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Environmental Protection
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| (Translated by Amy Chao and
Phil Liao) |
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Excessive consumption of material goods is
not only a form of lost blessings, but also a waste of our natural
resources. In a speech given in 1990, Master Cheng Yen said to
her followers, "Don't just use your hands to applaud-use
them to protect the environment." She advocated the concepts
of resource reclamation and reuse of disposed materials. She urged
Tzu Chi volunteers to work hard for environmental protection.
In an overwhelming response to this speech,
Tzu Chi members all over Taiwan organized the Environmental Protection
Volunteers and implemented long-term resource reclamation projects
in local communities. These projects had a resounding impact.
For example, if a 20-year-old tree provides 50 kg of paper, then
the recycling of paper in 1998 spared 897,101 trees from the logger's
ax.
Promotion of the environmental protection
movement is Master Cheng Yen's way of educating people. Sorting
garbage and recycling resources can not only turn trash into treasure,
but can also teach people lessons about recognizing, valuing and
giving blessings. If we love the mountains, the oceans and the
earth, care for all of nature, and protect the entire ecology
around us, then we can surround humanity with a healthy living
environment. Therefore, environmental protection is a job not
only for Tzu Chi volunteers-it is for all people.
