(CFP)

Chen Fei, head of an environmental protection organization in east China's Zhejiang Province, received the Mother River Prize for his contribution in helping clean the Nanxi River in Yongjia County of the province.

The prize, awarded jointly by eight government departments, is given biannually to prominent contributors to environmental protection in China.

In 2005, after realizing that plastic bags are very bad for the environment, Chen gave each member in his village a basket for them to go shopping as an alternative. He also invested more than 400,000 yuan ($62,960) to give out more than 30,000 baskets in 23 provinces in China. In 2007, he established the Green Environment Protection Volunteers' Association in Yongjia and the association now has more than 700 members. Chen voluntarily helps clean the 37-km length of the Nanxi River and has been organizing volunteers to clean trash alongside the river every week for several years. To date, the pollution near the Nanxi River has been greatly reduced due to Chen's hard work.