GreenTheme

Vesak : Exhibition on Environmentalism & Vegetarianism

2008-05-09T20:33:00.002-08:00

Global Warming - A Fable From The Himalayas

2008-03-19T08:47:00.001-08:00

Sharkwater : The Truth That Has Surfaced

2008-01-09T20:37:00.000-08:00

Sharkwater is a must see documentary of the year. It's well-filmed and equipped with excellent facts. Sharks are not merely just fish but their survival are very much connected to our survival on this earth. Please go and see this documentary and stop the corrupted shark-fin industry by not buying, eating or promoting it and most importantly pass the message on. Below is a more detailed review by Bro shian...

Movie-Dharma : Clarifying Murky "Sharkwater"

Outgrossing the opening weekend box office of "An Inconvenient Truth" and "March of the Penguins", "Sharkwater" is the labour of love of biologist and investigative reporter Rob Stewart, who undertook the dangerous mission of trailing the multi-billion dollar shark fin trade. Stewart literally risks "life and limb" in the process. This true-life documentary, which was made over five years in 15 countries, highlights the existence of corrupted governance and mafia rings in the industry. More importantly, it calls to attention the plight of the seas through the shark – one of the world’s most misunderstood animals. Stunningly filmed, this multiple award-winning film features invaluable lessons on the intricate balance and beauty of nature, and the urgency of safeguarding it.

Lest it be mistaken that this is another "monster" movie about sharks, nothing could be further from the truth. This is probably the greatest shark documentary in our time, which hopes to undo the horrific demonisation of sharks – that the famed "Jaws" trilogy and its many successors have popularised. As Stonepeace said, "One who demonises others demonises oneself." Sharks, as they turn out to be, are among the most important animals in the world. While there are only about 5 fatal cases of death by shark attack annually, there are about 100 deaths from elephant and tiger attacks. While sharks hardly bite humans, humans bite into every consumable meat they can find!

The very idea of a "man-eating shark" is bizarre because most sharks are so sensitive that they conscientously shy away from humans. From Stonepeace again, "A man is not meant for a man-eating shark, just as a shark is not meant for a shark-eating man." The speciesist attitude of humans towards sharks is definitely not a stand alone one. Whales too, had been "classically" demonised by the fictitious "Moby Dick". Relect deeper and you will realise how humans have baseless prejudice towards virtually every animal that we continually exploit and consume. As the film suggests, we like to have a monster in our midst... but we are already the monstrous ones among ourselves.

It is an often overlooked fact, that the great oceans, which make up two-thirds of the Earth's surface while being home to 80% of the planet's lifeforms, is the planet's most important ecosystem. Noteworthy too is that life began in the seas. Land life is thus dependent on the seas. Other than pollution being a source of destruction of ocean life, the more direct destruction would be the ongoing legalised overfishing of the world's major fishing seas. Worse than that, is illegal fishing that goes unchecked. By the time one finished watching the 89 minute film, some 1500 sharks would had been killed. The senseless definning and slaughter of sharks is also featured – for good reason. As Stonepeace put it, "The sight of blood and gore is only good for one thing – to prevent further blood and gore."

Why do sharks matter at all, you might wonder. From an interview with Stewart - "Phytoplankton (tiny plants) in the oceans provide 70% of the oxygen in our atmosphere, and are the greatest sink for carbon dioxide on earth. We’re now destroying the oceans, removing apex predators such as sharks, dredging the oceans; without considering that this atmosphere, our precious oxygen, and our hospitable planet, is all made possible because of life in the ocean that is part of a food chain. Food chains are sensitive, have taken hundreds of millions or billions of years to form, and we’re destroying it." Killing sharks can hasten global warming and its connected climatic crises – which leads to our doom.

Like every other animal upon closer look, sharks are truly amazing, mysterious and beautiful creatures. They have existed for more than 400 million years – even before the dinosaurs, and survived five major periods of extinction... before being cruelly decimated by more than 90% today – by recently "evolved" humans. Surely, humanity's humanity needs to evolve even further. Sharks are mainly killed for their fins. The ironical truth is that the fins, which are seasoned by chicken and such, are tasteless and void of health benefits by themselves. With prevalent sea pollution, seafood is more likely to cause disease! Instead of being a status symbol, the savouring of shark fin soup is an ignorant "ritual"!

Featured too are the heroic painstaking efforts of "The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society" - whose voluntary watchmen look over troubled waters – where marine life is fished illegally. Truly ecologically conscious and walking the walk, all the "shepherds" are vegan. As the Captain Paul Watson says – "Why did Al Gore's film Inconvenient Truth not mention the inconvenient truth that the slaughter industry creates more greenhouse gases than the automobile industry?... There is not enough fish in the world's oceans to feed 6.6 billion human beings and another 10 billion domestic animals. That is why all the world's commercial fisheries are collapsing... (Source)

Humans are not and have never been carnivores. A lion is a carnivore as is a wolf, as is a tiger, or a shark. Carnivores eat live animals. They stalk them, they run them down, they pounce, they kill, and they eat, blood dripping, meat at body temperature. Nature, brutal red in tooth and claw. I've never met a human that can do that. Yes we found ways to run down animals and kill them. In fact we've come to be rather efficient at the killing part. But we can't eat the prey until we cut it up and cook it and that usually involves some time between kill and eating."

Stewart is vegetarian too. From the emagazine.com interview, "Yes, I’m a vegetarian for a number of reasons. Eating animals requires [at least] ten times the resources and drain on the planet than eating plants. I’m already incredibly privileged, and don’t think I should drain more of the planet, especially considering 8 million people die of starvation every year. There are also numerous health benefits, and it greatly reduces the chances of disease, especially the number one killers such as heart disease, stroke, cancers, etc. I also really appreciate animals, and I’m happier living with non-violence."

Echoing the urgency of saving the planet from ourselves and the truth of interconnectedness, even His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama offered a message of support for the "Sea Shepherds" – "I am happy to lend my support to those who, like the volunteers of the SSCS, seek to protect our oceans and our fellow creatures... And it is my hope that through understanding the interdependence of the world and all the beings that live in it, people will adapt their behaviour in such ways that the potential of our bounteous natural realm be nurtured and restored." The end of the film urges viewers to visit Saving Sharks. If you're not planning to watch the film, please visit to see how you can save the sharks, which is to save the planet too!

- Shen Shi'an

Green Coffin Anyone?

2008-01-06T23:15:00.000-08:00

Made from material such as recycled paper or chipboard, eco-coffins are easy on the environment as they spare trees from the axe. -- ST PHOTO: JOSEPH NAIR

Ever think it's a waste of good wood for it to be buried or burned as coffins? Not only is good wood wasted, there is a lot of non-biodegradable materials like plastic-linings and plastic brass-effect handles. For some, plenty of steel, copper, bronze, and other metals are buried (and wasted) along with them. Coffins are also covered with lacquers which are toxic and these toxic chemicals eventually find their way into the soil just like embalming fluid does, polluting fertile soil.

