Green Ambassador, 2008 Beijing Olympics

This Endangered Planet: A Chinese View

Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, 7:00 p.m., Tuesday, May 29, 2007

For a more detailed biography, keep reading!

Xiaoyi (Sheri) Liao is President and Founder of Global Village of Beijing, a non-profit and non-governmental organization dedicated to environmental education, public participation and community services. She holds a masters in Philosophy, and has worked for many years as an environmental journalist, producing environmental TV programs that are broadcast nationwide through CCTV in China. A principal focus of her work has been promoting a sense of individual responsibility and empowerment in relation to environmental issues in China. In recognition of her efforts Sheri has been awarded Australia’s International Banksia Award and the Sophie Prize from Norway (also won by previous Council speaker Wangari Maathai).

Ms. Liao has a Master degree. from. Zhongshan University, Guangzhou, China, and a Bachelor degree from Sichuan University, Chengdu, China, both in Philosophy.

She began her work life as a Senior lecturer at the Dept. of Philosophy at Sichuan University, teaching courses of Epistemology and Historical Philosophy. She subsequently served as Assistant researcher at the China Academy of Social Science and as Vice-director in a section of eighty research faculty at the China Academy of Social Science.

Her interests turned to environmental concerns at this time and she became a TV producer for a program called Green Talks. She was also invited to be senior researcher in the Policy Research Center for Environment and Economy at China's National Environment Protection Agency. She later served as chief editor for a column on Environment and Development in Management of World magazine at the Research Center for Development of The State Council of China.

Ms. Liao was a visiting scholar engaged in global environmental politics in the Dept. of Political Science and public Administration at North Carolina State University from 1993 to 1995. During this time she founded and became president of the US China association for Environmental Education, a non-governmental and non-profit organization chartered in North Carolina. She was also TV Producer for a program called Daughters of the Earth.

Ms. Liao won prominence in her own country and abroad, however, for founding Global Village Beijing, a non-profit and non-governmental organization dedicated to environmental education; public participation and community service I China. It is in this capacity that she worked as a Producer for environmental TV programs broadcast nationwide on CCTV, China's leading television network.