GREAT LOVE

Green Living Tzu Chi volunteers heed the advice of Master Cheng Yen by reducing resource consumption. For example, they bring along their own set of meal utensils to reduce the use of paper, disposable plastic and polystyrene wares, thereby cutting down on carbon footprints and waste. Extensive livestock farming has resulted in deforestation, affected the ecological balance and food supply, and led to a worsening of air and water pollution. Thus, volunteers also help promote vegetarianism and hold vegetarian culinary classes to counter-balance the impact. Leading a simple life, reducing carbon footprints and cherishing the planet’s resources are of crucial importance in safeguarding the Earth. Quality Recycling Right from the Source In the past, Tzu Chi volunteers had been advocating the 5R’s of environmental protection (refuse, reduce, reuse, repair and recycle). Today, they go a step further to educate the public to clean and pre-sort recyclables before sending them to the recycling centres. This is to enhance the quality of the recycling effort and safeguard the health of recycling volunteers. Taiwan Buddhist Tzu-Chi Foundation Malaysia 46