1. My Own Mini-Garden at Home

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Living in a country house, or at least in proximity to nature,gaining popularity in Korea. Some families resort to building an indoor garden using what space available in their homes. Therea place in Gyeonggi Provinceone can learn professional landscaping,our reporter was there.

[Report]
Wouldn’t it be nice you had your own secret garden inside your house?

A school of landscapinggardening for the public opened in the botanical garden of Shingu University in Seongnam (성남) City,everything about indoor gardening can also be learned. In the gardening class that was conducted as practical training, students learned how to a spring garden using container boxes. They d their own flower bed designsplanted flowering plants themselves.

The LandscapingGardening School provides 6-month classes on indooroutdoor gardeninggreen interior design that consist of theoretical classroom lecturespractical training sessions.

This schoolopen to any Gyeonggi residents interested in landscapinggardening. Applications can be submitted online through the homepage of the Gyeonggi GreenAgriculture Foundation.

2. Gold MiningDiscarded Mobile Phones

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There are a great number of unused mobile phones kept in households. These discarded phones can be a valuable source of precious metals, including gold, since the phones contain parts madethese metals. Gyeonggi Province began collecting unwanted mobile phones to recover the precious metals.

[Report]
While therea rapidly growing number of smart phone s, the number of unused old mobile phones also grows.

Itestimated that there are approximately three million mobile phones in Gyeonggi Province alone that areused any more but still kept in households. These phones contain precious metals, including goldsilver, that can be recycled owners pay a little attention. Donating these phones for recycling instead of disposing of them would also contribute to the reduction of possible environmental contamination.

One ton of mobile phone contains 280 grams of gold, 70 times more than average gold ore. If 200,000 mobile phones are collected, as much as KRW 200 million worth of gold can be recovered.

Gyeonggi Province began prospecting for a vein of gold through an unused mobile phone collection campaign. The earningsthis campaign, which will run until theof June, will be used to help neighborsstudents in need.

Residents of Gyeonggi Province who have unused mobile phones can donate them at the nearest city, council, or district office, or at the mobile phone collection desk at bankspublic offices.

3. Livestock Markets in Gyeonggi Province Reopen

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Livestock markets in Gyeonggi Province that closed last December due to the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease have opened again. Livestock farmers who were devastatedthe disease are now looking forward to recovery.

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Thisa livestock market in Anseong (안성) City. This market teems with livestock farmers who came to sell their cattle, a scene that was missed for a long time. Many livestock farmers have had to wait months until they could bring fully grown animals to the market.

All livestock markets in the province were forcibly closed since last December because livestock transportation was prohibited due to foot-and-mouth disease.

Thanks to the hard work done in disease prevention,five livestock markets in the province will open again starting with the one in Anseong (안성), relieving the worries of livestock farmers.

Gyeonggi Province announced three advanced measures for disease prevention, the development of stock-breeding techniquesthe burial of culled animals based on lessons learnedthe recent outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease so as to promote the advancement of the stock-breeding industry, whichstill at a nascent level.

4. Inspection of LPGDiesel-powered Vehicles

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Gyeonggi Province willthe inspection of LPG-powered busesdiesel cars with exhaust reduction tems so as to improve the air quality of the province. Thisexpected to achieve positive results in reducing air pollution.

[Report]
Gyeonggi Province plans to inspect the safetymaintenance of LPG busesdiesel cars with exhaust filtering tems.

The existence of damage, erosion or gas tank leakage will be the primary concerns of the safety inspection of buses that use LPG gas.

For diesel-powered cars, items of inspection will include the absence of or any damage to compulsory exhaust reduction temsthe analysis of exhaust gas.

Gyeonggi Province will have spent a total of KRW 853 billion during the period2004 until 2014,has already completed the installation of exhaust reduction tems on 169,248 vehiclesthe modification to low-pollution engines in 82,743 vehicles.
Gyeonggi Province plans to reduce the concentration of particulate matter in ambient air to below 50 micrograms per cubic meter, a normal level in advanced countries,2014implementing a variety of measures including the introduction of more LPG vehiclesexhaust reduction devices.

