Low-carbon lifestyles given huge push

Factories closed

In Gulin county, Sichuan province, Fu Demin, 39, has become a firm low-carbon advocate after being involved for years in her family's business, which had high emission levels.

The family used to run half of the more than 60 brick factories in Gulin, employing over 1,000 workers.

However, in 2015, local authorities closed the family's factories due to their high emission levels."I felt the Chinese government's deep resolve to control industries with high emissions," Fu said.

She then looked for openings in environmental protection, an area she believes boasts rich opportunities.

Having no related knowledge, Fu took up whatever environment-related training she could find in 2016.

A year later, she decided to concentrate on carbon after discovering that China had been piloting carbon trading. Meanwhile, seven central government bodies published a guideline for establishing a green financial system.

"I still spend about 300,000 yuan a year on carbon-related education," Fu said.

She and four of her siblings tried to include carbon asset management as a business category at a company they run after hearing that the National Development and Reform Commission held a conference in late 2017 on setting up a national carbon market for the power generating industry.

Fu said the category was so unfamiliar that it was not included in the local commerce authority's registration system.

She has also been attempting to get local entrepreneurs to adopt a low-carbon approach to development.

In 2019, Fu and more than 50 entrepreneurs jointly launched Zhongtan Lvlinbao Low Carbon Technology Co in Chengdu, capital of Sichuan province. One of the company's businesses now encourages a low-carbon approach, with a training program themed on carbon asset management.

More than 200 entrepreneurs have taken part in the program, which features two-day training sessions every month, Fu said.

The company and the education department in Sichuan plan to launch a pilot program in a university town in Yibin to promote low-carbon sustainable lifestyles among students.