DISTRICTS across the city have organized guided walking tours for residents to discover the city’s ecology and learn about the eco-friendly solutions implemented throughout the city to mark the first National Ecology Day, which falls today.

A group of 15 families joined an ecological excursion to Lianhua Hill Park on Saturday afternoon, which was organized by Shenzhen Ecology and Environment Monitoring Center.

Departing from Guan Shan-yue Art Museum, the parents and children walked along the greenways in the park to visit the automatic air quality monitoring and urban ecological monitoring station. They stopped to engage in crafting their own handicrafts using fallen leaves, branches and flowers.

Lianhua Hill Park, known as an ecological urban park, is rich in natural resources.

Children were offered species identification cards to help them identify the animals and plants along the route.

At the air quality monitoring station, the visitors were amazed by the wide range of animal and plant specimens and precise instruments and monitoring equipment.

Technicians made a presentation to visitors about how to check air quality of their residential areas online, explaining how the monitoring data is generated and the significance of the air quality index.

“The ecological trip was a lot of fun and very informative. It helped raise children’s awareness of the importance of environmental protection,” a parent said during the event.

A walking tour organized last week by the environment authority in Longgang District led a group of students to several destinations dedicated to low-carbon practices, including Shenzhen International Low-carbon City, Xinqiao Residence and Datian Residence, known for its outstanding woodcut museum.

Xinqiao, which used to be a century-old urban village, has evolved into the city’s first near-zero carbon and sustainable development demonstration community.

Teenagers explored facilities with low-carbon technology applications in the community, including a solar-powered parking lot and benches offering phone recharging capabilities.

“I learned some knowledge about low-carbon solutions that couldn’t be learned from textbooks. For example, I found out that seaweed can absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen,” Ye Songkai, a 10-year-old student, said.

“The events were rich and widened my horizon. Solar energy application and sewage treatment are completely new technologies for me,” Dai Jianhao, another middle school student, said.

Bao’an and Nanshan districts also organized events to mark the day.

Over 30 families participated in a tour to Let’s Green, a center dedicated to dyeing and printing, in Bao’an. Before creating their own cloth bags, the participants were introduced to the vivid procedures of spinning, dyeing and printing on a piece of cloth while being educated about environmental protection and low-carbon concepts.

Nanshan has called on 25 eco-friendly enthusiasts to take part in an ecological tour  today. Throughout the day, they will visit the OCT Wetland Park, China Resources Tower, Dasha River Ecological Corridor and Shenzhen Talent Park.

(Chen Siqi)