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1. Project Summary and Relationship to China's Agenda 21 The project aims to explore a community development pattern in accordance with sustainable development principles, by means of setting up a symbiotic relationship similar to that of a natural ecosystem, between the material flow and energy flow of the human activities in the community, and finding out the mechanisms behind activities and management of the society, in order to increase resources utilisation efficiency and minimise wastes at community level. This project is based on programme areas 10C, 12B and 19D of China's Agenda 21, and is related to programme areas 4C, 6A, 6D, 6E, 10A, 11G, 13B, 19A and 19C. 2. Background The huge population, the inadequate resources, the low efficiency in resources utilisation and the poor ecological condition are preventing China from faster developing. Low utilisation efficiency of resources is a key factor that undermines sustainability, which causes a great waste of resources, exacerbates the shortage of resources and places great pressure on the environment by the large amount of discharges. The backwardness in technology is partly responsible for the low utilisation efficiency of resources. The deep reason is the unreasonableness in economic growth pattern, social consumption model and operating and management mechanisms of the society. Unless these problems are solved, the pressure on resources and the environment will not disappear. A new operating and management mechanism of society has to be designed with respect to interest's guidance, behaviour constraint and social service condition. It is necessary to carry out experiments in one community to develop prototype mechanisms that can be widely applied. This project intends to carry out the scientific research and demonstration project of minimum discharge in a community in Qingxi Town, Dongguan city, Guangdong province. By applying ecological principles, it will plan and organise the social activities of production, service and living as a whole, set up a symbiotic relationship similar to that of the natural ecosystem between the material flow and energy flow of activities in the community so that the discharge of one activity can be used by other activities as raw materials, and also set up corresponding operating and management mechanisms in the society. So the social utilisation efficiency of resources will be increased, the minimisation of wastes will be realised at the level of community, and the whole community will become a highly efficient, harmonious, balanced and stable ecosystem. Qingxi Town has advantageous natural, social and economic conditions for carrying out this project. It lies in the central region of Zhujiang Delta that is beautiful and rich, at the Golden Triangle where Dongguan, Shenzhen and Huizhou share common borders. It has a land area of 143 square kilometres and a unique natural geographic environment, with abundant water supply. During the process of industrialisation, urbanisation and modernisation, Qingxi Town adhered consistently to the sustainable development concept. Early at the initial stage of economic and social development, it paid much attention to the protection of environment and resources, and listed it on the governmentís agenda, carrying it out in industrial activities and daily life. As a result, the natural ecological environment in Qingxi, on the whole, has not been destroyed during modernisation. In addition, Qingxiís economy is highly developed. So it suitable for the construction of community with a minimum discharge. To promote sustainable development, Qingxi Town has successively worked out the Qingxi Town Economic and Social Development Strategy (1993-2005), the General city Planning of Qingxi Town (1995-2005), the Planning Outline of the Qingxi Town Experimental Zone for Sustainable Development (1995-2010) and the Evaluation, Prediction and Protection Plan of the Resources and Ecological Environment in Qingxi Town. In 1995, Qingxi Town became the experimental town for ìthe state model for small cities and towns construction" of the Ministry of Construction, and ìthe state experimental zone for sustainable development" of the State Science and Technology Commission, the State Planning Commission and the State Commission for Restructuring Economy. Carrying out the minimum discharge demonstration project is an important experimental step in realising the strategic objective, put forward by the State Ninth-Five Plan and the Long-term Targets of the Year 2010, of converting from the economic growth pattern of high consumption, low benefits and serious pollution to the technically advanced, resources-saving intensive pattern with high productivity and economic benefits. The construction of an experimental zone for sustainable development in Qingxi Town is listed as a project of priority on the Guangdong Provinceís Agenda 21. The town is also listed as a priority experimental town for the construction of a scientific and technological information network on the Ninth Five-Year Plan of Dongguan city. So it has a good foundation for the construction of the minimum discharge community.

