Waste not, want not
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| Environmentally friendly bicycles from the Denmark Pavilion (above) and the Elisabeth Star diamond necklace from the Belgium-EU Pavilion will soon be auctioned for charitable causes. [China Daily] |
According to World Expo rules, all pavilions must be torn down when the Expo runs its course and their exhibitions removed, although the rules do allow for sales, auctions and recycling.
However there has been talk during the ongoing Expo that one or two of the pavilions in the Urban Best Practices Area (UBPA), a new addition to the World Expo, may remain in place.
The Shanghai government has expressed interest in integrating some of these experiments in ecologically aware urban engineering into new districts or urban developments in China's bustling financial hub.
Contributing to local charities is another option for pavilions seeking a better solution to their exhibits than simply dumping them in the garbage can as they depart.
China Business Network (CBN), the business arm of Shanghai Media Group, plans to launch a program called Expo Auction Hall on Ningxia TV on Oct 17. The show will give pavilions a platform on which to put parts of their displays under the hammer, with a percentage of the proceeds going to charitable causes.
The project aims to fit with the Expo's theme of "Better City, Better Life" by making better use of the resources around us, program staff said.
Exhibits that have already been confirmed include The Elisabeth Star, a piece of jewelry featuring a yellow diamond. It was created for the Belgium-EU Pavilion by Belgian jeweler Wolfers, the official jeweler of the King of Belgium. It features a 27-carat pear-shaped diamond as its centerpiece.
"We expect it will fetch at least 24 million yuan ($3.59 million), which is its real value, but it may go for more," said Mickey Weinstock, the pavilion's diamond coordinator. "We will also be putting other important diamonds from our collection up for auction."
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