Well, it's not too late to be environmental conscious. Nor is it too early to think of what coffin you will use when your time comes. Believe it or not, green eco-friendly coffins are in market now, readily available in Singapore as well. Please read the below report from Straits Times :

Going green - coffin style
By Tania Tan

MEDICAL doctor Tan Chek Wee believes in 'going green' - he wants to make his last journey a green one. 'I've told my family that I want an eco-coffin,' said the 52-year-old, who works part-time at three non-profit clinics.

Made from material such as recycled paper or chipboard, eco-coffins are easy on the environment as they spare trees from the axe.

These green eco-friendly caskets also burn up to twice as fast as ordinary wooden coffins, which means less carbon emission. Chipboard, for instance, burns about 10 to 25 per cent faster.

Over 16,000 regular wood coffins were used here last year, with each requiring about 80kg of virgin timber to construct.

'Since I want to be cremated, I prefer not to kill a tree in the process,' said Dr Tan.

For religions which allow it, cremations are strongly encouraged here due to land scarcity, said the National Environment Agency.

Religions including Islam and Judaism require followers to bury their dead.

Eco-coffins and so-called 'green funerals' have caught on among the environmentally conscious in the United States and Britain with some opting for woodland burial sites, and using freshly planted trees instead of headstones to mark graves.

Though going green in this manner may not have quite caught on here yet, Singapore-based TentTech has already sold about 100 of its green coffins.

Produced from waste wood or timber from tree branches instead of trunks, its caskets are a more sustainable alternative to traditional coffins, said Dr Ng Khee Yang, the R&D consultant of the year-old company.

'There just isn't enough forest to supply us with wood in the long run,' he said.

But demand for eco-coffins has yet to take off here, conceded Dr Ng. Undertakers agree.

Read the full report in Monday's (07 Jan 08) edition of The Straits Times.

It is probably the last thing you can do to be green in this life. Please opt for a green coffin!

Green Buddhism

2007-12-19T22:49:00.000-08:00

Green things about Buddhism : Environmentalism & Veg*nism

Food#03

2007-12-12T20:29:00.000-08:00

Do check out this lovely new vegetarian cafe with vegan option.
Food#03 is located in Singapore, 109 Rowell Road. (check online for map) Serving tasty contemporary vegetarian menu with dessert, coffee and more.

Opening Hours: 5pm to 10pm (Closed on Monday) Friday: 3pm - 11.30pm Saturday & Sunday : 12pm - 11pm
Other Times by Appointment*.
For more info, www.food03.sg ; call 6396 7980.

See website for menu.

A Video That Will Change Your Life (Maybe) - Global Warming

2007-11-29T08:23:00.000-08:00

Saw this from Facebook under the Causes of Stop Global Warming, please take time to watch through.

The 11th Hour

2007-10-24T07:56:00.000-08:00

Watched The 11th Hour and my personal review of the film as below:

Lots of interlinked information, though what said are all important facts. Sad to say even with these much facts from different backgrounds of field experts, there might still be people who disagree with it. One thing i like about this documentary is that it suggests real large-scale solutions to undo the damage to the planet. And the time is really at 11hr 59mins 59secs!

To take action, please visit 11th Hour Action

Please also see 11th Hour Clip

Captain Planet

2007-10-15T04:27:00.000-08:00

Captain Planet is back - http://captainplanetfoundation.org/

Help Protect The Environment By Burning Less

2007-08-17T01:22:00.000-08:00

NEA (National Environment Agency) togther with KMSPKS (Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Monastery) have a campaign to urge the public to "Help Protect The Environment By Burning Less". Yearly during the seventh lunar month without fail, many Chinese buy paper-made replicas of 'material' stuff to burn for their beloved deceased ones, thinking that they will be able to 'receive' them in the nether world. As much as it's a token of filial piety or even love for some, we should rethink about carrying on this custom. Or at least, come out with an alternative that won't harm the environment that much.

With Green Power Comes Green Responsibilities

2007-08-11T00:09:00.000-08:00

Just finished reading a great post by a fellow Buddhist at Moonpointer.com as quoted below:

... As such, environmentalism and vegetarianism are aspects of Right Action in the Noble Eightfold Path (especially on the Bodhsattva path) - to not harm sentient life, and thus naturally, by extension, to protect their living environment. Is this not the practice of compassion and wisdom? It is definitely not all of the practice of the duo, but it is undeniably part of it - to the extent that if you neglect environmentalism and vegetarianism, your Dharma practice is definitely incomplete. With room for improvement, why not be more green - by being more animal and Earth-friendly? No one is demanding those uncomfortable to be green overnight. But practice makes perfect. (For full article, click here)

Too many are giving lame excuses to not do the right thing due to lack of understanding on Buddhist teachings. It's bizarre how people can be selective on what they wish to do and not do by missing the essence of the teachings. When Buddha taught love and compassion, did he refer only to humans and not the animals that we eat on our dinning tables? When the Buddha taught Right Action, did he mean only not to do the ten unwholesome actions? Does it mean it is okay to destroy or neglect the Earth with our ignorance?

Religion aside, how can anyone in the right state of mind not save the environment and its animals if they have the power to? If you can ignore all the signs of global warming and the sufferings of the animals, you are, sad to say, living in your own deluded world.

Chopsticks = Choptrees

2007-08-10T18:37:00.000-08:00

Today's (Saturday, August 11 2007) Straits Times, WORLD section page 40, under the Slice of Life section:

Beijing announced the end of use of disposable chopsticks in China as part of the campaign for a 2008 "green" Olympics.

"Restaurants should (permanently) abandon the use of disposable chopsticks for the good of their health and environment," the China Daily paraphrased China Cuisine Association secretary-general Bian Jiang as saying.

In other words, it will not be a temporary gimmick for the Olympics, it's for real!

Quoting from New Internationalist:

China is severely short of trees only – 13.9 per cent of its 9.6 million square kilometres is covered by forest. Its amount of forest land per capita is ranked 121st in the world. Now 12 of the 40 state-owned logging companies have nothing left to fell. 'The remaining 80 million hectares of natural forests will disappear in a decade if this felling continues,' says Professor Shen Guofang, of Beijing Forestry University.

Thank goodness, finally a big country like China realised the danger of deforestation and the importance to cease unnecessary abuse of natural resources. I only wish Singapore will take up such measure to help the environment soon. We need to be as earnest as we can be in protecting the environment. Using disposable chopsticks is less about personal hygienic issue, and more about a global crisis now.

I have started to bring my own stainless steel chopsticks, fork and spoon along with me for use when food stalls or restaurants provide only disposable ones. You could also make a difference too – do consider it.

