1. Before consumption, find out whether the manufacturing process of the products harms the
environment or not. For example, whether the paper is bleached or not.

2.  Before consumption, find out whether the products will harm the environment when being  used. For example, it consumes less energy and emits less poisonous gas to take public transportation than to drive private cars. And also using rechargeable batteries is better to save energy than using one-off ones.

3. Choose products with long-lasting styles that can be easily cleaned.

4. Don't throw away things that can still be used.

5. Switch off the appliance power when it is not used. Doing this can not only save energy, but also avoid electricity leakage.

6. Sleep on bamboo mat to keep cool in summer. Bamboo mat is better for heat emission than sheets. In this way you can shorten the time you use the air-conditioning.

7. One kilogram of paper can be made out of 3.5 kilograms of woods. In order to protect the forest, you should use paper as few as possible. For example, replace the tissues with handkerchief and write e-mails to save paper.

8. Buy local fruits to avoid the energy consumption during transportation.

9. Take your own chopsticks and plates when eating out. 25 million trees are cut down each year for one-off chopsticks in China on average.

Green living:

Green clothing

The material of the clothes should be natural. Cotton and hemp materials should be first considered.

Green food

Uncontaminated food will be the main trend in 21st century. In China, green foods that are certified will get a green sign. Green food can be divided into two grades. One is A grade which allows certain fertilizer and pesticide to be used in food producing process. The other is AA grade which totally forbids the usage of such materials.

Green houses

Use high-tech environmental friendly materials and promote sewage treatment in situ. Change sewage to neutrol water and then use it to water the flowers and wash the car.

Green car

Use fluorine-free car air conditioning. Try to realize zero emission in gas discharge and lower the noise of the car to three decibels.

Green home appliance

Green home appliance keeps your home free from toxins and pollution, minimize your energy consumption, and create a healthy environment for your everyday life. For example, low radiation TV, environment friendly microwave ovens and so on.

Click here to get more information on green consumption

(China.org.cn by Li Xiaohua November 5, 2007)