Palzang's hometown sits on the northeastern edge of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, near the Yellow River. He studied Tibetan language at university, and worked as a teacher, translator and tour guide after graduation. Even though money was good, he decided to return home, where desertification was expanding. In 2010, he got a job at an environmental protection organization, where he had the opportunity to combat land degradation together with herders in his hometown. By 2019, more than 1,000 herders had joined the efforts, turning over 14,000 mu of dry lands green again.