Local governments are preparing for a variety of green activities to replace the traditional barbecue during the Mid-Autumn Festival as an effort to reduce the festival’s carbon footprint.
For many families, the Mid--Autumn Festival, which falls today this year, would not be complete without the barbecues that accompany the traditional family gatherings during the holiday.
However, to raise public awareness about carbon emissions created by firing up the grills, some local governments have decided they will provide alternative family activities that are green, but just as entertaining.
In Kinmen County, a 13-day Mid-Autumn Mooncake Gambling Game encourages tens of thousands of residents to gamble in a green and educational way, tourism official Lin Ching-i said last week.
Adapted from the ancient imperial exams, the simple dice game names different combinations of six dice based on the six ranks in the examination system.
Those who get the higher rank by throwing as many “fours” as possible will be the winners of the game and treated with mooncakes.
Part of Kinmen’s ongoing efforts to bill itself as a low-carbon island, Lin said, more people have been choosing gambling over barbecuing during the Mid-Autumn Festival over the years.
“What’s special this year is that we are offering a cow as a second prize to encourage people to be environmentally friendly,” she said. “Unlike a car, cattle will not create as much carbon emissions.”
In Greater Taichung, after three years of encouraging citizens to abandon grilling, the government is trying to refocus celebrations around its cherished tea industry.
A total of 1,000 free servings of bubble milk tea, along with live concerts, will be provided at the city hall plaza on the holiday, Taichung Mayor Jason Hu (胡志強) said.
“The world’s best tea is in Taichung,” Hu said. “We want more tea and less barbecue on the festival.”
The Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) said such green initiatives by local governments could cut several thousand tonnes of carbon dioxide if implemented every year.
“Compared with industrial carbon emissions, the carbon dioxide we will cut is relatively small,” EPA official Chen Hung-ta said. “However, it is one of the best opportunities for environmental awareness to take root in a fun and positive way.”
Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) was sentenced to six months in prison, commutable to a fine, by the New Taipei District Court today for contravening the Personal Data Protection Act (個人資料保護法) in a case linked to an alleged draft-dodging scheme. Wang allegedly paid NT$3.6 million (US$114,380) to an illegal group to help him evade mandatory military service through falsified medical documents, prosecutors said. He transferred the funds to Chen Chih-ming (陳志明), the alleged mastermind of a draft-evasion ring, although he lost contact with him as he was already in detention on fraud charges, they said. Chen is accused of helping a
UNREASONABLE SURVEILLANCE: A camera targeted on an road by a neighbor captured a man’s habitual unsignaled turn into home, netting him dozens of tickets The Taichung High Administrative Court has canceled all 45 tickets given to a man for failing to use a turn signal while driving, as it considered long-term surveillance of his privacy more problematic than the traffic violations. The man, surnamed Tseng (曾), lives in Changhua County and was reported 45 times within a month for failing to signal while driving when he turned into the alley where his residence is. The reports were filed by his neighbor, who set up security cameras that constantly monitored not only the alley but also the door and yard of Tseng’s house. The surveillance occurred from July
SECURITY: Starlink owner Elon Musk has taken pro-Beijing positions, and allowing pro-China companies to control Taiwan’s critical infrastructure is risky, a legislator said Starlink was reluctant to offer services in Taiwan because of the nation’s extremely high penetration rates in 4G and 5G services, the Ministry of Digital Affairs said yesterday. The ministry made the comments at a meeting of the legislature’s Transportation Committee, which reviewed amendments to Article 36 of the Telecommunications Management Act (電信管理法). Article 36 bans foreigners from holding more than 49 percent of shares in public telecommunications networks, while shares foreigners directly and indirectly hold are also capped at 60 percent of the total, unless specified otherwise by law. The amendments, sponsored by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Ko
A Japan Self-Defense Forces vessel entered the Taiwan Strait yesterday, Japanese media reported. After passing through the Taiwan Strait, the Ikazuchi was to proceed to the South China Sea to take part in a joint military exercise with the US and the Philippines, the reports said. Japan Self-Defense Force vessels were first reported to have passed through the strait in September, 2024, with two further transits taking place in February and June last year, the Asahi Shimbun reported. Yesterday’s transit also marked the first time since Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi took office that a Japanese warship has been sent through the Taiwan
RSS