Sixteen environmental organizations including Friends of Nature, Global Village of Beijing, China Environmental Protection Foundation, and Green Home in Beijing, have made a joint proposal to citizens and environmental volunteers for a car-free day on August 8, 2008, — the day on which the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics will be held.

The 16 organizations propose that the 200,000 Olympic volunteers should choose public transport or other green means of travel on the day of the opening ceremony and during the Olympics. Meanwhile they also call on citizens in Beijing to participate in the Green Commuting initiative to ensure a better traffic environment for the Games.

The Green Commuting initiative is expected to last for two months, and will reduce motor vehicle journeys by one million.