Xin Hao, when studying at Zhejiang University in 2000, launched a green bicycling tour which circled Zhejiang Province starting its first environmental NGO – “Green Zhejiang” with his professor Junhua Ruan.
Involvement with Environmental Graphic Information Systems soon followed when he participated in developing a China Water Pollution Map in 2005. Supported by the Ford International Fellowship Program he went to Clark University in the United States obtaining two Master’s degrees in Environmental Science & Policy and Geographic Information Systems for Development and Environment.
After graduation, he returned to China and led Green Zhejiang’s work on environmental monitoring, ecological community development and environmental education which contributed toward Zhejiang Province’s “Five Waters Treatment” and waste segregation projects. Promoting Green Zhejiang’s programs, now delivered by more than 30 full-time staff, has made it become the first 5A level grassroots environmental NGO to be evaluated by the Civil Affairs Department ranking it number one in all of the 16,000 branded social groups in Hangzhou.
Hao developed an interactive collaborative pollution map which won the UNEP Eco-Peace Leadership “Urban City Excellent Award”. The map has been upgraded with a “Pollution Watch” cell phone application in 2014. As the Qiantang River Waterkeeper, Hao joined the international Waterkeeper Alliance (WKA) as a full member and in 2015 was elected as a WKA Council member and Asia Representative. He was nominated as the Executive Director of China River Watch Alliance which is composed of 36 Chinese water advocacy groups. He was selected as one of 15 members of the Standards Development Committee of the International Alliance for Water Stewardship.
In Hangzhou he promoted the idea of a River Champions policy to the Municipal government which then nominated him as the Head of River Champions. From 2013 to 2015, he created the “Smart Green House”, “ReClothe” and “Community Guard” projects for waste segregation and safety which all won golden medals at the China Charity Projects Competitions.
He is currently Vice President and Executive Director of Green Zhejiang, a member of the All-China Youth Federation. He is a Board member of the Zhejiang University Alumni Association and Vice President of the Hangzhou Entrepreneur’s Development Promoting Association. He has been honored by receiving the Youth Elite Medal of China, the China National Mother River Award, the Golden Medal of China for Voluntary Service, the Youth Elite Medal of Zhejiang Province, and included in the List of 10 Outstanding Youth in Hangzhou City.