The Relevance of Vipassana for the Environmental Crisis

2007-08-05T19:21:00.000-08:00

Environmental pollution is a great threat to the survival of humankind on this planet. If effective measures are not taken immediately, a catastrophe which is similar in destructive capacity to that caused by nuclear war is imminent as a result of environmental pollution and increased exposure to U.V. radiation through ozone depletion. The rate of pollution caused by human beings far exceeds nature's ability to purify and rejuvenate its life-sustaining air and water. We understand the problem that we now face, hence the search for development with sustainability. But it is our contention that a radical solution has not yet been looked for, let alone found, and that man is only trying to grapple with this enormous global problem with patchwork technological remedies.

From the point of view of the Buddha's teaching, environmental pollution is but the external manifestation of man's internal moral pollution, which has assumed alarming proportions and reached a crisis. A number of suttas in the Pali Canon such as the Agga~n~na (Digha. III. 80), Cakkavattisiihanaada (Digha III 58) and some in the A"nguttaranikaaya (I. 160; II. 75) express that when moral degeneration becomes rampant in society, it causes adverse changes in the human body and in our environment. The legend in the Agga~n~naSutta states that moral degeneration causes the loss of beauty in the human personality and depletion of natural food resources in the external world. These adverse repercussions are proportionate to the extent of moral degradation.

Crime also increases in society and, grappling with these problems, people try to organize appropriate social institutions to make life more tolerable, peaceful and comfortable for one and all, to the best of their ability.

Thus Buddhism believes that moral consciousness/the human mind, the human body, the external world consisting of fauna and flora, and society are intricately interconnected through an all-embracing network of cause and effect, to make one whole psychologically sensitive and responsive ecosystem. It is this fact that the Buddha succinctly summarizes in the stanza:

Cittena niyyati loko cittena parikissatiCittassa ekadhammassa sabbeva vasa"m anvaguu ti.
The world is led by the mind, it is dragged hither and thither by the mind.

The mind is one reality under the power of which everything goes।(Sa"myutta-nikaaya, I. 39),

If we loosely translate the phrase cittena niyyati loko as "the world operates through human ideas," we can see at a practical level how the face of the earth has been changed with advancing human ideas/knowledge during the course of history. At the dawn of civilization when man was hunting and gathering food, nature remained almost undisturbed. During the age of settled agricultural life, irrigation schemes were developed and the face of nature was modified to a certain extent. The industrial revolution brought about further changes with excessive exploitation of natural resources and mass production. The twentieth century, which boasts of 90% of the scientists the world has ever produced, has ushered in the Nuclear Age and the Space Age.

Thus we see how human ideas have brought about vast changes in nature, to such an extent that Nature's purifying, rejuvenating and replenishing capacities have been outstripped by man's activity of exploitation, causing unprecedented pollution and impoverishment. According to Buddhist interpretation, the root cause that is responsible for this crisis is man's greed for luxury, wealth and power. The human brain has developed without keeping pace with the human heart and moral responsibility. Intellectually, modem man may be a giant, but emotionally he is a dwarf suffering with spiritual bankruptcy. One sociologist observes that modem man has one leg strapped to a jet plane and the other leg tied to a bullock cart.

Thus man is torn apart with conflicting desires and practical realities. Further, man's intellect is limited; he lacks the vision to see how far-reaching his behaviour and activities are, and how they affect negatively or positively his own well-being, and unsuspected aspects of the physical activities of Nature.

The Buddha's theory of pa.ticcasamuppaada too maintains the same principle, that mind and matter, man and nature are interconnected and interdependent. Man depends on nature for sustenance, for, it is said: Sabbe sataa aahaara.t.tthitikaa. In search of food and also clothing, shelter and medicine, humans change their environments according to their technological skills. For example, modem men use chemical fertilizers, insecticides, and herbicides in agriculture for better harvests. These destroy the natural bacterial balance, which gives rise to adverse chain reactions, which in turn affect human health and well-being.

Further, the same truth of dependence of man and Nature is reiterated in the commentaries through the theory of the five cosmic laws, pa"nca niyaama dhamma. The five are as follows: physical laws (utuniyaama, lit. season law), biological laws (biijaniyaama, lit. seed law), psychological laws (cittaniyaama, lit. mind law), moral laws (kammaniyaama, lit. action law) and causal laws (dhammaniyaama, lit. reality law). (Sa"mlyuttanikaaya 1125 states as synonyms dhamma.t.thitataa dhammaniyaamataa idappaccayataa). Causal laws operate within the first four spheres as well as among them.

Thus all cosmic laws, physical, biological, psychological and moral, interact with one another, and man experiences weal or woe, happiness or unhappiness according to the nature of moral energy he generates. If wholesome moral energy is widespread, there is peace in society and life is comparatively happy and comfortable. If unwholesome moral energy is widespread, strife in society is similarly rampant and life becomes more and more troublesome.

The sixth and fifth Centuries B.C. can be cited as an exceptionally fortunate era when morally wholesome energy was poured out through the teachings of spiritual giants such as the Buddha, Jina Mahavira, Zoroastra, Confucius and Socrates, from different quarters of the world. The twentieth century seems to be the direct opposite of that era. Crime, terrorism and war reign supreme in the world today. Famine, starvation and malnutrition have engulfed many of the third world countries. AIDS and other luxury related deadly diseases are rampant in affluent countries. This state of affairs reminds us of a commentarial statement regarding the fate of mankind in a morally bankrupt world. According to that, when mankind comes under the grip of greed, hatred and delusion, its downfall is brought about by famine, fire/weapons, and disease respectively (Diighanikaaya A.t.thakathaa III. 854). The situation in the modern world is such that all three morally unwholesome motivational roots seem to be active and man is receiving three-pronged retribution for his own immoral actions.

Another important point raised in the Agga~n~na Sutta is that man is a creature with a strong tendency for imitation (di.t.thaanugati"m aapajjamaanaa). Therefore new ideas, actions and behaviour on the part of a few, quickly become new trends in society, especially when they are pleasure-oriented and economically attractive. Aided by modem mass media and commercial propaganda, sensualism, aggressiveness, hunger for wealth, status and power have become social trends in the modern world. According to our thinking, this imitative tendency is not the only cause responsible for these current trends, as they seem to be aided by the collective consciousness of mankind (called dhammadhaatu in Pali) which envelops the whole world. We therefore tend to argue that terra firma is covered over by a biosphere and an atmosphere into which is absorbed what we prefer to be called the psychosphere. Our argument for putting forward this idea is as follows:

The Saama~n~naphalasutta (Diigha,nikaaya I.76) states that the mind is interwoven with the body, and that it can be seen to be so by one who has developed the fourth jhaana, like a coloured thread that passes through a transparent gem. It can be surmised that the mind is associated with the air element in the body because the breathing pattern changes with emotional changes, e.g., we sigh when we are sad, we yawn when we are lazy, we snort when angry and gasp in pain. These changes can be accepted as conclusive proof that the mind and breath are fused together. It is scientifically known that the carbon dioxide level of the exhaled breath increases under negative emotional stress. This may be because the breath has absorbed from the bloodstream toxic chemical properties added to the blood from the endocrine glandular secretions when the mind is charged with negative emotions such as anger and fear. When large masses of people pour out such psychogenic venom with each exhalation, the atmosphere gets polluted in a subtle way, and it is very probable that sentient beings and even vegetation are sensitive to this type of pollution. It is experimentally known that plants thrive much better in an environment of peace and love, but they tend to get stunted or they wither away when harshly treated with violent abusive words even though both groups are equally well provided with water, manure, sunlight and horticultural care.

