On Youth Day, 60 young employees from Luoyang Zhengju New Materials traded their lab coats for work gloves to host a "Rural Environmental Protection Workshop" in neighboring Qinghe Village, blending their expertise in sustainable materials with a mission to empower local communities.
The day began with a "Waste Classification Parade"—volunteers and villagers marched through the village square holding colorful banners made from recycled composite materials, singing catchy jingles about sorting trash. A 27-year-old environmental engineer, Lin Tao, used a simple demonstration: three transparent bins labeled "Recyclable," "Organic," and "Residual," filled with everyday items like plastic bottles and vegetable peels. "See this plastic bag? Our company turns similar materials into durable road tiles," he explained, passing around a sample tile to curious onlookers.
Next, volunteers led hands-on "Eco-Craft Workshops" where villagers learned to repurpose waste into useful items. Elderly women wove plastic bags into sturdy baskets (modeled after Zhengju’s composite weaving techniques), while children made flower pots from milk cartons lined with biodegradable film—donated by the company. Each participant received a "Green Living Kit" containing compostable trash bags, reusable shopping bags made from recycled fibers, and a guidebook on eco-friendly practices, printed on recycled paper with soy-based ink.
The workshop’s centerpiece was the "Village Green Map"—a large mural painted by volunteers and villagers together, marking areas for new trash bins, community gardens, and recycling stations. Zhengju announced it would fund the installation of 30 composite trash bins (resistant to corrosion and extreme weather) and train a team of local "Eco Guardians" to manage waste sorting long-term.
"I never thought our kitchen scraps could become fertilizer for my vegetable patch," said 55-year-old villager Auntie Zhao, holding up her handwoven basket. 29-year-old volunteer Sophia Chen smiled, "Youth Day is about action—we’re not just teaching, we’re building habits that last."
As the sun set, villagers posed for photos with their eco-crafts, while volunteers loaded leftover materials to turn into more educational tools. For Luoyang Zhengju’s youth, this Youth Day wasn’t just about celebrating— it was about proving that small, consistent efforts can grow into a greener future for rural communities.
