Saturday, June 16, 2007

Chinese Officials Say Ditch The Suit And Slash Energy Use

Chinese Officials Say Ditch The Suit And Slash Energy Use

The dress-down call mirrors a national campaign in Japan, where both private and public sector workers are urged to dress lightly and turn down the air conditioning.
by Staff Writers
Beijing (AFP) June 14, 2007
Chinese officials have revealed their latest weapon against excessive energy use -- encouraging office workers to ditch business suits in favour of T-shirts, state media reported Thursday. Several leaders of the State Council, China's cabinet, have called on office workers to dress in light, casual clothing instead of the typical suit so that air conditioners can be turned down, the English-language China Daily said.

The move comes after the cabinet ordered last week that air-conditioning units in most public buildings be set no cooler than 26 degrees Celsius (79 degrees Fahrenheit) ahead of expected spikes in summer energy demand and fears of prolonged power cuts, Xinhua news agency reported. Read More