Sorting garbage is merely one aspect of Neumann's environment-oriented education, as he often tells his sons stories about nature.

    "When my sons were very young, I often told them quite a lot of stories about the environment, like saving icebergs, saving ice bears," Neumann said.

    Over the past three years, the little polar bear Knut at the Berlin Zoo has been a sensation in Germany, arousing the general public's environmental awareness.

    Knut was born on Dec. 5, 2006, in captivity at the Berlin Zoo. However, he was rejected by his mother at birth and was subsequently raised by zookeepers.

    After a German tabloid newspaper ran a quote from an animal rights activist that seemingly called for the death of the young cub, a worldwide public outrage caused fans to rally in support of his being raised by humans. Children protested outside the zoo, and many e-mails and letters expressing sympathy for the cub's life were sent from around the world.

    Knut became the center of a mass media phenomenon dubbed "Knut mania" that spanned the globe. He was the first polar bear cub to survive past infancy at the Berlin Zoo in more than thirty years. Now, Knut has attained the status of a rock star.

    The story of Knut has sparked the interest of Neumann's sons, and they have gleaned some knowledge about the dangers of global warming from hearing about Knut.

    When Neumann's sons entered kindergarten, every week they spent around one hour listening to stories about protecting the environment.

    Leander, Neumann's older son, is now in the second grade. He and his classmates usually hold a discussion about saving nature at least "once a week."

    "They talk about how to save whales, how to clear water," Neumann said.

    Nationwide, Germany has set up a national committee on implementing the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development. With the financial assistance of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research, the committee has created awards to support various projects promoting education on sustainable development. So far, nearly 800 projects and nine municipalities have already received the awards across the country.

    "I'm environment-oriented; I'm glad my sons get more knowledge about saving nature," Neumann concluded.

Special report: Global News Day for Children