This week’s photo series is “The East is Green“. In the run up to Earth Hour this Saturday, and in the wake of officials once again declaring “war” on pollution in China at the “Two Sessions” meetings in Beijing, we’re looking at some of the country’s recent attempts to improve environmental conditions – from grassroots NGOs to technological innovations and more.

1.1 billion RMB. That’s how much it cost to create this man-made waterfall in Yunnan’s capital city of Kunming. But this isn’t some crazy expensive vanity project. Well, it might be, but it does at least have a positive purpose: it’s cleaning the heavily-polluted and algae-ridden Dianchi Lake. The 400m-wide waterfall is part of a Waterfall Park in the city, which uses water diverted from the Niulan River to “flush” the pollutants out of the lake.

Opened two years ago, the Park has become a major tourist attraction, and signs are that the impact on the lake’s water quality has been largely positive.

Image: 7c Education.