Global Warming is a complex issue that involves many different environmental factors.  Changes in the climate are partially due to natural forces and partially due to emissions of green house gases such as CO2.  There are 150,000 deaths worldwide per year due to the effects of global warming that
originate from extreme weather, drought, heat waves, decreased food production, scarcity of natural resources, extinction of animal species, and the increasing spread of diseases like malaria.

       For the past six years, San Francisco’s Department of
Environment has furnished funds to the Respect Project to promote and educate the Chinese community on projects about the conservation of energy, preservation of natural resources, and the reduction and proper disposal of toxic materials.

       Respect Project has helped more than 200 small businesses with incentive programs to upgrade their equipment, refrigeration, heating and lighting so that they can conserve energy and save money.  We also help these businesses enroll in recycling and compost programs.  Most of the businesses
enrolled in these programs can save more than 50 percent of their garbage bills.  These programs not only help them save money, but also help conserve natural resources for the next generation.

       Besides providing enrollment support, training, and follow–up services to theses businesses, Respect Project also held workshops at other community centers and at Chinatown City College ESL classes to promote environmental programs.  We will continue to outreach, educate, and inform the community at the Chinese New Year and Moon Festival Street Fairs, TV talk shows, radio announcements, and Chinese newspapers.

       Respect Project will continue its mission to make people aware that it is everyone’s duty to protect the environment that we live in and to leave a healthy environment for future generations.  For, we have no other world.

     近期人們最熱切的話題是環保，其中內容包括：交通工具排放的廢氣，造成二氧化碳過多、臭氧層破洞、冰山溶化、氣溫失調；濫伐森林導致的土石流；海嘯、颶風頻仍；禽流感和登革熱肆虐；大自然資源短缺或者水源汙染和空氣污染；垃圾及有毒廢物處理等等，都跟環保有直接的關係。
     另外，一般電子產品，家庭廚房所用的清潔劑， 浴室裡的去污劑或芳香劑，書桌上的塗改液和黏著劑，家中常備的殺蟲劑和毒鼠藥，以及家庭必備的藥物，這些各式各樣的化學合成物質，應該怎樣正確使用？怎樣收藏和放置呢？很多看起來毫無問題的消費品，其實攸關全家人的安全與健康，這也是我們日常生活中最須要留意的環保事項。
     博愛尊敬(環保)計劃持續在華人社區積極推廣有關環保項目。我們在市立大學的英語班舉辨環保講座；在華語電視節目及報張大力推廣節省能源和廢物回收；減少使用有毒物品及有毒廢物回收等等。而食物回收是使三藩市在2010年成為零廢物城市的重要步驟。我們亦大力協助華人餐飲業參與食物回收，使到他們既環保也省下不少的垃圾費。在2007年期間。博愛尊敬(環保)計劃就協助餐飲業回收607噸食物殘餘及105噸再造資源回收，使到這些廢物不必佔用堆填區，而循環再用又節省了資源。
     博愛尊敬(環保)計劃希望每位華人都了解到實行環保是每一個人的責任，我們必須做好環保，才能夠使到我們及我們的下一代能夠在健康及豐裕的環境中生活。

Start Practicing Recycling When We are Young

       Charity Cultural Service Center (CCSC) announced their Annual Earth Recycling workshop for elementary students. The workshop encouraged our younger generations to practice recycling reusable resources. In term, students will later teach their parents and family members at home the ways to revitalize our planet.

       Mr. Li Su Bon, the principal at ROC Chinese School, indicated that he invited staff members from the Recycling Program at City Hall in San Francisco County to teach a recycling workshop during the summer in every year. During the workshop, instructors use lively language and friendly style to teach elementary students the importance of recycling and ecological conservation.

       Ivy Wan, the program coordinator of the Respect Project at CCSC, said that, “the recycling education has been taught in San Francisco County for years. San Francisco Recycling Center and CCSC not only teach the recycling education for adult audiences, but also emphasize the importance of recycling education to children and teenagers. “They are the master of our future. They will suffer if the earth runs out of resources. If we start reserving our resources today, they will have enough resources in the future generations.” Ivy emphasized that, “the workshop is not only teaching the importance of recycling, but start practicing it and share the messages to their families and friends the importance of recycling reusable resources, so that, it will be more efficient to teach ecological conservation to broader audiences in the bay area.

       Zhang, a student participated in this workshop, said that he already knew recycling, but he had never recycled family trashes. After he attended this workshop, he realized the reasons and benefits of recycling. Now he knows which home garbage can be recycled.

     博愛文化服務中心在過往一年﹐曾和中華中學校舉辦一年一度之環保講座，希望環保工作能從小做起，使學生從小就培養環保意識，並把這種觀念帶回家，感染他們的父母和家人。

     中華中學校校長李樹邦指出，博愛文化服務中心每年都會與他聯繫，安排三藩市環保局人員在該校暑期班課程中加插一堂環保講座，以活潑的方式，有趣的問題，教育學生們環保知識，用以提高他們的環保意識。

     博愛主管環保計劃的溫愛薇表示，環保工作在三藩市已推行有年，取得顯著成效，三藩市環保局和該中心除了在成年人中不斷加強環保教育外，同時也意識到從青少年入手的重要性，「他們是未來的主人，未來能源耗盡了，身受其害的是他們，如果環保工作做的好，受惠的也是他們」。溫愛薇強調，該講座不單只是教育學生們知道環保的重要，並由自身做起，更重要的是通過他們，將環保意識和訊息帶回家，讓他們周圍的人也認識到環保的必要性，從而使三藩市環保工作更加有成效。

     張同學說，他雖然早知道環保這回事，但從沒有想過它的重要性，平時也沒有注意垃圾的處理方法，父母叫他去扔垃圾，他就把整塑料袋的垃圾扔到黑垃圾筒內。通過這個環保講座，他了解到為什麼要開展環保工作，也真正學會哪些東西應該扔入哪個筒。