US artist paints mural to promote green Olympics
Source: CCTV.com | 07-08-2008 13:18

Hundreds of Beijing schoolchildren have joined US marine life artist Robert Wyland to paint a mural celebrating the natural environment. Wyland says he wants to inspire the Chinese people to go green in keeping with Beijing's "Green Olympics".

Celebrating the completion of a weeks-long project.

This is the last of a series of 100 wall paintings in 100 countries by artist Robert Wyland. Children in each country were invited to help out, including these kids in Beijing.

Hundreds of Beijing schoolchildren have joined US marine
life artist Robert Wyland to paint a mural celebrating
the natural environment.

Wyland has been promoting environmental protection around the globe all his life, and he has a particular interest in China.

Robert Wyland said "Well, you know, China has so many issues regarding the environmental problems and pollution. Of course air and land and water. They're trying to get their arms around it. And what I do is gentle environmentalism. It's very subliminal but I believe that if people see the beauty in nature they'll work to preserve it, and kids bring that beauty like Picasso did. I mean they're awesome, they're little Picassos of the sea. And this is art and science."

Wyland hopes the children joining him in this monumental feat will learn about endangered wildlife species and conservation and act as environmental ambassadors for their communities.

Huang Yihan, one school student said "I have learnt that we should protect the environment. We should love our shared natural resources, and shouldn't damage things that belong to everybody."

Some of the children have already brought their green values home, and are encouraging their families to develop more environmentally friendly habits.

Zhao Yanteng, another school student said "At home when we have dinner there are a lot of things that we could recycle, and we can use old plastic bags as rubbish bags so that we don't waste them, this is a good habit."

This is the one hundredth whaling wall Wyland has drawn since mid June. It's entitled Hands Across the Ocean, in celebration of Beijing's Green Olympics.