Chinese people celebrate the harvest season and the brightest full moon of the year on the fifteenth day of the eight month of the lunar calendar, which falls on September 22 this year. Happy mid-autumn festival! Time to eat moon cake!
Take a close look at those mooncakes and their descriptions (you’ll need to click into the full-size image). Also, be sure to take a few minutes to admire the moon tonight.
Today is also World Car Free Day. Ride your bike! Walk! Take public transport! And then repeat for the other 364 days.
The other day I told somebody that I was not planning to buy a car in China because I felt that it would be wasteful. “Did you drive a car in the States?” she asked. Sheepishly, I nodded. And it struck me again how difficult it is to live a low-carbon lifestyle in most cities in the U.S. The infrastructure and the cities are designed to maximize “economic activity” while minimizing resource efficiency.  My carbon footprint while living in China is much, much smaller than it was in the States. I’m doing it for you and your children! Remember that!
Last night I went to a bicycle promotion activity put on by local Chinese NGOs Friends of Nature and Smarter than Car. Though a lot of people still ride bikes in Beijing, this former city of bicycles is already a car-choked disaster, tying Mexico City for the world’s worst traffic. It’s good to know that there are some groups trying to turn the tide.
Most amazing at the Friends of Nature activity was this 74- year old Manchurian guy doing stunts on his bike. The female German performer was fantastic as well:
September 22, 2010 at 11:45
Omg! Dirty mooncakes!!
Happy Moon Festival, Chaser! If you do meet up with my friend, please tell her I say hello!
Lai