The Ministry of Environment is publicizing a program aimed at helping vulnerable groups shift to a greener lifestyle in line with the net zero trend, with methods related to food and clothing written to appeal to young people.
The brochure is designed to promote information accessibility in the net zero transition, combining easy-to-read language with illustrations to make it accessible to everyone, Department of Comprehensive Planning Director Hung Shu-sing (洪淑幸) said.
Experts with knowledge of easy-to-read techniques or net zero developments and more than 40 interviewees with special needs were invited to provide advice and help write the brochure, she said.
Photo: Hunag Yi-ching, Taipei Times
Through discussions, the team found that interviewees were highly interested in net zero information, but the current Net Zero Green Lifestyle Action Guidelines published by the ministry contain too many QR codes, making it difficult to read for many of them, Hung said.
Interviewees also showed interest in learning more about green actions in terms of food, transportation, home life and clothing, especially innovations such as food apps, clothing and green restaurants, she said.
The streamlined brochure prioritizes the issues they are more concerned about while removing all QR codes except the one for the “Zero Waste Taiwan” map, Hung said.
Audio versions were published alongside the brochure to make the content available to people within educational, long-term care and disability service systems, she said, adding that the brochure would be supplied to 173 public libraries and 267 disability welfare institutions.
Taiwan Foundation for the Blind research and development director Lee Ying-chi (李英琪), an easy-reading advisor on the team, said the brochure’s content was designed based on the principle of “information for all” in accordance with the EU’s easy-to-read guidelines.
Only language comprehensible at least to a fourth-grade student was used, she said, adding that the content is also comprehensible simply through the illustrations or audiobooks, which suits the needs of the elderly and children.
In related news, the Ministry of Agriculture’s Taiwan Forestry Research Institute on Friday said extending the product lifespan of wood-derived products can delay such products’ carbon emissions.
Wood-derived products such as paper, furniture or timber are hidden carbon pools, as carbon captured via photosynthesis by trees would not be released immediately after trees are chopped and made into products, it said.
Given that such carbon would remain in the products until they are rotten or burned, extending their lifespan or repurposing such products would lengthen the carbon storage and lessen climate impact, the institute said.
Lifespans vary between different wood-derived products, it said.
For example, most paper would be recycled or discarded months later, while wooden flooring or furniture would be used for 20 to 40 years, the institute said, adding that wooden construction can last more than a century.
However, the institute’s research showed that product lifespans of wood-derived products in Taiwan were slightly shorter than international standards, it said.
Most wooden furniture and decorative materials in Taiwan have a product lifespan of six to 15 years, while wooden doors, windows or flooring have a lifespan of six to 20 years, the institute said, adding that lifespans could be affected by environmental conditions, material quality, usage habits or maintenance frequency.
People are advised to choose robust, endurable products to reduce their frequency of replacement, or recycle and reuse second-hand wooden furniture to prevent them from becoming waste ahead of time, it said.
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