5. Remote Medical Diagnosis Using IT Technology

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For the first time among local governments in Korea, Gyeonggi Provinceembarking on the launch of a medical service program using state-of-the-art IT technology.

[Report]
IT technology can now help us manage our health.

Gyeonggi Province signed an MOU with the Korea Centers for Disease ControlPrevention, Korea TelecomQualcomm, Inc., for a pilot project for an IT-based self-help diagnosis service.

The service worksthis: For a diabetes patient, for example, the patient takes a self-measurement of blood sugar levelsends the result via Internet to a KT tem. KT then provides the data to a hospital,the hospital returns the results of a diagnosis together with instructions so that the patient can manage the disease at home.

This program allows patients to properly manage their health at homeproviding appropriate health education, consultationtreatment guidance based on the health records of the patient.

This program also benefits hospitals because information on the health condition of the patientreadily available to the doctor, who can provide timely guidance for testingdiagnosis.

Introduction of this service willonly provide an effective means of health management but also improve quality of life for provincial residents. Gyeonggi Province plans to expand the service to also cover high-risk diseases such as hypertensioncardiovascularcerebrovascular diseases.

6. Fight Yellow Dust with Appropriate Diet

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Lovers of outdoor activities are often confined indoors at this time of the year due to yellow dust in the air. The number of patients at hospitals complaining of throat irritationrespiratory discomfort also increases. There are foods, however, that can alleviate yellow-dust symptoms.

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The skyovercast with thick yellow dust. More patients are visiting hospitals these days complaining of respiratory diseases including the common cold.

Yellow dust, or Asian dust blown in mainlyChina during the spring, consists of particles of less than 1 to 10 micrometers in diameter. Since they are very fine particles, they can infiltrate deeply into our bodies, causing various diseasesaggravating the symptoms of patients who already have respiratory diseases.

However, symptoms causedyellow dust can be eased to some extentchanging one’s diet.

Workin full swing at this pear farm in Bibong-myeon, Gyeonggi Province. Pears that were harvested last Octoberstored at low temperatures are brought out, washedground.

This farm produces 2.5 tons of 100% pure pear nectar without using any additives.

KGFarm, or the Gyeonggi Cyber Shopping Mall,promoting a Special Price Event for Yellow-Dust Season. A box of 30 packs of pear nectaroffered at KRW 20,000, discountedKRW 22,300.

Pork, pear, red ginsengother food items known to have counteracting effects against yellow-dust symptoms are being offered at prices discounted up to 30%. When we need to take special care of our health to protect usyellow dust, quality foodsGyeonggi Province will help us remain healthy.

7. Non-Smoking Movement of Gyeonggi Province Employees

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Starting smokingeasy, but quitting itan entirely different matter. Ita common knowledge that smoking, to quote a Chinese expression, causes “a hundred harmsno good.” Gyeonggi Province began its “War Against Smoking”initiating a Non-smoking Movement within provincial offices,plans to expand the movement to the entire province to promote the health of residents.

[Report]
In an office in a provincial government building, a sign on a partition bearing a quit-smoking slogan draws attention.

Iteasy to find officials with chewing gum in their mouths or others with candy. Thisa new office scene in the Gyeonggi Provincial Office Complex that appeared since the beginning of this year when the Non-smoking Movement began.

There are 17 officials in this office who are participating in the movement now.

A Mobile Non-smoking Clinic visits the office once every one or two weeksprovides a health check-up service as well as free anti-smoking patcheschewing gum.

A Non-smoking Fund was also d to increase the success rate of the Non-smoking Movement.

According to a survey of the adult smoking populationthe Ministry of Health, WelfareFamily, the rate of female smokersdecreasing each year, the rate of male smokers still remains above 40%.

Itimportant to quit smoking immediately as soon as one decides to quit, since smoking harms other family members as well.

Hopes are high that this voluntary non-smoking movement among public servants will expand throughout the entire province, freeing residentsdiseases associated with smokingallowing them to live healthy lives.