I’m not what you’d call an environmental role model. I have no idea how big my carbon footprint is, but I doubt I’ve shed the wasteful habits learned in 30 years of life in America, so we’re probably talking Sasquatch proportions. Air conditioning, beef consumption, incandescent lighting – my sins against Gaia are numerous.

TreeHugger, the “one-stop shop for green news, solutions, and product information,” had a post yesterday about Beijing’s contribution to the 350.org International Day of Climate Action last Saturday, October 24.

As loyal Beijingers we understand our fair city is superior to Shanghai in almost every respect, but sadly the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) has concluded Shanghai has it over us in one respect - air quality.

Is it possible to reduce your carbon footprint by eating only local food?

Back in September 2007 when I made my first investigation into recycling in China, my motive was pure fascination.

Never before had I seen such meticulously gung-ho nannies collecting discarded reusables, willing to risk life and limb to get that empty bottle across the street. Never before had I seen three-wheeled bikes like these: overflowing with cardboard, scrap metal, and yesterday’s Wahaha bottles, all tied together with flimsy twine. Not to mention Lao Wang, the wiry man who somehow pedals these small mountains on to their mysterious destination. I quickly found out their motive was pure economics.

If travel were fashion, green would be the new black. How can you distinguish a “greenwashed” company – whose loud claims of eco-friendliness run no deeper than a leaf-shaped note asking you to re-use your towel – from a truly green one? Instead of making vague promises to panda bears, a true ecotourism company will:

In an alleyway in Weigongcun, three brothers from Anhui weathered the worst days of the financial crisis with their bottle collection business. The small patch that serves as their headquarters is filled with thousands of bottles sending up a terrific stench in the scorching summer weather. Students with huge bags line up outside, waiting to dump their bottles.

The Jiang brothers pay RMB 50,000 a year for their small space and the government license that allows them to recycle. They face fierce competition from unlicensed mobile recyclers, but still, the brothers are beginning to thrive. Summer has arrived, and with it a sharp increase in the number of bottles. They responded to our interview while furiously counting thousands of bottles, throwing them all into an enormous sack on a small truck nearby.

When Xu Bing returned to Beijing last year after 18 years in New York, it made headlines. Not only was one of China’s most acclaimed contemporary artists coming home, but he was taking a job at the very top of his old alma mater, as vice-president of the Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA).

When he left in 1990, all opportunity seemed to be overseas. Two years prior, he had exhibited Book from the Sky, an extraordinary work comprising hanging scrolls and countless bound books, all hand-printed from carved wooden blocks in a “language” of 4,000 meaningless “characters.” The work was fiercely controversial. Was he mocking the Chinese language? The people’s ignorance?

Greening the Beige is an artist’s collective that hosts and promotes environmentally themed events like fashion shows, concerts, fi lm screenings, workshops, and art exhibitions. In addition to artists, they are looking for translators, content and event managers, researchers, grant writers, volunteer coordinators, and any ideas you can bring to the table. This year’s theme is Water, Air, and Energy. To volunteer your time and talent organizing or performing at events, check out their “Call for Artists” at www.greeningthebeige.org (starting Jun 5). E-mail info@greeningthebeige.org with your ideas.

A young child places a plastic bottle into a recycling machine and waits with glee for his 1 jiao coin reward. According to a small article in today's Beijing News, the recycling machine pictured above can be found by the South Gate of Chaoyang Park. The report concludes by announcing that more of the machines are set to gradually start appearing througout Beijing's residential areas.

But it seems that the machines aren't exactly new - last August, China Economic Net reported on the presence of the Beijing-made plastic eaters on Shanghai's Nanjing Lu.