Over one month after the Chinese New Year, I visited Summer Palace the other day and saw the staff taking the red lanterns down from trees. During the holiday season, the trees were decorated with these cute little lanterns which were now put into huge plastic bags. What’s noticeable is that most of them are made of plastics.

As plastic pollution has been a global environmental challenge, how we deal with the holiday decoration deserves most attention. So I asked the staff about whether the lanterns would be reused next year. 

According to the staff, the big lanterns usually will be kept for reuse; while the little ones will be thrown away. They were hung on the trees one month before the Chinese New Year and now they are worn-out in the open air. They are not as red and bright as before and not suitable for celebration, so there is no reason for reuse. 

What a pity! As the mankind has stepped on the road of new civilization, shouldn’t we change our aesthetic habits and embrace environmentally-friendly ways of living and celebration to welcome a sustainable future?

Original Chinese Article:

https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/tObY9KbR_a0sxxHC9E-gmA

Translator: Victoria

Checked by Sara

Editor: Victoria

Contact: V10@cbcgdf.org; +8617319454776

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