BEIJING - Like many women in Sancha, a village in the mountainous Huairou district where temperatures can reach as low as -12 C, 53-year-old Liu Xiuying is looking forward to an easier winter this year thanks to a grant that helped improve the energy efficiency of her rural suburban home.

Liu used to cut down trees every day to keep warm during the colder months, but after receiving 1,000 yuan ($160) from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and United Nations Development Programme, her family has installed an energy-saving heating system that has reduced their annual demand for firewood from 1,250 kilograms to just 250 kg.

"Now gathering branches in the neighboring groves is sufficient for our needs," Liu said. "We no longer cut down trees."