BEIJINGology

Small Talk With ...The Green Lady

With 22 years of eco-friendly experience, Jin Jiamen, Executive Director of Beijing's Global Environmental Institute (GEI), has been green in China since before it was trendy. She told us how she'll spend Earth Day.

How did you first get interested in environmental protection? As a person who loves nature, I feel some responsibility to protect my life, our lives and the global environment. In the past 20 years, you've been involved in a lot of projects, including founding Green Earth Volunteers and GEI. Which projects are your favorites? I like projects that relate to fundamentals and have real effects, like improved energy efficiency, emission reductions and supporting organic agriculture. So, what's the key idea behind GEI? To solve environmental protection problems in China via market mechanisms and realize the win-win of economic, environmental and social development. But, some think economic development and environmental protection are utterly at odds. Well, take energy efficiency for example. We can retrofit a cement factory's exhaust system to generate electricity, improving their savings and the environment at the same time. So, what's the best way for a Beijinger to celebrate this Earth Day? If you drive, you should choose an energy-saving car, but it's better to use public transportation. When you wash clothes at home, choose phosphor-free washing powder and save the water. And say "no" to one-off chopsticks! For me, I'll be telling my daughter the story of environmental protection in China.

For more information about the Global Environmental Institute, check out http://www.geichina.org

Everyone Is Talking About ...Carbon Footprints

As Earth Day arrives, we look at how an expat's environmental impact compares with that of a local

With Earth Day just around the corner, we sought out the help of Camco, a leading climate change business, to compile a carbon footprint for an average expat in Beijing and to help us better understand our impact on the environment.

An expat who drives in a standard petrol car from a Shunyi villa such as Mingduyuan makes a daily round trip of approximately 44km to the city and back, for a CO2e (CO2 equivalent) of 10.6kg per day. Compare this to a local Beijinger, who bikes and takes public transport for a similar distance with a CO2e of only 2.8kg, almost four times less. The numbers are more shocking over the course of a year. Assuming a five day workweek and 46 workweeks a year, a Shunyi-dwelling, car-driving expat creates a whopping 2.4 tons of CO2 a year, while the number for someone who uses public transportation is a mere 0.6 tons.

Beijing-based expats may pose their biggest threat to the environment by choosing to fly back to their home countries, since the environmental impact of a long haul flight, such as one from Beijing to the U.S. or Europe, is approximately 1 ton of CO2e per person.

Fortunately, it’s not too late to change. Camco calculates that if you decide to trade your car for a bike, the amount of energy saved could be the equivalent of 32 people not using their computers that day. Sounds to us like it’s time to make some Earth Day resolutions, especially while the weather’s just right for bike riding.

Camco is a leading climate change business and offers a range of carbon-related services worldwide. For more information, contact Wendy Wei: wendy.wei@camcoglobal.com.cn or visit http://www.camco-international.com

News You Can Use

Bloodthirsty
Beijing United Family Hospital and the Chaoyang Blood Administration are joining hands in requesting blood donations in preparation for the Olympics. The drive focuses on collecting the rare Rh negative blood type, found in 15 percent of Caucasians and 10 percent of Africans and only 0.3 percent of Han Chinese. Contact Beijing United Family Hospital to donate.

A Second Helping of Photography
Connoisseurs of modern and contemporary photography will be delighted to know that the Paris-Beijing Photo Gallery will be opening a second space in Dashanzi, only 100 meters from their current gallery. The 300 sq. meter gallery will be unveiled on April 26, simultaneously graced by the China debut of world-renowned French artist/photographer Marc Riboud.

Will We See Birds Inside?
After a month-long postponement, the completed Bird's Nest is slated to open in April. The IAAF Race Walking Challenge on April 18 will be the stadium's inaugural event. If you can't walk fast enough to make it over on that date, you can race over to see the structure two days later for the China Open Marathon. Or, check it out at any one of the 42 high-level sports events to be held there before the Olympics begin in August.

Get Balanced at the Yinyang
On April 11-13, visiting instructor Sam Hyde will hold a series of all-day Nia movement workshops at the new Yinyang Community Center. The center, which officially opens in May, is run by the owners of its neighbor The Orchard and will host a wide range of programs, including yoga, photography and cooking classes, lectures and other community events.