According to scientific thinking air pollution with increased carbon dioxide is due to fossil fuel burning which in the long run would contribute to global warming with catastrophic effects on human well-being. It is now conjectured that the disappearance of the dinosaurs from the face of the earth is due to reduction of oxygen level and increase of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. The present situation of environmental pollution is far more grave than that which caused the extinction of those enormous beasts, as carbon dioxide is produced by machines unknown during the dinosaur age. While metal machines physically pollute the atmosphere, billions of human machines also add psychogenic toxins to the carbon dioxide they breathe out. Therefore we venture to argue that pollution in the psychosphere is a crucial factor in the environmental crisis man is faced with today. Even the physical pollution caused by emissions from machinery and over-exploitation of natural resources is the result of man's greed for luxury, wealth and power. It is therefore possible to conclude that the environmental pollution is really the external manifestation of the internal moral pollution of modern man.

As man's moral disposition has a direct deep-rooted relationship with the environmental crisis Vipassana meditation offers a relevant practical method to effect a wholesome attitudinal change in man to give him a sense of direction and goal in life, and also help him restore the sustainability of nature.

Taking a phrase from Erich Fromm we can say that man has to change his attitude from the 'having mode' to the 'being mode' of life. Man motivated by the 'having mode' tries to satisfy his greed extracting as much as possible from nature, thus leading to excessive exploitation bringing in its wake all the ills of pollution and depletion. Man inspired by the being mode on the other hand utilizes nature's resources to satisfy his needs and this attitude leads to conservation and sustainability of nature. It is interesting to note that ancient Indian Languages such as Sanskrit and Pali do not even have a verbal root 'to have'. The idea of having has to be expressed periphrastically. If one wishes to say 'I have sons and wealth' in Pali one must say Puttaa me atthi dhana"m atthi, which literally means 'to me there are sons, there is wealth'. Thus the being mode had been so ingrained in the human heart of ancient Indian culture even language lacked a verbal root 'to have'.

Vipassana meditation teaches man to lead a simple life satisfying his needs. Appicchataa, the ability to be satisfied with little is methodically cultivated as a virtue of great value. If it is cultivated collectively by mankind, giving up the present trend of consumerism, much of the sting of the eco-crisis can be mitigated. All the ills of large-scale deforestation such as soil erosion, landslides, changes in weather-pattern, drought, etc. are fundamentally related to consumerism. Without changing to a simple life style an effective solution to these life threatening problems cannot be worked out.

Mettaa forms a part and parcel of the meditative life. If one practises mattaa one would refrain from over-exploitation and over consumption out of sympathy for future generations too as non-renewable natural resources are fast diminishing due to demands made by the present consumerist life style. Practising mettaa man would also have sympathy for other species and forms of life which are threatened by extinction today. It is strategically important to remember that natural bio-diversity is extremely valuable for a healthy balanced eco-system.

Vipassana meditation cleanses man of his psychological impurities. Nature can cope with the biological impurities produced by man, but nature cannot help nor cope with the psychological pollution produced by man. Hence the spread of crime, terrorism and war like an epidemic in society, pollution related diseases threatening human life, and the imminence of large scale destruction through ecological imbalance and pollution.

Let us come back to the Buddha's statement: cittena niyyati loko, that the world operates through the human mind. So long as the human mind is motivated by morally wholesome intentions, man can lead a comparatively happy life and nature would be manageably hospitable. When the motivational roots are evil, man experiences misery as is maintained by the first two verses in the Dhammapada. Now it appears that evil is so widespread that even nature has been adversely affected, rendering it more inhospitable. The environmental crisis has to be treated as the result of a moral crisis. Man has to cultivate a morally wholesome attitude and lifestyle for a change for the better and this has to be accepted as a survival imperative.

Thanking Phramaha Witoon Thacha for his retyping this article.

The Inner Ecology: Buddhist Ethics And Practice

2007-08-05T18:35:00.000-08:00

By Ronald Epstein

AN ANALOGY: THE MIND AND ENVIRONMENTAL ECOLOGY

If ignorance, particularly ignorance of the illusory nature of the self, is the basic cause of our lack of enlightenment, why can't we just do a little introspection and see clearly who we really are and become enlightened?

In theory we can, but when most of us do look within, we cannot fathom the depths of our own minds, because our minds are not clear and still. Instead we find them to be turbid and in constant flux; they are terribly polluted. It is our own mental pollution that keeps us from enlightenment. We try to plumb our minds, but it is more like trying to see to the bottom of a badly polluted pond used as a factory sewer than gazing to the bottom of a clean, clear, still mountain pool.

The analogy of environmental pollution is very helpful. By exploring it, we can understand clearly the nature of our own inner mental pollution. By reviewing the principles of environmental ecology, we can see how mental ecological action can restore our minds to their natural condition, their original pristine nature: clear, pure, and wonderfully bright and enlightened.

What do we mean by environmental pollution? Poisons, pollutants, have been introduced into the environment, upsetting the environmental balances, so the holistic ecosystem no longer functions normally, naturally. Why? A part has been favored at the expense of the whole. Because of greed for profit, because of impatience in getting some things done, because of just plain foolishness, some product is manufactured, something is built, grown or refined, completely disregarding the side-effects of that activity.

What do we mean by mental pollution? Mental poisons, such as greed, desire, and anger, have entered the mind. They stir it up and make it turbid. Why? A little part of the mind, the selfish ego of the individual, has been favored at the expense of the whole. The sense of ‘me and mine’ blinds us to the feelings of others and covers over our true nature, that is all-encompassing, that lies beyond the petty distortions of the view that divides the world of experience into self and other.

In cleaning up our environment it is not enough to sweep up the garbage. We must get at the source of the pollution, though it may take us a while to find out where it is actually coming from. When we do find the source, we regulate it through legislation and surveillance, while trying to convince the perpetrators, the selfish special interests, to take a look at the big picture. If we can get them to enlarge their viewpoint and see that in the long run the pollution is beneficial to no one, they will cease polluting of themselves.

Cleaning up our mental pollution begins with recognizing that our greed, desire, and anger are poisoning us, and then moving to ban their coarse manifestations from our every day actions. But that by itself is not enough. We have to trace the pollution back to where it arises in our minds and find out why it is generated in the first place. At its source we find ‘me and mine’--basic selfishness and disregard for others that pollutes and distorts our every thought and action.

