China never fails to amaze the global community. It’s a country still in touch with its’ roots, never forgetting their rich culture and tradition but always looking forward to the future. With a population of 1.398 billion people, it is no surprise that China’s economy is booming. Their population may be one of their best advantages, but also came to be an obstacle that China is giving solutions now through different sustainable strategies.
From colorful traditions to buzzing business districts, China is truly one of the best places to live in and work in! If you’re planning to move into China anytime soon, here’s some habits you may want to pick up to join China’s movement to become sustainable.
No Chopsticks!
In 2017, Chinese media highlighted the consequences of Takeout packaging waste to the environment. The three biggest delivery apps in the country made 34 million deliveries per day, which means that the amount of waste that came from the deliveries were massive. Chinese people pressured these delivery platforms to cut down on packaging. To this, the platforms responded by giving a no-chopstick option in their delivery services. By November 2018, the platform Ele.me app was able to save 43 million pairs of chopsticks, making the innovation a success. More and more Chinese people are opting for this option in their orders. Something to remember, when you get your food delivered in China.
Veggies Over Meat
Chinese are now experimenting with their food, less meat and more fruits and veggies. Not only because Food and Veggies are healthier, but also because a bigger meat consumption for their population leaves more carbon footprint, but that doesn’t mean that Chinese can’t have fun with their snacks. There are even restaurants that standout because of their fruit and vegetable themed dishes like the Avocado Tree in Beijing, popular for serving avocado dishes and their cute instagrammable location!
Bikes Instead of Cars
In China, it’s natural for people to get a bike for their errands rather than get a car for it. It’s more convenient, and eco-friendly. Chinese cities were big and they had to find a way to have a mother trip if they didn’t want to use the public transport. A few years back there was a concept called “Shared Bike” where people registered online to rent a bike wherever and whenever they wanted.
Electronic Bikes
If a bike is too slow for you and you’d still like to avoid the hassle of a commute, here’s another option for you: E-bikes. E-bikes are trendy in China nowadays and have the possibility to be trendy worldwide soon. Other Asian countries such as South Korea and Philippines also use the E-bike as a substitute to the traditional motorcycles. E-bikes are electronic meaning it’s rechargeable, leaving very little to no carbon emissions when being used. (Just don’t forget to charge your bikes before you go to work!)
Become a Digital Nomad
With the rise of the business centers all over the country, everyone working in the digital industry wants to live near the area. If you’re a person who loves exploring, traveling, meeting new people and working at different places, becoming a digital nomad is the best lifestyle for you. As business centers encourage globalization and collaboration with different peoples, coworking spaces also thrive in these areas. Which means, a digital nomad can stay anywhere, anytime while still being connected to work.
Choose Sustainable Fashion
Sustainable fashion is a worldwide trend, and of course China can’t miss it. More and more of the Chinese youth are becoming more ethically and environmentally conscious about their lifestyle, including their fashion choices. Which is why younger brands are advocating clothing from either recycled plastic or from scrap cloths. It’s not relatively new, in fact this way of clothing technology has already existed in China for 15- 20 years now. It’s just becoming more popular these days.
Segregation and Recycling
Chinese households take their segregation very seriously. There are so many campaigns to remind people of proper segregation and proper waste disposal. Cities not only make use of their own government platform but also make use of wechat to advocate continuous segregation. Recycling is also a big thing in China, alongside proper waste segregation, they encourage their citizens to recycle the materials that they can still utilize.
Moving to a new country is definitely scary and can be quite confusing at first, but it helps to know if the country that you are moving to gives opportunities for career growth, culture enrichment, and sustainable practices. These are the things that make China one of the best places to live in and work in. There are so many more sustainable practices that China does in their own cities, it’s up to you to discover on your own once you move in.