Department of Information and Tourism, Taipei City Government

To help prepare students for an upcoming forum featuring an appearance by the bestseller author and New York Times international affair columnist Thomas L. Friedman, the Department of Education (DOE) organized a one-day workshop at the Taipei Chenggong High School on January 6.
Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin and CommonWealth Magazine founder Charles H.C. Kao attended the conclusion ceremony of the workshop, awarding the participating students with course completion certificates.
Taipei City Government will be holding a forum to discuss Freidman’s book Hot, Flat and Crowded on January 12, raising public awareness on environmental issues. In addition, the author himself will attend the event to speak with one hundred students from local high schools on related topics and exchange views with them.
According to the DOE, each of the representatives possesses a good command of the English language, a strong sense of responsibility, and an altruistic desire to serve society. In addition, the trainees are also familiar with Friedman’s work and well acquainted with upcoming city events including the 2010 Taipei International Flora Exposition
During his address, the mayor announced that the city government will recruit ten students from among the program participants to serve as “green ambassadors”. These spokespersons will travel to the 2010 Shanghai World Exposition to take on the task of promoting Taipei’s achievements in the field of conservation. The city government promises to cover travel expenses.