Chen Can may only be a humble 10-year-old primary school student in Beijing but he is already an expert in water conservation and also something of an innovator.

Officials, company employees and students at a promotion ceremony for the Save a Barrel of Water program, which started in 2005. The Beijing Municipal Commission of Education, Beijing Environmental Protection Foundation, Beijing Municipal Water Conservation Office and Coca-Cola China are joint participants in the program this year. [China Daily]

"We have two big plastic barrels in our bathroom to save shower water to flush the toilet. My son came up with the idea," said Chen's proud mother, Zhang Li. "I used to leave the tap on when I brushed my teeth and he stopped me and gave me a cup of water to use."

Zhang said her son developed a strong sense of saving water after attending a Save a Barrel of Water program in 2008, three years after the scheme was launched. The program this year will cover more than 100 educational establishments, from primary schools up to Peking University, said Tian Wenhong, sustainability director of public affairs and communications for Cola-Cola Greater China, sponsor of the program.

She added that research teams from the participants will hold a water-saving competition. Youngsters and water-saving experts will visit communities to seek out water being wasted and help the residents employ more efficient usage with new technology or basic advice.

"The program will select a college student who performs well to attend the London Olympic Games in 2012 as a torch bearer," Tian said. "The Olympic Games can provide a bigger stage for Chinese students to present their water conservation concepts to the world."

The college students who attend the program will also visit primary schools to teach students about water safety, agricultural water usage and collecting rainwater.

The Beijing Municipal Commission of Education, Beijing Environmental Protection Foundation, Beijing Municipal Water Conservation Office and Coca-Cola China are joint participants in the program this year. Coca-Cola will provide 350,000 yuan ($53,846) for the water-saving research in communities.

Tian said Coca-Cola hopes that the program can offer a platform for more people to join in resource conservation and environmental protection.

"The activity not only helps to save water, but also positively influences society via young people's actions," said Zhao Yixin, deputy director of Beijing Environmental Protection Foundation.

He said the country, including the capital, is facing a severe water shortage problem so people must learn to use water more efficiently.

According to the foundation, the Beijing government is now promoting renewable water usage to increase efficiency.

"During last year's program, a team from Yangzhen No 2 Middle School in Beijing invented a water-saving device that can be installed in every faucet and save 5.7 tons of water annually after installation," said Zhao. "The device seems simple but it has a huge effect and really can make a change."

Tian said the program asked primary school students in 18 districts in Beijing to each collect one barrel of rainwater during their summer holiday. Many clever ideas were conceived and some even made rainwater collectors that could be hung from balconies.

"Their creativity was huge and totally beyond what we expected," she said.

"The program is not just to introduce water-saving methods, but also to introduce and promote a green lifestyle and a new way of thinking, especially for young students who can spread the concept to their families and society at large," said He Jianping, deputy director of Beijing Municipal Water Conservation Office.

Zhao Zhiwei, who was selected to be a torchbearer for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, has been involved in the program since 2005. As a teacher in Zuojiazhuang No 2 Primary School, Beijing, he has organized his students to take part in various water-saving activities to strengthen their sense of environmental protection for years.

"We human beings are living in the same home, under the same sky. Saving one drop of water is showing you love the world," he said.