SHANGHAI, May 1 (Xinhua) -- Shanghai's fresh morning air was all but surprising Saturday after a dazzling display of fireworks that brought the opening of the World Expo to a climax the previous night.

These fireworks, which manufacturers say produces little smoke and debris but is as colorful as traditional products, is one of the many green attempts that Shanghai organizers took pride in.

The 5.28-square-km Expo Park straddling the Huangpu River is full of zero-carbon myths: a London restaurant where plates are edible and cups are made out of ice; a green home that is heated by solar energy, recycles water, cooks with methane gas and inhales oxygen produced by plants atop its own roof.

Amid global concerns over pollution and climate change, and in an effort to live up to its theme of "Better city, Better life", Shanghai organizers have made audience seats out of deserted milk packages, handbags and tissues out of recycled paper, and used low-energy consuming LED screens, acoustic devices and electricity-powered vehicles in the Expo Park.

The Expo site also boasts a 4.7-megawatt solar power system, China's largest, with panels installed on Expo buildings.