Beijing Mayor Wang Qishan wrote a reply on Wednesday to a middle school student in support of her campaign against disposable wooden chopsticks.

Wu Qianwen, a reporter at the Beijing-based student magazine Young Chinese Reporters, has called on her peers in 70 schools to give up disposable chopsticks by taking a pair of their own chopsticks to school every day. In addition, these youngsters have been persuading their parents and friends to join the campaign.

Wu and her peers were so serious about their campaign that they sought the mayor's support.

In his reply to Wu and her classmates, mayor Wang showed that he and his administration are accessible to Beijingers.

And his praise for the students' environmental awareness will also serve to inspire campaigners for a cleaner, greener Beijing.

These young environmental crusaders were spurred into action by the sandstorms that hit Beijing in the spring.

Saying no to disposable chopsticks is one way to try to prevent this awful situation from recurring.

China uses 45 billion pairs of disposable wooden chopsticks, which use 1.66 million cubic meters of timber.

China not only produces chopsticks for its own people, it also exports them. For example, China supplies Japan with 97 percent of its wooden chopsticks.

It is reported that 25 million trees are chopped down every year to meet this massive demand for disposable chopsticks.

The 5 percent tax levied on disposable chopsticks by the Chinese government from April 1 shows that the authorities are taking this situation seriously.

It will be a hard task to change the dining habits of millions of people. But given the many environmental problems and increasingly serious consequences of deforestation, serious steps must be taken to save the millions of trees sacrificed every year.

The suggestion made by these young people to use our own chopsticks is one that is easy and feasible.

It will help protect the environment by reducing the exploitation of timber resources.

We do not have to be mathematicians to know how many of our forests are destroyed due to our desire for wooden chopsticks.

The government should be commended for using regulatory levers and economic incentives to encourage consumers to behave in an environmentally friendly way.

Alternatives to the disposable chopsticks, such as plastic and metal ones, should be manufactured in larger quantities. However, diners often refuse reusable chopsticks, out of concern for their health.

The large number of people who use wooden chopsticks every day makes this a major environmental concern for China. In this case, anyone can make a difference if he or she really wants to.

These young people set an example we should all follow.

(China Daily June 2, 2006)