BEIJING--No Car Day was first started by 34 cities in France on September 22, 1998. It was started to protect the environment. By now, more than 1, 000 cities around the world have had a No Car Day.
The first No Car Day in China was in Chengdu in 2001. Other cities, including Taipei, Shanghai and Wuhan, also suppor (支持)the day.
In Beijing, more and more people are joining in activiy. It asks drivers to leave their cars at home for one day each month and walk or ride a bike to work. It also calls on Beijingers not to use cars on June 5(World Environment Day). The slogan(口号)for the day is, "If we drive for one less dayI, we can have one more nice day. "
So far, more than 200, 000 drivers have shown their support. "We can't control the weather, but we can choose not to drive, "said Wu Zonghua, a car club chairman. Beijing is trying to have 238 blue sky days this year. In the first quarter of this year, Beijing only had 52 blue sky days. This was 11 days less than the number for the same period last year. Much ofthe dust (灰尘)comes from the desert(沙漠), but cars cause most of the air pollution(污染). We must do more for No Car Day.
