Vanke Center Carbon Neutrality Experimental Zone, part of Dameisha Carbon Neutrality Community in Yantian District, has been listed as a national typical case for low-carbon practice, according to a list released by the Ministry of Ecology on the eve of the first National Ecology Day, which falls Aug. 5.

The zone, also known as Yantian Biosphere 3, is the only case from Guangdong that made the list. Typical cases on the list fall into five categories — industrial parks, enterprises, communities, individuals and bases.

The 62,000-sqm Vanke zone, located at Dameisha Community in Meisha Subdistrict, is the original site of Vanke Headquarters.

In the second half of 2021, the zone, along with Dameisha Carbon Neutrality Community, was chosen as one of the three communities in Shenzhen to pilot the nearly net-zero emission program. Vanke Foundation signed a deal that year with the Yantian government to turn the community into a demonstration area for carbon neutrality. The renovation included a micro power grid system, biodiversity protection, waste recycling, sports health and smart operation, and other experimental items.

The renovation turned the Vanke office building into a benchmark for green architectures and low-carbon technology applications.

Through the rooftop solar panels, the area can make use of 710,600 kWh of green electricity a year, which makes up 85% of the electricity consumption in Biosphere 3.

The application of energy-saving materials and intelligent power technology has helped Vanke Center reduce energy consumption by 60%. The green electricity has helped Bioshpere 3 reduce carbon emissions by 800 tons a year.

In treatment of kitchen waste, the zone built the Black Soldier Fly House, where the waste is consumed by black soldier flies. The flies can consume around 200 kilograms a day, equivalent to reducing 64.5 metric tons of carbon emissions a year. The program has been expanded across Meisha Subdistrict, with the establishment of the city’s first zero-carbon science museum nearby, which can handle 3 metric tons of kitchen waste through black solider flies each day.

In 2022, Dameisha Community was used as a typical example of China’s efforts in ecological conservation at the 27th Conference of the Parties of the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP27) in Egypt.

China in June this year designated Aug. 15 as National Ecology Day.