The green view from Beijing

May 26, 2007 7:05 PM PDT

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Is it grass? Is it concrete? No, it's Grasscrete, an environmentally sustainable alternative paving system used to create footpaths while leaving room for greenery. It will be part of Olympic Forest Park in northern Beijing, a multimillion-dollar, 680-hectare space being built for next year's Olympic Games.

Cleaning up Beijing is a big undertaking. Ted Dean, managing director of consulting firm BDA, said in an interview in the Chinese capital this week that when he moved here over 10 years ago, one could smell roasting coal because people had coal burners in their home. Coal consumption in the city has been reduced, but cars have increased. Nonetheless, the government and private companies are trying to eke out environmental improvements. Some products in that vein--like Grasscrete and the others that follow here--were on display at China Beijing International High Tech Expo, taking place this week and next