To address global warming and extreme heat, the Department of Environmental Protection of the Taoyuan City Government (TYDEP) is taking climate adaptation beyond urban governance and into everyday life. In collaboration with IKEA Taoyuan, TYDEP launched the “Taoyuan Cool Life Solutions” exhibition from July 9 to 15. By combining home living scenarios with interactive experiences, the exhibition turns energy conservation, climate adaptation, and sustainable consumption into visible, playable, and actionable lifestyle choices, inviting citizens to create a comfortable and sustainable living environment.
Yen Chi-Liang, Director-General of TYDEP, stated that extreme heat has increasingly become a critical issue for urban governance in recent years. The urban heat island effect degrades quality of life while increasing energy usage and heat hazard risks. To build urban resilience, Taoyuan promotes the “So Cool Taoyuan” initiative. At home, residents are encouraged to phase out old, high-energy appliances and boost cooling efficiency by cleaning air conditioners, applying window insulation film, and purchasing Class-1 energy-efficient AC units. In terms of urban planning, the city improves the urban thermal environment by constructing ventilation corridors, promoting vertical greening, expanding green cover, and revitalizing local retention ponds.
Yen pointed out that to make policies more accessible and engaging, the exhibition was specially hosted at IKEA Taoyuan during the summer break. By integrating sustainability concepts into home showroom spaces, visitors can learn about carbon-reduction actions such as energy conservation, food waste reduction, and resource recycling within familiar everyday settings. The venue also features digital interactive installations and parent-child challenge games, guiding visitors of all ages to understand urban cooling principles and climate adaptation through play.
TYDEP added that the exhibition features Taoyuan’s city bird, the Formosan Blue Magpie, as the “Cooling Captain,” walking visitors through interactive experiences to discover city cooling solutions. Among the highlights, the “Flash Grid” somatic interactive game uses an immersive experience to show how climate change impacts ecosystems and wildlife habitats, inspiring reflection on peaceful human-nature coexistence.
Over the weekend, the exhibition featured a series of “Weekend Cooling Solutions” events. Wu Tian-Hao, winner of Taoyuan’s “Cherish Food Chef” competition, demonstrated low-carbon recipes to share how using local ingredients and minimizing leftover waste can realize a low-carbon diet. Additionally, the Xuan-Yi Young Association and Xpark joined to discuss textile recycling and marine conservation.
TYDEP emphasized that advancing net-zero transition requires shared effort from the government, businesses, and citizens alike. Partnering with IKEA Taoyuan aims to transform climate adaptation and net-zero living from policy jargon into effortless daily actions for every household. Residents are invited to visit IKEA Taoyuan from July 9 to 15 to explore “Cool Life Solutions” and help build a more livable Taoyuan through small daily changes.