As China's National People's Congress holds its plenary session this month to approve the country's 12th Five-Year Plan, a major topic under review is the proposed blueprint for a green economy.

I got a firsthand preview in Beijing late last year of how that green blueprint is already mobilizing business at the "Go Green" conference of the China Association of Women Entrepreneurs, where growing opportunities in the emerging green economy were apparent.

One such opportunity for both Chinese and U.S. business is cross-border cooperation on green solutions. Indeed, during Chinese President Hu Jintao's U.S. visit earlier this year, I was struck by his suggestions for China-U.S. economic collaboration in areas like clean energy and infrastructure, both poised to boost a sustainable future.

As I found during my visit, such collaboration could mean big opportunities for businesswomen in both countries.

After all, not only is the Asian powerhouse now the second largest economy in the world after the U.S., the two countries have something else in common -- namely our vast energy consumption and heavy CO2 footprint. What's more, women-owned businesses are among the fastest-growing segments of both economies.

Women's Green Ambitions

Women's ambitions for a global green economy were on view at the annual conference of the China Association of Women Entrepreneurs, a longtime partner of the Women's Network for a Sustainable Future, the organization I co-founded and run. At its gathering in Beijing, the entrepreneurs' association called for international support of its Go Green Action Plan and invited businesswomen around the globe to join in China's economic surge and green growth trend.

Take Yin Yuanping, executive vice president of China Enterprise Confederation. She emphasized at the conference that the green economy is a global issue. Like the association of women entrepreneurs, the confederation is reaching out to international organizations to work with Chinese business to face challenges and find opportunities.

Yu Jianhua, secretary of the China NGO Network for International Exchange, stressed that NGOs, like business, have a responsibility to promote the green economy as a way to advance development. He added that women in business are uniquely poised to promote sustainability, based on their record of supporting NGOs and working with international organizations.

Green Growth

Over the past two years, green business provided a new path to sustainability, offering a lifestyle change, promoting more sustainable production and consumption and stimulating China's growth and transformation, said Gu Xiulian, vice premier of the 10th National People's Congress. China's 12th Five-Year Plan, which takes effect this year, will focus on scientific and technological development. That goal can be achieved only through further green business development, she said.

During its 11th Five-Year Plan, China underwent tremendous industrialization, boosting energy consumption and carbon emissions, and stimulating the emergence of a green economy, added Zhu Hongren, chief engineer at the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. He stressed that industry is both a key cause and crucial solution to the problems, pointing to the ministry's goal to restructure industry and the supply chain, with the aid of high technology -- and the aim of building sustainability into the system.

Women's Leadership

And, Zhu added, women lead business in changing the structure of enterprise and pointing it along a green path. As family leaders, women are natural protectors and essential contributors to a green economy -- and poised to profit from its growing opportunities.

Meng Xiaosi, vice president of the All China Women's Federation, said that learning from the industrial revolution in Western history, China's path toward a green economy seems inevitable.

Noting that businesswomen from nine countries were participants at the China Association of Women Entrepreneurs' conference, Meng added, "The topic of (the) green economy shows the ambition of women entrepreneurs in China and abroad."

Speakers at the green conference noted that after some 20 years of interest in the model of sustainable development, environmental degradation persists, along with poverty, even as China surges ahead economically. Add to those problems issues of food and water safety, as well as urgent awareness of climate change likely linked to China's recent natural disasters, and the simple conclusion was that action is needed.

The presence of many prominent figures -- and their voiced support -- at the conference carried much symbolic significance in recognition of the growth and strength of the movement by businesswomen in China. But perhaps even more telling were the actions of businesswomen themselves. Visibly inspired by the green goal, many are already pursuing sustainability strategies through the organizations they run.

The conference came to a crescendo with the group signing of the Go Green Action Plan -- A five-point commitment to lift business to a higher level of sustainability.

It was an exhilarating moment, as I joined a crowd of businesswomen to add my name to the banner that spanned nearly a whole wall, as shown in the photo at the top of the page. The group signing showcased the collective enthusiasm of conference attendees emboldened by a movement they have long supported, though perhaps with less fanfare and less overt purposefulness.

Here are the five goals of the Go Green Action Plan:

1. Speedily pursue sustainable and people-oriented development in business strategies.

2. Identify major business problems to ensure an innovative management approach before drafting business strategy (and implementation plans in line with China's 12th five-year plan).

3. Develop a specific businesswide action by promoting new technologies, new materials and new working processes; increasing green R&D investment in green products; and creating green brands, products and services.

4. Follow regulations on emissions reduction and energy conservation, with an effort to use natural resources more efficiently, mitigate pollution, promote low-carbon technologies -- and integrate these practices into the entire production, distribution and consumption chain.

5. Promote emerging strategic industries when expanding (their) businesses to contribute to China's industrialized, information-based, urbanized and globalized market economy.

And lest we think the principles are aimed only at Chinese women in business, here's the final entreaty of the Go Green goals statement:

"Green economy is for the common interest of all mankind. We warmly welcome enterprises from all countries to join us for the promotion and development of green economy, and sincerely hope women entrepreneurs all over the world may share the opportunities and achievements brought about by China's prosperity and progress. We wish to build a green and beautiful home for all mankind hand in hand with you!"

Special thanks to Mike Li and Sandy Yeh for their contributions to this post.

Images courtesy of Ann Goodman and the Women's Network for a Sustainable Future.