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 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 support the day.
In Beijing, more and more people are joining in the campaign (活动). 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 people not to use cars on June 5 (World Environment Day). The slogan (口号) for the day is "If we drive for one less day, we can have one more nice day."
Up to now, more than 200, 000 drivers have shown their support. "We can't control the weather, but we can choose not to drive," said Wu Zhonghua, a car club chairman. Beijing is trying to have more blue sky days this year. In the first quarter of 2007, Beijing only had 52 blue sky days. This was 11 days less than the number for the same period last year. Much of the dust (灰尘) comes from the desert (沙漠), but cars cause most of the air pollution. We must do more for No Car Day.
