To mark World Environment Day, UNDP launched on Thursday its first-ever animated Public Service Announcement (PSA) in China on the topic of green consumption and an accompanying social media campaign to promote environmental awareness.

The animation, entitled ‘Green,’ stresses that simple lifestyle changes can make a big difference if communities come together and adhere to a more environmentally conscious way of living. Narrated by top Chinese actress and UNDP China Goodwill Ambassador Zhou Xun and produced by awarding-winning film director Du Jiayi, the short film introduces the concept of green consumption, encouraging viewers to optimize green trade-offs and personal impact in a world facing critical challenges like climate change and unprecedented urbanization.

“Nature is sending us a message that the earth is sick. If we do not pay attention, it will become irreversible,” says United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in an interview with Xinhua News Agency during his recent visit to China from 18 to 23 May. “This planet is our home and that of our children and grandchildren. We must act now to provide stability and greater prosperity to the world's growing population.”

The message in ‘Green’ comes a few months prior to the international Climate Summit, to be held in New York in September. Convening world leaders to build political momentum and bring about action on climate change, the Summit aims to showcase solutions and help nation better forge partnerships toward a sustainable future, as well as assist governments in completing their work on a new universal climate agreement by 2015. Along with renewed commitment in areas such as energy, cities and transport, finance, resilience, agriculture, and short-lived climate pollutants, individual-driven environmental protection on a mass scale will be key in reversing the impacts of climate change.

With outreach led by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon; UNDP Administrator Helen Clark; Chairman of the Nobel Prize-winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Rajendra K. Pachauri; world-renowned pianist and UN Messenger of Peace Lang Lang; honorary UN Messenger for World Environment Day and chairman of Internet giant Baidu Robin Li; and UN Goodwill Ambassadors from various agencies, the collective message formed by ‘Green’ and its campaign on World Environment Day advocates efforts toward a more responsible future.

Likewise, the campaign urges the participation of all social media users not only in the conversation on green but in applying the environmentally conscious mindset and practices in daily life. As the world builds cities, brings people out of poverty, and changes the climate like never before, it must start considering and acting on the matter of sustainability now and for the future.

“We’ve all been witness to extreme weather events and related natural disasters. These drive home the reality that the effects of climate change are not just limited to the striking figures listed in UN reports – they are already palpable and widespread,” says ‘Green’ star Zhou Xun. “Hopefully, this PSA released on the occasion of World Environment Day will contribute to the global discussion on what we can do to help save our ailing planet.”

The PSA was funded by China Women’s Development Foundation and Hong Kong Federation of Women and is an extension of a UNDP project to promote community-based green consumption. The initiative supported outreach and participatory activities in Beijing to positively impact consumption mentality in urban communities and help inform local policymaking on environmental protection.

‘Green’ is the first in a series of animated short films which UNDP will produce for a selection of environmental topics and can be viewed on the UNDP China website.