DDMSWCF Celebrates World Earth Day
The 41st World Earth Day on 22 April, 2011, inspired over 100 million people worldwide to actively engage in activities geared towards environmental protection and sustainability.
In a show of support for this unique global event, Dharma Drum Mountain Social Welfare and Charity Foundation and the Department of Environmental Protection of New Taipei City Government co-hosted a clean-up campaign at Shachu Beach in the Jinshan District of New Taipei City on 23 April, 2011.
The campaign started in the early morning and attracted over 1500 people. The Secretary General of DDMSWCF, Venerable Guo Qi, specially attended the event to offer his warmest blessing.
In his speech, Venerable Guo Qi said that while removing trash from the beach is significant for environmental protection, we must reflect that this act should also act as a reminder for us to remove our “mental trash” such as vexation and excessive desires which is even more crucial for our own well-being, for the overall society we live in and for the entire natural environment in which we live in. When we remove the trash from our minds, we consciously will live in a much more peaceful and beautiful world.
Vice Minister of Environmental Protection Administration, the Executive Yuan, Dr. Wen-Yen Chiu who also attended the event, offered his thanks and appreciation to DDMSWCF for the clean-up campaign.
In his speech, he stressed on the need to understand that environmental protection is a global effort and for it to succeed, it needs everybody’s involvement. "Once we understand and are ‘humble’ towards Nature, then the idea of having a truly ‘green’ planet is no longer just a dream but can indeed become a reality."
Besides the clean-up, DDMSWCF on the same occasion also offered financial assistance to 431 disadvantaged students from New Taipei City in the hope of encouraging students to pursue their dreams as well as helping them to understand the meaning and importance of World Earth Day.
(translated by Jin Yang/edited by DDM Australia Editing Team)