BUDDHIST ETHICS AND PRACTICE

What the Buddha taught were practices which enable us to eliminate mental pollution permanently. Simply put, these practices have three aspects: moral precepts, meditational concentration, and wisdom. The three aspects have been compared to the legs of a tripod, which support a vessel. Remove any one of the three and the vessel collapses. Likewise, cease to follow the precepts and your practice collapses; let concentration lapse or become muddled about what is happening, and your practice becomes ineffective.

Why is following the moral precepts essential to successful Buddhist practice? To answer this question, let us first take a look at the most fundamental moral guidelines taught by the Buddha: abstention from 1) the taking of life; 2) stealing; 3) sexual misconduct; 4) false speech, and 5) intoxicants. Why do people kill? Why do people take what is not freely given? Why do people commit rape and adultery? Why do they wallow in mindless affairs, blinded by the passions in the name of “love”? Why do they lie, speak harshly and deceptively, and take so much pleasure in gossip? Why do they smoke, drink, take pot, snort cocaine, shoot heroin, and pop no end of pills to go on this “trip” or that?

All these activities can be traced back to fundamental insecurity and fear generated by the self. Why? The self is always trying to establish the reality of its own illusory nature; it is always trying to make itself seem permanent when it is basically impermanent. To counteract the basic insecurity and fear generated by this impossible situation, the self tries to establish defenses - veils and diversions – to direct attention away from the basic difficulty. Our negative emotions - greed, desire, and anger –” become the vehicles of the quest for wealth, for sexual gratification, for fame and power, for myriad pleasures and pamperings of the body. The real purpose of it all is to erect a tremendous mind-polluting smokescreen that functions as an ego-defense by veiling the fundamentally illusory nature of the self. The more the ego can direct our attention outwardly and involve our energies in external gratification, the safer it feels; the less chance there is that its true nature will be discovered.

The moral precepts are designed as basic guidelines for counteracting the pollution of the ego-defenses. By following the guidelines the pollution is naturally removed and the mind cleared. Just as anti-pollution laws must be closely monitored to insure compliance, so too the precept-guidelines for our own mental and physical actions must be closely monitored by our own mindfulness. If we conscientiously do so, we will quickly be able to identify the sources of our turbid energies so that we can restructure and redirect them. As the inner ecological balance is restored, they will no longer function as pollution which screens and protects the illusion of self, but the transformed and redirected energies will become the vehicle for locating and eliminating the source of the pollution - the same illusion of self that it formerly screened.

The precepts are the guidelines for transformation. They show us how to restructure our energies into the original and natural patterns of attunement with the entire universe, so that our sense of alienation is dissolved. When we naturally experience and act out of the fundamental equality of our identity with all living beings, we will have restored the ecological harmony to our minds. Our mental ecosystem will function naturally and holistically, and it will generate the wisdom of clear seeing and compassion for all life. That is the basic teaching of the Buddha.

One final point. According to Buddhist teachings, when we reach this stage of understanding, we see clearly that all outer pollution is merely a reflection of the pollution within our own minds. Our shared environment is the karmic result of the sum total of the thoughts and intentions that every single individual projects outwardly in his or her own actions. Again, self-image is the crux of the problem. From individual selves are generated the self-images of corporations, of political constituencies, and of nations. In each case there is sacrifice of the whole for the part, of the limitless for the limited. Our ego-directed intentions and motivations create the problems. When the ego direction, basic selfishness, is removed, clear intentions and clear motivations lead the way to a new attunment that is also at-one-ment.

* A revised and expanded version of “Cleaning Up the Pollution in Our Minds,” Proper Dharma Seal, No. 7, Oct. 1985.

Buddhism & Environmental Protection

2007-08-05T18:16:00.000-08:00

By Ven. Sheng-yen

Buddhism is a religion that places great emphasis on environmental protection. Sakyamuni Buddha was born at Lumbini Garden. He engaged in spiritual practice in the forest, attained Buddhahood under a tree, and first began preaching at Deer Park. The major monasteries where he taught his disciples were all gardens or woods, such as Jeta Grove, Bamboo Grove, Amravana Garden, and he passed into pari-nirvana between two Sal trees near Kusinagara. He exhorted his monastic disciples, when spending the night under a tree, to regard that place as his home and take loving care of it.

The Buddha told us in the sutras and precepts that we should take loving care of animals, and that we should not harm the grass and trees, but regard them as the home where sentient beings lead their lives. In the stories of the Buddha's past lives, when he was following the Bodhisattva path, he was once reborn as a bird. During a forest fire, he tried fearlessly to put out the fire, disregarding his own safety by bringing water with his feathers. In the Avatamsaka Sutra it is said that mountains, waters, grass, and trees are all the manifestation of the great bodhisattvas. So, Buddhists believe that both sentient beings and non-sentient things are all the Dharma-body of the buddhas. Not only do the yellow flowers and green bamboo preach Buddhist teachings, but rocks can also understand Buddhist doctrines. Therefore, Buddhists regard our living environment as their own bodies. The Buddhists' life of spiritual practice is by all means very simple, frugal, and pure.

Unfortunately, the immoderate development and the excessive use of chemicals in the world have led to the rapid consumption of natural resources, the speedy deterioration of the natural environment, and the extinction of a variety of species. The collective result speeds the earth towards doomsday. Although no human being hopes for the early arrival of doomsday, few are willing to strive together to take action to salvage the destiny of the earth, despite the fact that most are conscious of the crisis. Day in and day out everyone still consumes even larger amounts of natural resources, produces more refuse to pollute the earth, the air, and rivers and oceans. The remaining tracts of tropical rain forest become smaller and smaller; the number of species likewise decreases, and desertification of the land expands at a faster rate. If this situation is not placed in check and reversed, then humankind will have become extinct even before the earth is destroyed.

In the modern world, everybody knows that we should protect our living environment, reduce the amount of garbage we produce, classify our refuse, and recycle as much as possible. Nevertheless, we are still consuming substantial amounts of energy resources every day, and producing tremendous amounts of refuse and pollution. In the former agricultural and pastoral ages, garbage could become the fertilizer and soil, returning to nature; in contrast, the natural resources consumed by the modern industrial and commercial sector are non-renewable. Contemporary civilization produces a huge amount of pollution, and this act is as horrible as generating a tremendous quantity of cancer cells in the body of Nature.

We do not curse modern industry and commerce; neither do we denounce the rapid development of technological production. Therefore, we are forced to appeal to the religious and spiritual leaders of the world to advise all humankind that it must take responsibility to protect the environment while engaged in industrial, commercial, and technological activities. Human beings should not, just because of their curiosity for technological innovations and the competition of industrial and commercial wealth, keep on destroying the environment on which we rely for our survival; otherwise, humankind's history will not endure another thousand years!

