Date: August 23th,2010 (Monday)
Lecturer: Master Zheng-Yan
Subject: The Birth of Tzu Chi's Recycling Movement 回溯環保二十年
Today is August 23. Do you know what happened twenty years ago today?
Yes, it has to do with our recycling initiative.
I am grateful that that year, Wu Tsun-Hsien Foundation invited me to give a series of speeches around Taiwan.
The morning I was to speak at then-Shin Min Vocation High School, I was driven through the night market area.
The vendors had all left by then but litter covered the ground.
Plastic bags, paper and Styrofoam garbage were scattered all around.
This was in Taichung City a developed, urban area, yet the scene that I saw was one of garbage everywhere.
I found it very sad, it was a heartbreaking sight.
It made a deep impression on me.
Later that day, when I gave the speech, I spoke of the scene of garbage that I witnessed when I traveled through the streets of Taichung City that morning. I spoke of how the sight saddened me.
(The footage is a Master Zhen-Yan had a speech on August 23, 1990 at Shin Min Vocational High School)
“You can use the same hands you were clapping with to sort out recyclables from garbage.”
“Wouldn’t you agree?”
“Let’s promote the reduction of garbage.”
I made such an appeal because around that time, with landfills filling up, there were many “garbage crises”.
Protests often broke out against the government over the issue.
In truth, the garbage comes form everyone but no one thinks about this.
People don’t reflect on their part in producing the garbage.
They just don’t want the garbage or the dumpsite near their neighborhood.
And yet, more and more garbage is being produced.
That’s why I began appealing for people to do recycling and sort out their garbage.
I am very grateful that in the audience, there were people who had karmic affinities with me and thus were able to take my words to heart.
So, though may appeal was simple and ordinary, they took it to heart and began carrying it out.
The first person to do this was a young woman, Ms. Yang.
She attended my speech in Taichung.
When I next visited Taichung a month later, Ms. Yang came to see me to donate the money she had gotten from selling recyclables she collected.
Tzu Chi’s first recycling station also started in Taichung in Li-Ming community.
Recycling was promoted in the community and now, one-fifth of the residents take part in recycling efforts.
That recycling station is still there, with volunteers working hard. I am very grateful.
Look at this old truck in Taichung, it has been carrying recyclables for 20 years
A recycling volunteer, Zeng Yi-Shuei said: “This old truck is like us two old men. The two of us together are over 150 years old.”
“Twenty years ago, this truck cost around NT$154,000. Its true value is more than NT$10 mil, I’d say because truly, it has contributed tremendously to our recycling work.”
It’s been twenty years. One moment can truly set the course for the future.
Our recycling work started from the day that I gave that speech twenty years ago. Over 7,300 days have passed since.
Many volunteers get up early in the morning before dawn to do recycling work.
For a period of time, I had to tell them not to work so early in the morning.
Some used to set out at 3 a.m. or 4 a.m. Some worked until midnight and returned home after 1 a.m.
Think about this. They ‘ve devoted themselves to recycling day and night. I’m truly grateful to them.
There are over 4,500 Tzu Chi recycling points in Taiwan, and over 5,000 recycling points around the world.
In Taiwan, there are over 200 educational recycling stations and these are all run by selfless, devoted recycling volunteers.
Do you know that many of our educational recycling stations look just like a park and the landscaping structures are all made with recycled materials. They are very beautiful.
Though I have not visited many of our recycling stations, I’m very grateful to our documenting volunteers and our Da Ai TV’s programs “Guardians of the Land” for reporting and filming our recycling work at these stations.
So, I’ve been able to see it. I’m very grateful.
We need to educate people about environmental protection from a young age
See, even preschool children were brought to our recycling stations to learn and participate in recycling work.
(A footage is a preschool children visit educational recycling stations and do recycling.)
A children, Cheng Shao-Ying: “It’s very important to protect our environment. If we do not protect the Earth, the Earth will be destroyed.”
A children, Ou Jing-Cheng: “We should use less plastic bags. When we go shopping, we should bring our own shopping bag.”
A children, Jhou Yu-Ting: “Everyone has the responsibility to protect our environment.”
Our recycling stating is a place of cultivation. It is also an educational place.
The best education is one that can open and inspire the heart.
So, it is not only a place where we do environmental protection work but also a place to transform people’s hearts.
I’m truly grateful to our recycling volunteers. They all have an unwavering vow to do recycling work.
They believe in what I teach. There’s a saying: Faith is the mother of all virtues.
Because they have faith in this cause, they resolve to dedicate themselves to recycling work.
Having made the resolution, they truly persevere in carrying it out.
See how many recycling volunteers continue to do recycling work even when they are ill.
Despite not feeling well, they adhere to their resolution to carry out recycling work.
So, faith, a resolution, and action---Tzu Chi volunteers fulfill all these.
With their heart set on protecting the environment, they’ve persisted in doing recycling work.
They are all very mindful in doing recycling work.
For twenty years, which equals over 7,000 days, they’ve worked from early morning until late at night.
I cannot express how grateful I am to them.
It is very fortunate that we have such a recycling program in Taiwan where our recycling volunteers are protecting our Earth and purifying people’s hearts.
I’m very grateful to them. Our Da Ai TV is broadcasting a program about recycling volunteers.
So, everyone, please watch the “Guardians of the Land’ program on Da Ai TV.
(Source: Da Ai TV 人間菩提)
首頁 
