Many of the environmental disasters erupting in the country could have been avoided, or at least wouldn't have been so bad, if there was strong public environmental awareness.

One example is the recent public protest against the PX chemical plant planned for Xiamen in East China's Fujian Province. The plan has to be changed under heavy pressure from local residents who fear possible health hazards of the giant chemical plant in the scenic city.

Meanwhile, construction of the Shanghai-Hangzhou maglev also seems to have been stopped, at least for the moment, due to the strong protest of people living along the planned route over possible magnetic radiation pollution.

While there are more cases reflecting increasing public environmental concern, such awareness is still low among the general public.

According to a 2006 study released at the beginning of the year by the China Environmental Culture Promotion Association, environmental awareness of Chinese scored just 57 points.

A big headache that arises from low public environment awareness comes during national holiday weeks, when managers of not a few scenic spots across the country have to cope with littering as tourists number dramatically rise.

Many Chinese do not observe the basic civic code regarding environmental protection.

This was a big contrast to when I hiked in the Manoa Valley in Oahu, Hawaii, more than a decade ago. My friends there carried garbage bags on their backs. People were told not to leave any trace there, except footprints.

Having probably the most beautiful beaches and best environment in the world, people in Hawaii still kept talking about a possible environmental and ecological crisis on the islands.

On weekends, volunteers - old and young - were seen on the beaches picking up garbage left by careless tourists.

Building up such an environmental awareness is no easy job. It would take a long time, possibly longer than a generation.

A decade ago, Shanghai launched the "Seven Nots" drive, which included things such as no spitting, no littering, no vandalism on greenery and no smoking. A decade later, the city's streets are cleaner, but spitting, littering and smoking in forbidden areas are still common. Such uncivil behavior would be a big challenge in 2010 when Shanghai intends to host a green World Expo.

If all Chinese can demonstrate the kind of environmental awareness like those protesting PX plant in Xiamen and those objecting the maglev line in Shanghai, the hundreds of thousands of polluting factories along our waterways would not have been constructed in the first place.

If there is a strong public environmental awareness, the industrial park being built so close to the pristine Wuyi Mountains I visited months ago would not be able to start construction, either.

If there is strong public environmental awareness, corporations would have much more to worry about if they don't strictly observe environmental codes. Governments at various levels would also be reluctant to develop the economy at the cost of our environment.

If there is a strong public awareness, our rivers would be cleaner, our air fresher.

Public environmental awareness is about everything. It's about keeping an eye on corporations. It's also about urging government environmental agencies to do their jobs.

More importantly, it's also about asking individual Chinese every day how environmentally friendly, or how green, is your lifestyle and behavior.

Have you tried to use public transport and energy-saving light bulbs? Have you tried not to use disposable chopsticks, or not to turn your air-conditioners too low in summer, or you heat too high in winter?

Have you recycled waste paper, bottles, and bring your own shopping bags to supermarkets? The list goes on.

Although the many environmental disasters happening in the country have served as a painful and awakening lesson for raising public environmental awareness, such education should really start from our schools and even kindergartens.

The class that boasts of China's vast territory and rich natural resources should include chapters on our grave environment challenges - about 40 percent of the country's waterways are seriously polluted. About 300 million farmers lack access to clean drinking water.

While the government should play its role in raising environmental awareness, the many environmental NGOs should be encouraged to exert their influences.

In fact, many NGOs are already doing a lot in educating the public.

For example, Roots & Shoots, launched by Jane Goodale, has built a strong grassroots network in many Chinese schools to raise the awareness of the generation that is going to inherit our generation's environmental mess.

Other organizations, such as Friends of Nature, have also held various activities to promote grassroots environmental awareness.

The global Live Earth concerts, which ended in Shanghai on July 7 amid pouring rain, was a successful public campaign in this regard.

While most people bet on tough laws and law enforcement, public environmental awareness could become an even powerful force to help keep our planet clean.

(China Daily 07/21/2007 page4)