The wasteful consumption of natural resources and destruction of ecology are caused by humankind's psychological craving for convenience and wealth. If we can practice the Buddha's teaching of “leading a contented life with few desires” and “being satisfied and therefore always happy”, and if we are willing to use our intelligence to deal with problems and engage diligently in productive work, then, without having to contend with one another or fight with nature, we can lead very happy lives. Therefore, the members of our organization use the following four sentences to encourage one another:
Our needs are little;
Our wants are great.
Pursue only what we really need;
What we want is unimportant.
If, for the sake of satisfying our wants, humankind consumes natural resources and devastates the ecological environment, then we repeatedly borrow to repay what we already owe. By borrowing to cover old debts, one's debts will grow increasingly heavy; by cutting out one's flesh to appease one's hunger, one is slowly committing suicide. Unfortunately, humankind loses its head for the sake of temporary convenience and selfish gains. Some say that future technology will be able to rectify the errors caused by modern people. Supposedly, this future technology will be able to solve the problems resulting from contemporary technology. Further, they say if one group of people causes problems, another group of people will manage to deal with them. They imply that the act of destruction should come first before humankind achieves more advanced insight. These are extremely irresponsible concepts. While engaging in various kinds of production and manufacturing, if modern people do not at the same time pay close attention to measures for protecting the environment and cherishing their resources, this amounts to burying mines everywhere in the environment to menace future generations of humankind. So, we have to appeal to the religious and spiritual leaders of the whole world not only to pray for the success of environmental work, but also to get involved personally in the all-encompassing movement of environmental protection.

As I said, the environmental protection movement should be all-encompassing. In addition to cherishing natural resources, protecting the ecological environment, and lifestyle choices such as reducing the amount of garbage, recycling, living a pure, simple, and, frugal life, and minimizing the pollution we produce, we should further learn to respect lives and others, always reminding ourselves of this thought: apart from ourselves, there are innumerable other people; apart from our one generation, there are our innumerable descendants in future generations.

Therefore, Dharma Drum Mountain, our small Buddhist community of only about one million members, has in the last ten years promoted four major principles of environmental protection:
1) The cherishing of natural resources and the protection of the ecological environment;
2) Maintaining cleanliness in family life and using daily necessities simply and frugally;
3) Improving interpersonal politeness and social etiquette; and,
4) Instead of considering everything from the standpoint of one person, one race, one time-period, and one place, we should consider it from the standpoint that all humankind of all time and space should be protected in their existence, possess the right to live, and feel the dignity of life.
In brief, the above-mentioned four kinds of environmentalism can be restated as natural environmentalism, lifestyle environmentalism, social etiquette environmentalism, and spiritual environmentalism. The environmental tasks of general people are mostly restricted to the material aspects, namely, the first and second items. The environmental tasks we carry out have to go deeper from the material level to the spiritual level of society and thinking. Environmental protection must be combined with our respective religious beliefs and philosophical thinking into an earnest mission, so that environmentalism will not become mere slogans. So, strictly speaking, the purification of humankind's mind and heart is more important than the purification of the environment. If our mind is free from evil intentions and is not polluted by the surroundings, our living environment will also not be spoilt and polluted by us. However, for ordinary people, it is advisable to set out by cultivating the habit of protecting the material environment, and go deeper step by step until at last they can cultivate environmentalism on the spiritual level.

08/31/2000 working session on environmental protection at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel.

To read more on Environmental issue by Ven.Sheng-yen, please click here.

Google Blackle

2007-07-28T07:41:00.000-08:00

A friend emailed me the following, not sure how true it is, but why not, eh?

When your screen is white - an empty word page, or the Google page, your computer consumes 74 watts, and when its black it consumes only 59 watts. Mark Ontkush wrote an article about the energy saving that would be achieved if Google had a black screen, taking in account the huge number of page views, according to his calculations, 750 mega watts/hour per year would be saved.

In a response to this article Google created a black version of its search engine, called Blackle, with the exact same functions as the white version, but with a lower energy consumption, check it out.

http://www.blackle.com/

Had you changed to Google Blackle yet?

WNBC-TV - Going Green: Environmentally-Friendly Fashion Hits Runways

2007-07-25T01:50:00.000-08:00

Being fashionable isn't about killing helpless animals for fur or leather. Next time you go shopping, please ask yourself, "Do you really need more fur/leather shoes or bags? Are fur/leather goods really a must? Would you become less fashionable without them?"

Please ALWAYS choose a more COMPASSIONATE and GREEN way to live stylishly.

March 20, 2007 5:20pm ET
As part of the "Going Green" series on WNBC-TV's "Live at 5," Lynda Baquero presented this segment on eco-friendly fashion. Chassie Post, a fashion editor at Domino magazine, points out that producing clothing from animal products not only can involve harming or killng animals—it also can require dangerous chemicals during the treatment process that can harm the environment in yet other ways. This part of the report features the eco-friendly alternatives available at MooShoes.

Download in Windows Media (.wmv) format

By the way, the animals need the fur and leather, and in case you haven't noticed, it's their skin.

:60 To Save The Earth

2007-07-16T07:17:00.000-08:00

Calling all the inspiring film-makers, here's a way to prove your creativity and yet help save our Mother Earth. A contest launching at Live Earth 07/07/07 and encourages viewers to submit your green public service announcements to the contest by 12 Sep 07.

11th Hour trailer (Leo DiCaprio climate change documentary)

2007-07-16T06:43:00.000-08:00

Let's hope this documentary by Leonardo Di Caprio would make a bigger impact than Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth". Let's also hope more people will truly appreciate the earth and not wait till the 11th Hour.

A Vegetarian Diet Reduces the Diner's Carbon Footprint

2007-07-02T17:52:00.000-08:00

Below is an article by James Kanter on how vegetarian diet is crucial to reducing global warming. The burning question remains – have we done enough? Yes, we have seen enough facts, but are governments throughout the world doing what is truly essentially – to promote a vegetarian/vegan diet? Please read on...

By James Kanter
Published: June 6, 2007

PARIS: A strategy to tackle global warming is a must-have for businesses this year, and the food industry is no exception. Can it be a surprise that some claims are hard to judge and others, well, a bit too rich to swallow?

The latest claim to catch my eye is an advertising campaign by a Japanese ice cream maker, Lotte. It recommends eating its frozen goods as a way of combating climate change. By reducing body temperature, ice cream lowers demand for air conditioning, and that in turn is supposed to help to stem emissions of planet-warming gases.

Attempts to get someone at Lotte to comment were unsuccessful, but one can assume that its tongue is firmly planted in cheek. But don't be deceived: There are strong links between food and global warming. Some of the most serious center on how food is produced and transported. And much of the focus is on meat and dairy.

Production and consumption of meat worldwide has more than tripled since 1961 and could double from now until 2050 as standards of living increase and the population doubles.

