Dongying City in Shandong Province has launched an ambitious plan, in cooperation with provincial authorities, to become the province's 'low-carbon ecological model city' within two years, officials said.

Under the plan, the city will construct 60 to 80 model projects by the end of 2012, including low-carbon or carbon-neutral residential blocks, carbon-friendly rural developments. In addition, the city will enact new community management initiatives designed to reduce the city's carbon footprint.

Officials said the model projects would allow the city to standardize its use of low-carbon construction technologies, as well create benchmarks for the ecological impact of its buildings. In addition, the plan will help create a list of best practices that can be applied to projects in other areas of the province as well as the country.