Some foreign representative offices in Taiwan will send electronic Christmas cards to government agencies and other contacts this holiday season as part of efforts to protect the environment.
The Taipei-based European Economic and Trade Office (EETO) and the British Trade and Cultural Office (BTCO) said e-cards were less detrimental to the environment than paper cards.
The decision coincides with a UN Framework Convention on Climate Change meeting taking place in Copenhagen, at which some 100 heads of states from around the world are discussing reductions in greenhouse emissions and a new agreement to replace the Kyoto Protocol that expires in 2012.
“The world is currently searching for a solution to combat climate change. It is therefore important that we take action rather than simply talk about taking action,” Guy Ledoux, head of the EETO, told CNA in an e-mail.
“The electronic card is one small action that we can do to save the environment, and even though it is not an actual card, it still conveys our most sincere appreciation to all the friends of the EU and the EETO,” he said.
The decision to send e-cards for the first time was an internal one made by the EETO.
The BTCO, which sends an average of 600 to 700 cards each year, is taking similar action, encouraging its staff to use e-cards or leftover printed cards.
The office said it is one of many steps it is taking to reduce its environmental impact. Other measures include using natural light when possible and turning off computers and copy machines at lunchtime and after work.
The EU and the UK have set ambitious targets to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. The EU has adopted legally binding measures to reduce carbon dioxide emissions to 30 percent below the 1990 level by the year 2020.
With the convenience of sending e-cards and text messages, sales of Christmas cards have been declining, said Huang Hui-ling, public relations specialist at Eslite, which launched its first Christmas card sale in 1989.
She told CNA in a telephone interview that the bookstore has seen an overall decrease in Christmas card sales over the past decade, although sales have stabilized in recent years because of a “retro” trend of sending printed cards.
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