Environmental Protection

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.