Sea of CFLs

This is a mall....

Lit by skylights and CFLs!

CFL – Compact Flourescent Lightbulb. These energy savers are touted as being far more cost effective than their incandescent counterparts. Thankfully Canada is phasing out incandescent, but it took a while for us to jump on the boat to ban the bad bulbs.

Though China does not seem to have incandescent bulbs banned yet (maybe soon! *fingers crossed*) I’m not sure If a ban is needed since CFL’s are ubiquitous already. From my friends’ apartments, to office buildings and restaurants alike, these bulbs are used en masse. An incandescent bulb is a rare sight as people are very familiar with how inefficient and costly incandescent bulbs can be.

Turning off lights when they are not in use is the normal practice and wasting any energy for whatever reason is frowned upon. I think this is a great part of the culture here as I don’t find myself turning off lights and asking for CFL’s like I have to do back home. China never fails to impress me with how energy environmentally conscious people are over here!

Green Olympics

Something great is happening in China for the upcoming Olympic games.

The central government has put its best foot forward in making the Olympics games as green as possible. As we see to the left, (picture from this article) the new athlete housing facility for the coaches, athletes and support team is green from penthouse to pavement. With solar panels and energy efficient features, it is an international role model on how apartments for athletes should be built.

In preparation for the Olympics, thousands of cars have been taken off of the road to ease both congestion and pollution. Large trucks are banned in certain areas due to their higher levels of emissions than cars. Leading up to the game, efforts such as this are in overdrive. China is certainly making an all out effort to lead by example in holding its world class Chinese edition of the Olympic games. These environmental measures can be found at all levels. In a souvenir store, I sighted an Olympic commemorative torch for sale which was made of the left-over metal from the Bird's Nest stadium. Bids will also be taken on items in the athlete's housing complex after the games. One of the items up for sale is Yao Ming's extra long bed! You can always count on China to take innovation to the next level! I certainly hope that the Vancouver 2010 Olympics can live up to these standards of going green.

China - Green Roof Leader

Can you believe it? China is a world leader in green roofs! The photo on the right was taken from this article at treehugger.com which details China's green roof situation which is looking bright.

So far, I've seen two green roofs during my short stay. When I first arrived at the Beijing Airport, the largest green roof I have ever seen greeted me. This green roof is situated on top of the huge parking garage for this facility. The cover was lush, espansive and quite inspiring! The second time I ran across one of these spectacular green roofs was on top of a government building in TEDA. I was on the top floor and looking out, I was shocked to see a green roof stretching out as far as the eye could see, covering the entire roof of the building. It defintely seems that GROOF could get a lot of work here in China, I look forward to spotting some more of these green roofs done the Chinese way!

Blue Sky?

Yea that's right! Whenever the western news presents an article on China, it never fails to mention insane amounts of pollution that essentially block out the sky. Inevitably, this makes China seem like a perpetually grey-skied verson of mordor.

Conversely, from my experiences I realize that the pollution (At least in my area) is not as bad as the media tries to depict in its smear attempts against China. As seen in the picture to the left, China too can enjoy the beauty of blue skies. The photos was taken at the large monument right outside of my hotel. This blue sky persisted for about 5 days. Other than that, China is a bit cloudy but this is not only because of pollution. In China, clouds and water vapour exists too (The BBC will be shocked to discover this!) which is also grey and can be mistaken for pollution.

Specifically, on the note of pollution, China is definitely trying to make a difference. New, present news and research articles are starting to emerge which describe Chinese municipalities instituteenvironmental measures so strict that whole coal power plants have to be shut down. Also, some very environmentally concerned industries are packing up to go an pollute Vietnam. These role model industries are just so concerned with environmental quality that they are moving to places with even lower pollution standards than the new China so they can continue with their profit and pollution making ways.

Now, I'm not saying that China doesn't have pollution problems, of course it does. But, so does Canada in industrial areas the United States and Europe as well. Maybe if these places had populations as large as China the pollution would be at the same level or even worse. Just remember, if you're trying to compare pollution between China and other developed nations, it is not a fair comparison due to historical, demographic and sheer population factors. Just try and get the inside story, China is a lot better than seen from the outside. Not only that, but China is moving forward thanks to the Olympics and government efforts. Auto, Industry and other emmission standards are improving to gradually bring China forward into a new era.

Plastic Purgery – The true story of the ban on plastic bags

On June 1st, 2008, China made history by banning plastic bags. Considering Ontario hasn't even done so yet, I think that one of the world's largest countries banning the near ubiquitous symbol of western consumerism – the plastic bag - to be an incredible impressive feat.

