China started a nationwide environmental protection campaign to establish "green communities" on June 6, to mark the World Environment Day.

To set up environment-friendly communities around the country is aimed to "raise the people's awareness of environmental protection and encourage public participation in related activities," said Xie Zhenhua, director of the State Environmental Protection Administration, at a ceremony in Beijing.

The launching ceremony was also held in Liaoning, Fujian, Guizhou and Shandong provinces as well as the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

Xie urged residents are urged to begin with classifying garbage and saving water saving in their efforts to build "green communities," which will play a major role in urban environmental protection and sustainable development.

Source: Xinhua