BEIJING, April 27, 2013 /PRNewswire/ - Chinese enterprises and government are adopting new and environmentally friendly approaches to disaster relief -- bringing food to the disaster area and taking away the garbage.
On April 23, the third day after the earthquake, hundreds of volunteers specially picking up instant noodle boxes and food waste appeared in Lushan County, the most affected area. After the earthquake struck, thousands of tons of food waste and household garbage were generated by hundreds of thousands of victims and rescuers per day in Lushan, and caused serious pollution in the area, as these people here are too busy to clear them.
China's largest homegrown instant noodle producer Baixiang Food initiated a campaign under the slogan "Leaving Love, Taking Away Pollutants," in addition to distributing instant noodles to both victims and rescuers.
"It is easy to send instant noodles to the disaster area, but how to deal with the resulting garbage? We initiated the campaign as we felt we have a responsibility to take away the instant noodle boxes, so as not to pollute the area," said Ni Jiaming, a volunteer from Baixiang Food.
Driven by the company, thousands of volunteers and local people have joined the environmental campaign. Some volunteers who sent relief supplies to the region would take away some plastic water bottles and instant noodle boxes when they leave.
Waste pollution after major disaster relief has been a common issue bothering the international community. After the 2011 earthquake in Japan, approximately 1.33 million tons of garbage were generated as a result of relief activities, and a large amount of debris floated across the Pacific toward the U.S. After the violent earthquake in Wenchuan, China in 2008, various non-degradable household waste were generated and remain there today.
The change begins with the relief to Lushan. Many volunteers and also enterprises represented by Baixiang Food now have kept the environmental idea of "Bringing Love, Taking Away the Garbage" in mind. The more profound significance of the campaign is that the improvement in Chinese enterprises' awareness of green relief and in the ethical quality of Chinese people demonstrated in the event is the best proof to the "Beautiful China" concept that the national government is advocating.
