The mayors of over 40 cities in the colder northern parts of the world are meeting in Changchun, capital of Jilin Province, to discuss how to make life in winter more pleasant.

With the theme "Grow in Winter," this year's Conference of the World Winter Cities Association for Mayors, which opened yesterday, saw its participants share and exchange views and experiences on winter-related issues such as snow cleaning, winter traffic, energy saving, waste collection, power supply, urban greening, public space, and maintenance of public facilities.

"It offers a great opportunity and platform for mayors who encounter the same challenges in winter to share their wisdom and experience and learn from each other," Ueda Fumio, mayor of Sapporo, Japan and president of the association, said.

"Winter is a gift of nature," he said. "But in order to turn the harsh and disadvantageous winter conditions into our treasure and resource we not only need leadership from the respective administrations and suggestions from experts, but also encourage public participation."

Masashi Kudo, section chief of the Snow Management Section of Aomori, Japan, detailed the city's snow cleaning experience, which involves the enactment of a Snow Disposal Ordinance based on the philosophy of partnership with citizens.

Bo Lindholm, member of the Sustainable Advisory Group of the city office of Kalmar, Sweden, promoted their success in using more environment-friendly biomass fuels, such as wooden pellets, to replace traditional fossil fuels.

As a result, carbon dioxide emissions have declined significantly, and the city has introduced designated non-fossil fuel zones.

"We are looking forward to learning experiences such as snow cleaning, and how to provide public services in large northern cities, such as Changchun," said David Ramseur, chief of the Staff of the Municipality of Anchorage, Alaska.

Changchun is keen to learn new methods of maintenance of public facilities and construction of public space.

"With the surging numbers of private cars we are also seeking solutions to the winter traffic problem," said Zhu Yejing, mayor of Changchun.

A forum during which experts and government officials will share their experiences on winter-related issues, and a products exposition to promote economic exchanges will also be held during the conference.

The conference ends on Wednesday.

Mayor of Changchun delivers a speech at the meeting.

(China.org.cn, China Daily January 16, 2006)