Cleaner and greener city

Greening China after the Olympic Games (Photo credit: Richard Juilliart/IOC)

Beijing has spent over USD 16 billion (120 billion Yuan) tackling its chronic pollution to create a cleaner and greener city. This includes relocating polluting factories, increasing green space, improving waste management and water treatment, and adding more subway lines while scrapping older, polluting vehicles and introducing more ecologically-friendly buses. Alternative energy sources, such as wind farms and solar power, are also helping to lessen the reliance on coal-fired energy.

Money well spent

Greening China after the Olympic Games (Photo credit: Richard Juilliart/IOC)

A recent United Nations Environment Programme report lauded the “significant strides” made by Beijing. UNEP Executive Director and UN Under-Secretary-General Achim Steiner said: “The initial score card on the Beijing Olympics and Paralympics 2008 is positive in terms of the greening of the Games.” He added the money “appears to have been well spent – and will be even more well spent if the lessons learnt and measures adopted are picked by municipalities across the country so as to leave a real and lasting nationwide legacy.”

Non-disposable chopsticks and energy saving light bulbs

Greening China after the Olympic Games (Photo credit: John Huet/IOC)

For Greenpeace China, which has been liaising with BOCOG since 2006, “it is not so much to green the Games, but to ensure that environmental successes achieved for the Olympic Games will have a wider impact beyond 2008″. Greenpeace Campaign Director Lo Szeping asks the following question: “If Beijing can organise a Green Olympics, why can’t China show that a developing country of its size can also develop in a sustainable way?” Greenpeace has been lobbying Beijing businesses and residents to adopt more environmentally friendly habits, persuading over 300 Beijing restaurants to use non-disposable chopsticks, and urging residents to use energy-saving light bulbs. “We believe that everyone can help to make the Olympic Games and China greener even after 2008,” said Lo.

Reasons to be confident

Greening China after the Olympic Games (Photo credit: John Huet/IOC)

“We have reasons to be confident. We are looking forward to lessons and experiences gained in the preparation of the Green Olympics being radiated to other parts of China”, underlines Frances Fremont-Smith, Executive Director of Future Generations/China, another NGO that has organised two Green Long Marches. The most recent one of these marches, in April 2008, gathered around 4,000 students from 55 universities from across the country. They crossed China to research environmental protection and share their enthusiasm for the Games. It is planned to become an annual event.

Greening China after the Olympic Games (Photo credit: John Huet/IOC)

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At 10:30, people flocked to the site of the closing ceremony. Thunderous applause created a joyous atmosphere.

A slight drizzle chilled the city this morning, but this did not bother the 208 torchbearers of 13 ethnicities, led by Zhong Hundi, known as a long distance running princess. All participants joined together to experience the sacred flame and to spread the Chinese people’s love for the victims of the May 12 earthquake.

Covering a distance of 8.3 km, the Kunming leg started off at the century square in the Kunming World Expo Park. The closing ceremony was held at the Dalian Lake Platform in Min Village.

Banners reading “Rebuild Homes and Support the Quake-hit Areas,” “One World One Dream,” and “Kunming joins hands with Wenchuan” were seen along the torch relay route to express people’s wishes and love to the Sichuan quake victims.

Ouyang Jian, a CPC leader, addressed the closing ceremony and presented the Torch Relay certificate to city officials.

The torch will continue its journey in Lijiang, a picturesque tourist destination in the province.

“Sheng Si Bu Li”

The lyrics to the song “Sheng Si Bu Li,” which means “together forever,” were recited to viewers concerned about the safety and well-being of people in the earthquake-affected regions in Sichuan Province. The lyrics were written by Wang Jiuping, director of the BOCOG Cultural Activities Department on the very night that the earthquake stroke. Jacky Chan records a studio version of the song, which is expected to serve as encouragement to the people and the soldiers carrying out rescue and relief efforts in the earthquake-stricken area.

Liu Xiaohai, who had been under the debris for nearly 70 hours, is rescued by the army in Beichuan County of the earthquake-hit Sichuan Province in southwest China, May 15, 2008.

A rescuer from Japan receives an interview after arriving at Chengdu, capital of southwest China’s Sichuan Province, on May 16, 2008. A Japanese rescue team arrive in the quake-hit Sichuan Province in southwest China early on Friday to assist local disaster relief efforts. The Japanese rescue team, comprising 31 members including technical workers and medical stuffs, is the first group of foreign aid personnel to China following the devastating 7.8-magnitude quake which jolted a wide range of areas on Monday. (Xinhua Photo)