With the coming of the Spring Festival, Zhang Jun, a Hangzhou fashion girl, plans with her boyfriend to walk along Kuocang Mountain, the highest peak in Southeast Zhejiang province, instead of flying to Hong Kong for shopping.

"Beginning this year, we are determined to live a more environmentally friendly life - fewer flights, fewer drives, and fewer luxurious hotels," said Zhang, who is even thinking of renting a small piece of woods in a village, where she can plant several trees every day.

Like any other fashion girl, Zhang used to go shopping all over the world by plane or by car. Her take on environmental protection was attributed to two movies. "The Day after Tomorrow and 2012 tells us the severe consequences caused by global warming, which remind us of the necessity of environmental protection," said Zhang, adding that low-carbon life is also a kind of trend.

Hangzhou hotels also launched measures to encourage low-carbon life. A man surnamed Zhao from Shanghai checked in at the Elan Inn-Longxiang Hangzhou, located in the heart of Hangzhou's business and shopping district. He got an Energy-Saving Record Card, which entitles any guest who gains 200 points in energy saving can get a 20-yuan coupon. Any guest who gains 500 points on energy saving can get a 50-yuan coupon.

In order to gain points, guests must use energy-saving practices. Guests who doesn't require a change of sheets will be awarded 50 points a day, and those who set the air-conditioner above 20 degree centigrade will be granted 30 points for each day.

"Such campaigns not only contribute to energy-saving, but also cut costs for us," said Lu Yuan, COO of the hotel. He said 10 thousand degrees of electricity could be saved if half of the guests shortened their showers by five minutes.

Zhejiang's Hangzhou has been a leading city in promoting low-carbon lifestyles. On May 1, 2008, Hangzhou began a free public bicycle service to ease traffic jams and carbon dioxide emissions. By 2020, the bicycle system is expected to cover all eight city districts, involving 175,000 bicycles for rental.

By Xie Fang