As a result, vast swaths of forest are being cleared for pastures, robbing the planet of trees, which absorb carbon dioxide. Cattle and sheep also release vast amounts of methane, a potent greenhouse gas. A recent study by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations produced startling findings: The animals' burps, the nitrous oxide gases from their decomposing manure and other factors, including the energy needed to store and transport meat, were responsible for 18 percent of greenhouse gas emissions - more than the entire transportation sector.

Meat producers say they already have made significant changes to reduce the impact of their industry - in part by ensuring that cattle, sheep and pigs spend less time on farms before they are slaughtered.

"Within Europe, we already are going for environmentally friendly production," said Jon Bullock, a spokesman for the Meat and Livestock Commission in England.

Retailers, meanwhile, are seeking ways to give consumers ever greater amounts of information about their shopping. But while many consumers seem willing to pay extra for food with less impact on the environment, there still are few ways to compare products accurately.

One of the difficulties, pollution experts say, is figuring out at what point to begin measuring the carbon footprint of a finished product, particularly when supply chains have become so long and complicated.

"If everyone is measuring using a different scope, they are not going to be comparable, and that will render them meaningless," said Belinda Howell, chief executive of Greenstone Carbon Management, a London-based consulting company. The situation is especially confusing for food suppliers, who are under increasing pressure from top British supermarkets to do more to account for their emissions.

Those kinds of details, said Howell, "will become an important part of the mix of information needed to retain contracts in the future."

In a bid to clear up the confusion, the British government announced an initiative last week that could help harmonize the myriad ways of examining carbon footprints from food and other consumer goods. Officials at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, known as Defra, say their goal is to produce a single standard that can be taken up by the rest of the world.

"This is important work and will be fundamental in our efforts to move Britain toward a low-carbon economy in the decades ahead," said Britain's minister for climate change and environment, Ian Pearson.

Perhaps a trickier issue, however, is whether governments should be telling citizens what they ought to be eating.

Defra officials say a diet low in animal proteins could make a difference in the fight against climate change. But they shy away from recommending a vegetarian lifestyle.

"These are not all-or-nothing choices and the government is not suggesting people should stop eating meat altogether," said a Defra spokeswoman, who requested anonymity based on Defra policy.

Some campaigners see a missed opportunity. They say recommendations by governments to phase out meat-eating could have a far greater effect on reducing emissions than other global warming campaigns, like changing to low-energy light bulbs or taking public transportation.

"The answer is for people to move toward a plant-based diet if they're serious about global warming," said Justin Kerswell, a spokesman for Viva!, an animal rights group based in England. Such claims seem to be winning academic backing - and not only in green-minded Britain.

Gidon Eshel, a Bard Center fellow at Bard College in upstate New York, said his studies show that the average American diet each year requires the production of greenhouse gases equivalent to an extra ton and a half of carbon dioxide compared with a strictly vegetarian diet. "If you simply cut down from two burgers a week to one, you've already made a substantial difference," Eshel said.

Ice cream, Eshel added, is roughly as bad for the environment because it also comes from cows. "Only eat it if you really must, is my view."

You can't be a meat eating environmentalist

2007-06-29T09:41:00.000-08:00

Heed the signs

2007-06-25T06:04:00.000-08:00

Saw this digram from Climate Hot Map, wow, seems like we are breaking a lot of records. Please heed the signs, help to save the feverish earth!

SAVE, REDUCE, REUSE & RECYCLE!

Great GREEN News but...

2007-04-12T05:29:00.000-08:00

Ikea To Start Charging Customers For Plastic Bags
(Summary of The Straits Times, HOME, page H3 Wednesday, April 11, 2007)

Ikea of Singapore is charging consumers a nominal 5 cents for standard-size plastic bags and 10 cents for larger ones. And will cut the price of their reusable blue bags from S$2.90 to S$1.20 to encourage more customers to BYOB (bring your own bag). Sales of the bags will be donated to the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) to fund conservation efforts in Indonesia. The money will help fund initiatives by the Indonesian government and non-government organisations to prevent and monitor illegal fires and forest-clearing and promote sustainable forest management. The campaign was rolled out in Britain last year, where it proved to be a huge success. Charging 10 pence per bag, the initiative cut the store's plastic bag usage by 95%, said Ikea spokesman Lars Svensson. And customers in the United States had already started paying for their plastic bags in February this year. The money raised in those sales was also channeled to environmental causes. From news online of Channel New Asia, “Singapore consumes 2.5 billion plastic bags each year… Singapore incinerates its waste plastic bags and burning a tonne of them produces almost 2,900 kilograms of carbon dioxide - the gas that causes global warming. Global warming is the reason why glaciers melt, causing sea levels to rise. And that is a serious issue for islands like Singapore.”

Local Corporations Need To Wake Up!
While we cheer Ikea's environmental efforts both locally and globally, it's quite disheartening to know that many local corporations and folks involved aren't doing enough, and are still in fact still contributing to the escalating problem of global warming. It’s time to think beyond profits and losses - not everything can be measured in dollars and sense. How much is the planet worth? How do you measure the cost of physical and emotional damage wrecked by global warming?

The executive director of the Singapore Environment Council Howard Shaw said the resistance by retailers boiled down to “a fear of losing customers”. To let fear of losing customers be placed on higher priority than the “fear of losing the entire planet and its lives (which includes the customers!)” is totally preposterous.

There's only one earth and alarm bells have already ringing non-stop. We are experiencing freak weather that costs lives globally. If this is not enough to convince each of us to do something, then what is? Are we simply really waiting for a great catastrophe to hit us personally before we do the right thing?

We cannot tackle global warming issue singlehandedly – we need to do it collectively. If we truly believe saving the Earth is crucial, we have to help each other achieve that. Why not join hands together with Ikea and the rest of the world on this plastic bag issue? Those who don't think using a single plastic bag after another is no issue should just have to pay for doing so. As we can see, encouraging reusable bags alone had not been successful enough to alert the urgency of the environmental issue. Many of us still use plastic bags wastefully and it's not an uncommon sight at supermarkets that many customers still ask for more plastic bags unnecessarily, while cashiers issue them without much thought.

As a message on a reusable cloth bag I carry says, using it as an alternative is “a bag that won’t cost the Earth”!

Story on Recycling: The Generous Queen & The Selfish King

2007-03-29T20:01:00.000-08:00

What would you do if you suddenly had a bag full of gold? What would you do with it? Would you keep it, spend it or share it? Here is a story of how a disciple of the Buddha called Ananda taught a King a lesson on the importance of mindful sharing - not only with one's personal wealth, but also of the wealth of the Earth's resources. This is also the classic Buddhist story of "recycling" our blessings in life, of treasuring whatever we have.

Once upon a time in ancient India, there lived a selfish King and his generous Queen. One day, they received news of the Buddha having arrived at one of their kingdom's villages. As the Queen very much wished to seek the advice of the Buddha, she invited Him and His followers to visit the palace.

