Zhongguancun Environmental Protection Park. Provided to China Daily

Beijing's Haidian district is looking for ways to save energy, cut emissions, and develop an environmentally friendly lifestyle, local officials have said.

It already started those moves under China's 11th Five-Year-Plan (2006 to 2010), in which time, its development initiatives lead to some success.

In 2009, input in energy-saving technologies in the district takes a bigger proportion in fiscal revenue, to 13.08 million yuan from 8.2 million yuan in 2008

In 2010, it had 281 days with good air, putting it above standard for the nation, and its forest coverage reached 47.5 percent.

Its Liulitun Economic Industrial Park and UFIDA Software Park were Beijing pilot projects for the recycling economy. Haidian was one of the first districts in Beijing to promote a recycling economy.

Haidian has arranged activities to promote the "green economy" idea in its communities and schools.

Opportunities and challenges

Now, in the first year of the 12th Five-Year-Plan, the district is looking at new opportunities and challenges, the local government has reported.

First, because the country is focusing on an energy-saving, environmentally friendly society, the government is working on related policies and guidelines.

Second, thanks to the district's Zhongguancun innovative area, it gets both intellectual and financial support.

Third, the rapid development of the area around Haidian adds further funding for development.

At the same time, the officials have said they need to be better prepared to face the new challenges.

For example, the government's higher standards for energy saving and emissions reductions mean Haidian will have to do more.

And, the rapid population growth has put even more pressure on the district. In 2010, Haidian's population was around 3.2 million, well above the 2.9 million level that is considered reasonable for the district. The conflict between humans and the environment is more acute than ever.

One way to deal with this has been separating the district into four parts, each with its own characteristics, to better control resource and energy use.

The southern part focuses mainly on the service industry; the north, on major industries; the center, on innovative environmentally friendly technology; and the northwest, on tourism and entertainment.

The district is also pushing a low-carbon lifestyle and has told offices that they need to use less paper, electricity and water. They are also being asked to hold fewer conferences and to use on-line office-software.

Schools and communities are being encouraged to use energy-saving building materials, while individual families are being asked to use environmentally friendly interior decoration materials and home alliances.

And, finally, the district is developing public transportation systems that take the pressure off traffic congestion, and reduce pollution.

(China Daily 09/15/2011 page19)