Voting begins for green guardians

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 yesterday.

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.