And ah, the tableware! Each course goes with a different wine, which means a different plate, a different fork and/or spoon (or knife) and a different glass. Don't be surprised if you have to run through a course of 10 dishes.

To top it all, there are the "goodbye gifts", which always come in huge paper bags. Open the bag, and you'll find a small something, expensive though. Is it necessary to waste such a big bag on such a small item?

The fashion world does hold some events to show its green heart. But they are more of promotional shows.

The famous "I am not a plastic bag" designed by the British designer Anya Hindmarch created a shopping craze, pushing up the bag's price to 3,000 yuan in China. But is a 3,000-yuan bag more environmentally friendly than an ordinary cloth or jute bag? No, but it definitely means you pay 1,000 times more. After the "I am not a plastic bag" craze, almost all luxury brands have started offering shopping bags. Their prices: from hundreds of yuan to thousands of yuan. And what happens to them after a few days? They are lost in some corner of rich women's closet.

Some designers do present green fabrics, but at the back of their mind they know what their rich customers love: cashmere, pashmina, shahtoos and fur.

Some celebrities have bared "all" to protest against the use of fur and wool or leather from protected and endangered animals. But do they really protest? Don't they seem more like displaying their svelte bodies? Do we have to go naked to stop the cruelty to animals and protect the environment?

Some say the fashion industry and the environment are natural enemies. That may be unfair. Passion for fashion and love for the environment can co-exist if producers and customers can give up their wasteful ways during production, packaging, transportation and promotion.

xuxiaomin@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 08/21/2010 page5)