The Center for Environmental Education and Communications under the State Environmental Protection Administration of China joined Volkswagen Group China (VGC) to announce the official kick-off of the 2008 Olympic City Tour, a sub-project of the "Volkswagen Green Future Environmental Education Initiative" (GFEEI).

GFEEI is sponsored by VGC, the official automobile partner of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. VGC will invest 8 million yuan by 2010 in the program.

The 2008 Olympic City Tour is comprised of several events, involving lectures on environmental conservation, interaction with Olympic celebrities, Olympic etiquette training and storytelling about Olympic torchbearers. The events are aimed at enhancing environmental protection awareness among youngsters, building a platform for them to experience up-close the Olympic spirit and culture.

The project is scheduled to cover seven Olympic cities, including Beijing, Tianjin, Qinhuangdao, Shenyang, Shanghai, Qingdao and Hong Kong.

In addition to the city tour program, GFEEI includes two sub-projects called "Green Classes": a project engaged in popularizing environmental protection knowledge in primary and middle schools; and the "Environmental Student Journalist Flash Design Competition". The two sub-projects were launched last year.