According to TheMalaysianInsider.com, China’s got a new cool image as a promoter of green awareness. A new catch phrase is hitting the streets amongst the youth: Jin tian ni di tan le ma? Which means: “Have you been ‘low-carbon’ today?” This phrase has become so popular that it is edging out the standard greeting, Ni hao ma? (“How are you?) What is interesting to note is what a profound impact the celebrities in the country are having in shaping the views of its citizens. Starting with the commercials for the Olympics which apparently started the green thinking, there has been a growing awareness amongst the Chinese population about the importance of environmental protection.
Below is a snippet of the article that mentions how Miss Li is leading the way for change:
So influential are such celebrities in China that they are increasingly becoming the frontmen in the country’s efforts to go green.
From endorsing solar panels and electric bikes to crooning love songs to the environment, Chinese stars are showing that green is the new cool in the world’s heaviest carbon-emitting country.
Leading the pack is film star Li Bingbing, who was recently crowned Best Actress at the prestigious Golden Horse Awards in Taiwan.
State media China Central Television appointed her as its “star journalist” for the international climate change summit held in Copenhagen earlier this month. She has since hit all the right green notes, successfully branding herself as China’s top “green celebrity”.
Not only does she insist on cycling and taking public transport, even though she has been offered a limousine, she also wears eco-friendly clothes, which she bought herself rather than getting them sponsored.
In addition, she blogs about her green lifestyle, talking about how she takes along her own toiletries for hotel stays and uses handkerchiefs instead of tissue paper.
She even sports an eco-friendly credit card that China claims is a world-first. The Shenzhen Development Bank has appointed her as the spokesman for its “green card”, which is made from biodegradable materials instead of plastic.
For sceptics who question what difference a small card could make, Li offers this statistic: ‘Last year, about two billion credit cards were issued — stacked up, they would be high enough to scale about eight Himalayan peaks.
“These cards are not biodegradable, so the damage they could do to the environment really makes one’s heart ache.”
Rivalling her in popularity as a green celebrity is actress Zhou Xun, who has been appointed as the ‘green fairy ambassador’ for the World Expo being held next year in Shanghai.
Zhou urges the Chinese to save water by minimising the amount they use for showers, and to buy more trees. This year, she spent 6,000 yuan (RM3,014) to plant 238 trees in Beijing to offset the amount of carbon dioxide she had emitted last year.
It is important to note — despite the struggles at the COP15 summit — how the Chinese people have still become mobilized to do their part to help protect the Earth. Also it is noteworthy to realize how much effort is continuing to be done by celebrities like Miss Li who are leading others by example and paving the way for environmental change.
Even if no legally-binding agreements have been reach to date it may be at least comforting for the West to note they are not alone in their understanding about the importance of protecting the environment.
The full article can be read here.
) In any case, have a Happy New Year. If more articles come along in the next twenty-four hours we will do our best to put it up. In the meantime have a happy and productive day.
