Environmental groups yesterday urged industrial conglomerates, especially petrochemical giant, the Formosa Plastics Group, to join the drive of promoting vegetarian diets as a way to help offset the carbon emissions they created.

Aside from the EPA a the central government, the environment protection bureaus at city and county governments have also organized various activities to promote environmental awareness.

"Kick the Habit! Towards a Low Carbon Economy" is the major theme for the 2008 World Environment Day June 5 adopted by the United Nations, according to EPA chief Shen Shih-hung.

People should take concrete actions, including striving to change their habits in everyday life that will help improve the existing environment and conserve a quality climate for the future generations, he said.

The EPA has organized a series of public activities to urge the public to adopt new consumption habits that generate the minimum carbon emissions.

Exhibitions of photos on global warming and low-carbon declaration have been held at the plazas of the Zhongshan and Eastern District underground malls since May 31.

On June 2, an exhibition was held at the National Central University as an example for to share with students and faculties the methods and experiences of low-carbon living style on the campus.

Similar exhibition will be staged at the plaza of the Zhongshan Hall in Taipei for people to sign up with a pledge to change their habits.

A film about polar bears will be shown in the evening.

Low-carbon tips

The EPA has chosen the indigenous Taiwan black bear and the white polar bear as mascots for the campaign.

The 10 new habits for individual persons being promoted by the EPA include, rethinking (thinking again if the purchases are really needed), reduce (don't bite more than a person can chew; don't buy or order more food than a person can eat so as to reduce kitchen waste), consuming locally produced food, reuse (avoid disposable utensils), shunning the buying of over packaged products, installing energy-efficiency bulbs, turning off lights and appliances when not in use, opening windows, walking more, not driving one day in a week, and recycling.

For corporations, Shen said the government will consider allowing industries to plant trees in Taiwan, mainland China and other countries to help reduce "greenhouse" gases blamed for global warming.

"Carbon dioxide emissions cause warming globally, not just confined to Taiwan," he said.

Alternatives

Some private organizations have come up with alternatives for consideration by entrepreneurs.

The "No Meat No Heat Union" comprised of more than 50 local groups urged the government to build a friendly environment for vegetarians as a way to tackle the problems.

The government should not just urge local citizens to save energy, while allowing big enterprises to waste energy, union spokesman Pan Han-shen, who is also the secretary-general of the Green Party Taiwan,

All the carbon-reducing efforts made by the people can be easily offset if the government approves the construction of a controversial steel plant by the Formosa Plastics Group (FPG).

The project is currently under the government's environmental impact assessment. If approved, the steel plant will generate up to 15 million tonnes of carbon emissions, an amount that will take 10 million people who need to eat only vegetables for one year to offset, Pan warned.

Cheng Hsiao-hsuan, CEO of the union's secretariat, suggested that FPG set up 20,000 to 30,000 sites all over Taiwan to provide vegetarian food at low prices to as many as 10 million people.

Vegetarian diet

Cheng said the FPG can also offer vegetarian diet courses to raise the public's awareness about environmental protection.

More than 1.2 million people in Taiwan have pledged to help cut carbon emissions by converting to vegetarian diet, which will reduce at least 1.5 million tons of carbon emissions in Taiwan each year.

Those who have signed to take more vegetarian foods include Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng, EPA chief, Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin, and Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chu

Pan said cows and goats produce large amounts of methane, one of the six greenhouse gases, during and after digestion.

Growing animal feed and animal processing and transportation all also contribute to global warming, Pan said.

Pan noted that 20 percent of the world's carbon emissions are created by the livestock industry, which is higher than the 15 percent to 18 percent produced by all the transportation vehicles in the world.

Pan said that if one person eats only vegetables for one day, an estimated 4.1 kilo of carbon emissions can be reduced.

If one person's vegetable diet persists for the whole year, an estimated 1.5 ton of carbon emissions can be cut, Pan noted.

In other words, the more than one million people who have signed up for the campaign can help decrease 1.5 million tonnes of carbon emissions annually, Pan said.