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3. Objectives

3.1 Long-term Objective By carrying out the minimum discharge community demonstration project in Qingxi, to explore a kind of community development pattern and operating mechanism in accordance with sustainable development principles. To accumulate the theories and experiences for the construction of the minimum discharge community, then apply them in other areas.

3.2 Immediate Objectives * To formulate the design principle and action guidelines for the minimum discharge community, work out the auditing indicators and standards for the construction of the minimum discharge community; * To implement the minimum discharge community demonstration project in Qingxi and construct a prototype of the minimum discharge community; * To accumulate and compile the experiences of the experiments in Qingxi, and evaluate the possibility of applying these experiences to other areas.

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4. Outputs and Activities

4.1 A report on the general plan for the minimum discharge community and the implementation scheme * To make a general survey on the inflow and outflow of the energy and materials in all the industrial and commercial enterprises, institutions and organisations, social services, households and farming. Then estimate and evaluating the data, analyse the deep causes and the processes of discharges, trying to find out the symbiotic relationship between them. On the basis of above work, to present a report on the survey on energy and material flow and the analysis of a symbiotic relationship; * To set up a material and energy flow information system and a decision support system, so as to evaluate the energy and material flow of the ecosystem in the community and analyse the interchanges between them and the external world, optimise the structure and scale of industries and other human activities, thus harmonising the relationship between human activities and the natural environment, and the relationship between the community and the external world; * To work out industrial development objectives and strategies which would encourage clean production and help to form an industrial ecosystem, and optimise the industrial structure and distribution to achieve the maximisation of the utilisation of resources; * To plan ecological residential areas, including the general distribution of urban construction land, space allocation of green land, and the application of energy conservation, low consumption, and low pollution building materials. Monitoring Indicators: a report on system analysis and general planning and a set of computer software system Implementing Agencies: the Science and Technology Commission of Dongguan city, the government of Qingxi Town and Tsinghua University.

Time Schedule: January 1997 - December 1999

4.2 Economic means and environmental management means of promoting the maximisation of resources utilisation * To experimentally charge on the use of natural resources and the discharge of pollutants, enact taxes on resource consumption by mining units and other direct consumers, continue collecting pollutants discharge fees from production and servicing, collect fees from end product manufacturers for polluting environment by their products after use. The purpose is to stimulate the society to actively reuse resources, develop a resources recycle mechanism, convert wastes into resources, encourage the design and production of environmentally sound products, and encouraging the public to co-operate in the recycling of waste and discarded materials; * To control the input of resources in short supply to promote their optimal allocation; to control discharges to advance the adoption of new technologies that would reduce pollution; to accelerate the elimination of enterprises that are incompatible with minimum discharge principle; * To propose laws, policies, protocols and regulations relevant to resource utilisation and environmental protection, to perfect the system of evaluating the impact of construction projects on the environment; * Establish an environmental monitoring department and monitoring stations independent of the town government, strengthen the environmental supervision and enforcement of law, and set up a system for reporting illegal environmental activities. Monitoring Indicator: perfect plans for laws, regulations, standards and management and experiment reports. Implementing Agencies: the Science and Technology Commission of Dongguan city and the government of Qingxi Town.

Time Schedule: January 1997 - December 1999

4.3 Importation of advanced technology and carry out clean production on a large scale * To encourage the use of alternative raw materials and recycled resources to reduce the consumption of non-renewable resources, energy and water; * To improve product designs to reduce the hazards of the products to the environment during the consumption phase and after disposal; * To renovate the production technologies in order to change the waste-discharge technology to little- or no-waste technology and treat discharges and convert them to useful resources; * To build more than two enterprises which use discharges as raw materials. Monitoring Indicators: over 50% recovery rate of discharges, and the industrial pollution reduced by 30%. Implementing Agencies: the Science and Technology Commission of Dongguan city and the government of Qingxi Town.

