UN green experts praise city efforts

The United Nations Environment Program releases an environmental assessment on World Expo 2010.

scene of the press conference

The United Nations Environment Program praised Shanghai's efforts in organizing an environmentally friendly 2010 World Expo in an assessment released yesterday.

The assessment applauded the city's efforts in nine areas of the Expo - air quality, transport, energy, solid waste, water, green coverage, protected areas, climate neutrality and the overall site.

The city had a network of air pollution monitoring stations comparable to developed countries, the UN group said.

It realized the reduction of sulfur dioxide through desulfurizing power plants in five years and would build a world-class rapid transit network of more than 400 kilometers of tracks in 20 years using many new-energy vehicles.

The city government also limited private car growth through license-plate auctions, the assessment said.

Hong Hao, director of the Bureau of Shanghai World Expo Coordination, meets Achim Sterner, UN under-secretary-general and UNEP executive director.

The traffic measures the city implemented, such as tightening emission standards and accelerating replacement of older and more polluting cars, were effective in stabilizing nitrogen dioxide and carbon monoxide emissions, the two main air pollutants of recent years.

The city accelerated its environmental initiatives when preparing for the Expo.

By 2009, investments in environmental protection reached 42 billion yuan (US$6.15 billion), three times more than in 2000, the assessment said.

The Expo would "leave a green legacy for the citizens of Shanghai and contribute to worldwide initiatives."

It offered "a glimpse of greener future" to the world, Achim Sterner, UN under-secretary-general and UNEP executive director, said at the releasing ceremony in the Bureau of Shanghai World Expo Coordination in Shanghai.

The report recommended the city use more renewable energy rather than largely depending on coal for electricity.

It also suggested developing a more comprehensive waste-reduction system apart from the use of landfill and mechanical-biological treatment plants.

The city needed to tackle the nitrification of the river system, it said.

It urged the city government and the Expo organizer to activate public participation in environmental protection.

Sterner hoped the city would "turn its modernization into a green example for urban development of the future."

The UNEP will do another follow-up report after the Expo ends on October 31, 2010.

Editor: Yang Jian

Expo signs confectionery supplier

scene of the signing ceremony

Hong Hao, director of the Bureau of Shanghai World Expo Coordination, presents plaques to Wang Zongnan, chairman of Bright Food.

Guan Sheng Yuan (Group) Co Ltd, a local foodstuffs giant, yesterday became the confectionery supplier to 2010 World Expo after signing a project sponsorship agreement with the organizer in Shanghai.

Guan Sheng Yuan's monosodium glutamate won gold awards at three previous World Expos in 1926, 1930 and 1933. It has donated the certificate won by the brand at the Chicago World Expo in 1933 to the Shanghai Municipal Archives.

Jiang Suping, deputy Party secretary of the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of Shanghai Municipal Government, delivers a speech.

Chen Xianjin, deputy director general of the Bureau of Shanghai World Expo Coordination, gives a speech.

Jiang Suping, deputy Party secretary of the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of Shanghai Municipal Government, called on local enterprises to make full use of the 2010 Expo to promote their brands.

Chen Xianjin, deputy director general of the Bureau of Shanghai World Expo Coordination, hoped Guan Sheng Yuan would become a "friendship ambassador" in cultural exchange and make contributions to a "successful, splendid and unforgettable" event.

Editor: Hu Min

Expo takes a spotlight at book fair

A huge China Pavilion model draped in red captures the attention at the central hall of the book fair.

Readers take photos of Expo 2010 pavilions.

The Shanghai Book Fair - the city's annual extravaganza for reading buffs - this year offered something new with a raft of Expo-themed books for sale.

Expo elements were shining at the fair as the city ticks off the time to the event with only 255 days to opening.

Readers browse Expo-themed books.

A huge China Pavilion model draped in red captured the attention at the central hall of the book fair, accompanied by two cute Haibao who welcomed visitors and invited them to take photos.

Models of a variety of Expo pavilions made of paper are also on display, together with Expo-themed post cards and stamps which presented a vivid picture of the trail of world exposition history.

Readers were able to find various Expo books that traced the event's history, taught Expo-related etiquette, elaborated on Expo architecture or promoted Expo-themed tour packages.

And readers' responses were enthusiastic.

A child browses a book about Expo 2010 mascot Haibao.

The book "My Fate with Expo" written by Wu Jianmin, the former ambassador to France and former chairman of the Bureau of International Expositions, was popular, according to staff at the fair. Wu shared his World Expo experiences in the book as he and his wife Shi Yanhua participated in the bidding and preparation for the 2010 Expo.

Many readers recorded their best wishes and expectations for Expo, one saying "The Expo is an event for us all which demonstrates China's power. Wish Expo Shanghai a successful event."

The fair at Shanghai Exhibition Center on Yan'an Road will close today.

Editor: Hu Min

Innovation the key for Sweden

The Sweden Pavilion at World Expo 2010 is a temporary building. However, it is constructed from recyclable materials that can be reconstructed somewhere else. That feature of the pavilion represents the three keywords Swedish team aims to convey: innovation, sustainability and communication.

The theme of the pavilion is "Spirit of Innovation."

The design concept of the pavilion is the relationship between city life and nature.

Nature is very close to the Swedish people, and it inspires and triggers their creativity, while a well-developed urban city is essential for the enjoyment of a good life.

Glass walkways

The 3,000-square-meter pavilion is in four parts, divided by a cross or "plus sign."

"It means the city life plus the nature," says Annika Rembe, commissioner general of the Swedish committee for Expo 2010. "The design is easy and simple, but is interesting in itself."

It also represents the national flag of Sweden.

The four parts are connected by glass walkways for the convenience of visitors.

Photographs taken by a famous Swedish photographer will be displayed along the pavilion's passages. Though the specific way they will be presented has not yet been revealed, it is promised to be "exciting and eye-catching."

The outside look of the pavilion is like a city map of Stockholm, the capital city of Sweden.

"I can point out to you where I live," says Rembe half-jokingly.

In the pavilion, people will come through a "story" by walking through different parts of the pavilion and its three floors.

One of the key elements of the pavilion is in seeing things from the perspective of a child, with their sense of fun, curiosity and strange but inspiring ideas.

Pippi Longstocking has been selected to represent the innovative spirit of Sweden.

Longstocking is a fictional character in a series of children's books by Swedish author Astrid Lindgren and a household name in Sweden because of her strength and ideas.

"In Sweden, if a child is like Pippi and has a lot of ideas, people will consider him or her to be a Nobel Prize winner-to-be," says Rembe.

The pavilion features materials that have been specially treated so they can be applied in modern architecture.

Taking the advantage of rich forest resources in Sweden, the construction team chose wood to build the structure of the pavilion with steel as its roof. The wood is thickly compressed to be a very strong material for buildings. The steel is also specially treated to become a supplement for the cooling system and save energy. The same is true with the rubber floor, air cleaning system and so on. Sweden brings Swedish solutions to China with interesting systems and products.

The activities include music, street artists and circus performance, which will include a lot of joyful and interactive fun. People are not only visitors in the pavilion, but also participate in the activities and are part of Swedish challenges.

Source: Shanghai Daily