-ranked companies in the building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) space. Suntech’s customers are located in various markets worldwide, including key markets throughout Europe, North America, Japan and China. For more information, please visit http://www.suntech-power.com .
For more information, please contact:
In China:
Rory Macpherson
Investor Relations Manager
Suntech Power Holdings Co., Ltd.
Tel: +86-510-8531-8922
Email: rory@suntech-power.com
In the United States:
Sanjay M. Hurry
Vice President
The Piacente Group, Inc.
Tel: +1-212-481-2050
Email: suntech@tpg-ir.com
