The story of Shenkeng Village (深坑) in Chiayi County is just one "green" experience recounted in a new book titled Stories of 22 Communities (22個社區的故事) republished by the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA).
The village is located east of the Formosa Freeway (National Freeway No. 3).
Decades ago, the village's residents constructed a clay bank to form a farm pond, which was used to store rain for irrigating their farms.
The gradual proliferation of betel nut plantations in the 1960s, however, led to a gradual draining of the pond.
A few years ago, a family surnamed Tsao (
Other residents worked to clean up some dirty areas in the community and then landscaped them.
Lin Shwu-ying (
"It [the book] is so precious," she said. "One will be truly touched when reading each of the stories."
Lin said the environment in the communities has become cleaner over the years.
Residents are also more conscious about the environmental issues facing their communities, she said.
However, she said the nation has a lot to do in terms of improving the general environment.
Lin said that development projects such as the petrochemical plant that CPC Corp, Taiwan has proposed building would damage the coastline on the west coast.
"The government was talking about doubling the number of visitors to Taiwan, and these natural resources should really be the selling point," Lin said.
The stories of the 22 communities can also be found on the EPA's Web site: www.epa.gov.tw.
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