Time Schedule: January 1997 - December 2000

4.4 A social service system that promotes the maximisation of resource utilisation * To set up a public information service system to issue discharge information, resource demand information, product demand and supply information, etc., to provide information for the reuse of discharges and reduce waste of resources resulting from blind actions; * To set up a resource recovery service network that fits the market mechanism, including discharge trade markets controlled by computer networks; and study methods for achieving high efficiency operations in the resource recovery system; * To construct community service centres. Through services such as central heating, central processing of foods and selling of clean vegetables, to reduce energy consumption and household discharges and improve discharge recovery and utilisation; * To establish a mechanism for pursuing claims against poor quality products, to reduce pollution by ensuring the quality of products and services, reducing the direct and indirect waste of resources caused by the circulation of poor quality products in the society. Monitoring Indicators: the design of and experimental reports on the claims rules, the information system and the recovery network , 10 service centres. Implementing Agencies: the Science and Technology Commission of Dongguan city, the government of Qingxi Town, and Tsinghua University

Time Schedule: January 1997 - December 1999

4.5 Construction of infrastructure for environmental protection and fostering of natural ecosystem * To construct a solid waste treatment plant with a capacity of 100 tons per day; * To construct a sewage treatment plant with a capacity of 40 thousand cubic meters per day; * To establish ecological environment monitoring stations and a geographical information system for ecological environmental to provide information for research on the relationship between human activities and the natural ecosystem, and on the planning of human activities; * To construct a 1000 hectares park of natural ecology, to protect more than 40 square kilometres of hilly terrain and reforest 140 square kilometres of flatland. Monitoring Indicators: treatment of 95% solid-waste up, 25 environment monitoring stations, a set of geographical information systems, and vegetative covering of 40 % of the land area. Implementing Agencies: the Environmental Protection Bureau of Dongguan city, the Government of Qingxi Town and Tsinghua University. Time Schedule: January 1997 - December 2000 4.6 Education and public participation * To carry out sustainable development education among the population to strengthen the publicís awareness of participation, train workers with practical skills and technologies of sustainable development, improve their qualities, and strengthen education on laws so that the public might behave according to law and uses laws to protect their own rights and benefits; * To popularise the solar water heater, and popularise liquefied petroleum gas as household fuel; * To persuade the inhabitants into co-operation to recover waste and discarded materials, and gradually realise classified packing of household refuse; * To change consumption patterns, raise the purchase rate of green products, promote thrift and avoid waste. Monitoring Indicators: one TV/radio program on sustainable development, ten sets of training textbooks, the use of liquefied petroleum gas in over 90% of household, the classified collection and treatment of over 90% of household refuse. Implementing Agencies: the Educational Commission, Radio and TV Stations of Dongguan city, and the Government of Qingxi Town.

Time Schedule: January 1997 - December 1999

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5. Inputs

5.1 Chinese Inputs The Chinese investment includes: project management, technical investment, investigation and research, equipment, etc.

5.2 International Inputs The international investment includes: technology importation, expert consultants, personnel training, demonstration projects, equipment importation, etc.

5.3 Budget US$ 45.1 million is needed to carry out this project, including domestic investment 25.3 million and foreign investment 19.8 million.

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Table 1. Budget by Item (in million US dollars)

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Table 2. Budget by Output (in million US dollars)

6. Benefits The implementation of this project will reduce the consumption of energy and natural resources by the community, greatly reduce the amount of final discharge and also reduce the ecological, health and financial cost of waste treatment. Products and companies that use ìdischarges" as raw materials will appear. The employment ratio will increase. And the inhabitants in the community will have a stronger sense of resources, environment and ecology. After this project is accomplished, a community development pattern will be presented at a minimum environmental cost, which will be spread in a larger scale through further experiment.

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7. Risks The minimum discharge community is a new concept without much support from theories, methods and practical experience. Research institutes are intended to be set up to carry out co-operative research with relevant foreign institutes and to collect relevant information.

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