Photo taken on Aug 13, 2015 shows the night view of Lhasa, capital of Southwest China's Tibet autonomous region. Lhasa, one of the highest cities in the world, has a history of more than 1,300 years.[Photo/Xinhua]

Although called "Green Dawa" for more than five years, Dawa still feels embarrassed but somehow proud of his nickname.

He was so dubbed thanks to his environmental protection work in Lhasa, capital of the Tibet autonomous region, for about eight years.

"Since the first train entered in 2006, I assumed that a large number of tourists would flock to Tibet. That's why we started to advocate anti-plastic pollution and environmental protection," said Dawa, adding that increasing numbers of tourists are more likely to cause white pollution.

"I am a native of Lhasa and love my hometown. I assume people who visit Lhasa are also ones who love the city. We hope to maintain a clean and green Lhasa without pollution," the 46-year-old said.

He and a friend, Cai Jinping, who is also an enthusiast on environmental protection, founded non-profit organization "I Love Green Lhasa", promoting environmental protection in Lhasa and the region.

"The essence of environmental protection is to promote people's awareness. It is not only the business of government," Dawa said, adding that the organization has been working on running activities to raise people’s environmental protection awareness.

One activity is to employ disabled people to persuade shoppers and customers to stop using plastic bags in farmer’s markets.

The organization also frequently holds diverse activities, including enlisting volunteers to pick up trash in the Lhasa River and conducting environmental protection training.