Voting begins for green guardians

By Sun Xiaohua (China Daily)
Updated: 2008-09-23 09:15

The voting for this year's "Green People of the Year", an annual award that recognizes the achievements of people in the area of environmental protection, has begun, one of its organizers said Monday.

Wang Panpu, secretary-general of the China Environmental Culture Promotion Association, which organizes the awards with the Ministry of Environmental Protection, said this year's competition will focus on individuals and teams that have "performed excellently in environmental protection" in the face of natural disasters, and those who have promoted eco-friendly lifestyles.

"Many moving stories came out of the natural disasters, like the snowstorms, earthquake and floods, that hit China this year," Wang said.

"We hope the heroes of those stories can be honored through the poll."

People who are engaged in eco-friendly lifestyles, such as using clean energies, constructing green buildings, and being green commuters, will also be considered for the prize," he said.

Everyone is invited to take part in the event and can submit their votes via the two websites Sohu.com and People.com.cn, Wang said.

The winners will be announced in December, he said.

Since the launch of the award scheme in 2005, 23 people have been named "Green People of the Year", including Zhao Yongxin, reporter with the People's Daily; Wang Yongchen, founder of environmental NGO Green Earth; and Du Shaozhong, deputy director of Beijing environmental protection bureau.