However, what many sources of western media fail to portray is the on-the-ground implications of the ban. Many sources I've seen make it seem like an all out ban on plastic bags. It is important to note that the BBC frequently takes an anti-China stance, which I'm not particularly fond of. This is far too draconian and it definitely is not the case. There are still plastic bags, but now they are thicker and you MUST pay for them when you buy something. Also, the ban seems to have affected grocery stores first but it does not apply to everything just yet. Note, these observations are made with reference to my travels with friends in China and my own visits to the Tesco's grocery store near to my hotel.

Here is how I see the ban actually working: Grocery stores are no longer allowed to hand out the free ultrathin bags with customer's purchases. At Tesco, thicker plastic bags must now be purchased from the teller which is a HUGE disincentive. I saw this in action with a man in the line in front of me. Like many people must be who either cannot read or do not have access to the new, he had no idea of the ban. He looked very surprised when the teller informed him that he must pay extra for the bag. He opted not to and instead, wrapped his arms around the crateloads of goods he had just bought. There we go, I saw first hand that the ban works! I just hope that the rest of the world can follow suite soon!

If there is a debate about affecting the plastic bag industries (Most of which are in China anyway) guess what – though some ran into difficulties some could adapt to the change and instead moved to making thicker plastic reuseable bags or focused on producing the cloth bags.

However, its not like ultrathin plastic bags have disappeared completely from China. Some places like a shoe store I went to or a street vegetable market I had the chance to visit still use the bag. In the shoe store, I was handed a bag when I bought a pair of shoes, and did not possess enough Chinese to inform the teller that I did not need it! Oh well.. Also, when I was in Beijing, I was with a friend as she bought eggs from the street vendor. The man informed her that bags were banned and was trying to convince her to carry her dozen eggs in her hand. However, due to the difficulty of this, she unfortunately opted to buy a bag instead which was charged extra. From this we see that the bag ban does not appear to apply to every single retail operation just yet (Such as that shoe store) but even street vendors are rallying behind the ban as well!

In the stores I visit, I see frequent advertisements for the newest cloth reusable bags. Thus, the ban doesn’t cripple retail, it offers new room to grow creatively and offer new options. I also see the bags becoming a fashion statement with girls carrying purse style bags emblazoned with the word “I'm not a plastic bag” or an occasional Chinglish one with the obvious mistake “I'm a plastic bag”.

I find this ban to be a microcosmical example of the versatility of the Chinese people. Whatever happens, retail and people find a way to adapt to the change, and live harmoniously in the new way. This is so different from the bull headed stubborn resistance to change I've so often encountered in my environmental pursuits back home!

**Update**
I'm proud to say that companies in China are taking the lead in reuseable bags. The company I work at PPG, recently created this bag which I helped hand out to employees. Though I can't read the Chinese (hopefully one of the readers can help me!) this bag was created to ensure that employees are well equipped to "survive" post plastic bag ban! I was given one myself which I enjoyed using at my local Tesco's! It certainly seems like innovation is around every corner everywhere in China.

***Update***
My colleague has just informed me that the bag reads "To lead the green age with innovation, and to support China in energy saving and emission reduction". That makes sense to me!

Trees in Revolution

That's right, China is planting a nationwide army of trees in preparation not only for the Olympic games but a changing environment. I first came across this climate change combat force on my drive from the Beijing airport to TEDA (Technological Development Area). There were 5 meter wide bands of newly planted trees on either side of the highways as seen in the photo. I soon learned that these were all planted in a grand scheme initiated by the central government. Contrary to so many countries, China has gone far beyond empty talks by putting its shovels, workers and enthusiasm where its mouth is. On my two and a half hour drive from the airport, the highway was lined the WHOLE way by these trees. These were not the only trees to be seen as beyond the highway, forests stood waving in the breeze, undisturbed by the farms and industries nearby.

In my travels from TEDA to Tianjin, I see these swathes of newly planted trees in various stages of development. Be it new, mature or just getting there. I frequently see workers clad in army fatigues planting new trees, watering established ones or conducting maintenance. From what I've seen, these trees are not plonked into the middle of nowhere, they are cared for even better than the ones in some Canadian backyards!

This project does not extend only to national highways, I see such tree planting schemes all around me as I walk to work in TEDA and travel in Tianjin. Old concrete sidings, barren sidewalk and old walls are blasted away to make way for the vibrant, new green development of China. Tianjin and TEDA are both very green cities, teeming with more boulevards than I can count. There are wide canals in Tianjin and green parks in the most unexpected places. From what I've seen, there is a great diversity of wildlife. At the plant I work at, swallows frequently fly low over just about everything. Bugs buzz through the air and I see the occasional exotic looking bird diving into the lush green turf which is ubiquitous in TEDA.