After spending an entire day listening to the Buddha's wonderful teachings, the Queen felt that she should offer the Buddha's following a worthy gift as a token of her great appreciation. Accepting the offer, the Buddha asked Ananda to receive the Queen's gift, which was a big bag of gold. As joyous and giving as she was, she had much confidence that the wise disciples of the Buddha would put it to good use. However, when the King heard about his wife's gift, he became very suspicious of how it would be handled. Thinking that Ananda must have tricked the Queen into giving him so much gold, he called for Ananda to question him.

The King asked, "What are you going to do with so much money?"
Ananda replied, "I will go to the market and buy all the cloth that we can carry."
"But what'll you do with all the cloth?"
"We'll sew five hundred suits of clothes."
"But what'll you do with the new clothes?"
"We'll give them to the many villagers dressed in rags."
"But what'll you do with their old clothes?"
"We'll make them into new quilts."
"But what'll you do with the old quilts?"
"We'll make them into new pillows."
"But what'll you do with the old pillows?"
"We'll make them into new rugs."
"But what'll you do with the old rugs?"
"We'll make them into new doormats."
"But what'll you do with the old doormats?"
"We'll make them into new brooms."
"But what'll you do with the old brooms?"
"Well, Your Highness, we will take them apart and use them for plastering the walls of our houses - to strengthen them. Praise to the Queen! All these blessings for so many are made possible only with the generosity of Her Highness. In this way, Your Highness, everything that comes to each of us, no matter how great or small it is, should be used thoughtfully and thoroughly with great care and purpose. Nothing is really ours to own forever, since everything we have in the Universe are like temporary gifts lent for our use. Therefore, whenever possible, these gifts should be shared. May all be mindful of this in the passage of life. And may all treasure and share their blessings with each other."

Hearing these thought-provoking words, the King bowed in repentance and reverence, thereby resolving to be a more giving and caring King. - Shen Shi'an (retold)

Al Gore & PETA

2007-03-29T18:28:00.000-08:00

Recently, a friend introduced me to an entry in PETA's blog, on PETA's open letter to Al Gore, which appeals to him to speak up on and live up to vegetarianism as another inconvenient truth. The letter stated how animals raised for food industries generate more greenhouse gases than all cars and trucks combined and that (according to a recent University of Chicago study), switching to a vegan diet is more effective in countering global warming than switching from a standard American car to a Prius.

I'm kind of glad that PETA sent the letter, as with PETA's style, they will follow-up to this issue to the very end. I'm also touched by Al Gore's passion for raising concerns for global warming. I feel the urge to really go out there and help fight global warming, but rather true to the title of Gore's documentary (An Inconvenient Truth), the issue about animal raised for food industry might be a little inconvenient for Al Gore and many meat-eating environmentalists?

I truly feel that even if we are able to change every single car in this entire planet to an eco-friendly ones, we might still not able to reduce carbon dioxide emission to the standards we want and need. Simply because the amount of methane, nitrous oxide and carbon dioxide produced by the humongous meat and diary industries are just too alarmingly high. Veganism should be considered as one of the major solutions to free the world of suffocating gases.

If you have another moment, please go to Meat and the Environment or further information. Below is an extract -

"Farmed animals produce about 130 times as much excrement as the entire human population of the United States, and since factory farms don't have sewage treatment systems as our cities and towns do, this concentrated slop ends up polluting our water, destroying our topsoil, and contaminating our air. And meat-eaters are responsible for the production of 100 percent of this waste—about 86,000 pounds per second! Give up animal products, and you'll be responsible for none of it."

Environmental Education Talk – Tues, 20 Mar

2007-03-18T17:30:00.000-08:00

With Global Warming increasing public awareness of the need to protect the environment, Environmental Education has become an even more important veg issue. One of the organisations in the forefront of Environmental Education is Roots & Shoots: http://www.rootsandshoots.org

Roots & Shoots was founded by Jane Goodall’s (who is veg), Jane Goodall Institute. Our friends at Nature Society (Singapore) - http://nss.org.sg – are hosting a talk titled “Sowing Seeds for Global Peace” by Kelly Kok, Executive Director of the Jane Goodall, Institute, Taiwan.

The talk is Tue, 20 Mar, 6.30-8.30pm, at the NSS office at 50 Geylang Road, The Sunflower, #02-05, at the junction of Geylang Rd and Lorong 28. For details, 6741-2036.

Extracted from VSS eNewsletter, 18 March 2007

Plastic bags

2007-02-23T10:34:00.000-08:00

Recent strong winds caused much mess at many places, and abandoned plastic bags tend to choose the most out-of-place places to be - choking drains!

Wish the authorities and public could do better to reduce littering and use of plastic bags.

Modify Your Diet To Include Less Meat

2007-02-07T22:09:00.000-08:00

Americans consume almost a quarter of all the beef produced in the world. Aside from health issues associated with eating lots of meat, a high-meat diet translates into a tremendous amount of carbon emissions. It takes more fossil-fuel energy to produce and deliver equivalent amounts of protein from plant sources.

In addition, much of the world’s deforestation is a result of clearing and burning to create more grazing land for livestock. This creates further damage by destroying trees that would otherwise absorb carbon dioxide. Fruits, vegetables and grains, on the other hand, require 95% less raw materials to produce and, when combined properly, can provide a complete and nutritious diet. If more Americans shifted to a less meat-intensive diet, we could greatly reduce carbon dioxide emissions and also save vast quantities of water and other precious natural resources.

Extracted from the book, "An Inconvenient Truth" by Al Gore, on page 317.

For more information about cows and global warming, visit Earth Save
and Methane

Effect of Global Warming (on a funnier side)

2007-01-31T23:50:00.000-08:00

The Day After Tomorrow Soon?

2007-01-14T23:24:00.000-08:00

On the Sunday (14 Jan) "The Day after Tomorrow" was featured on TV, it ironically reminded me of the bizarre weather we were experiencing recently.

Singapore experienced one of its worst floods since 1978. 366mm of rain fell over a 24-hour period, which was the third highest recorded in 75 years. Several days of torrential rains even caused surging waters to emerge from MacRitchie Reservoir, destroying much nursery products along Thomson Road. There were at least 3 landslides, with trees collasping on roads and houses, halting traffic along the expressway, even leaving some homeless.

Since midnight on Thursday (11 Jan) till 6pm Friday (12 Jan), 239 mm of rain fell in the northern part of Singapore – the highest amount so far. To think that the monthly average for January is 241 millimetres, there is way too much rain, which was predicted to last one more week.

It sure did, the rain came and went till Monday morning. And just yesterday, news reported collapsing of a road, which caused a terrible jam on one of the expressways. It felt like "The Day After Tomorrow" on a smaller scale. The Earth is having more extreme weather due to global warming.

After seeing "The Day After Tomorrow", I watched another environmental film on DVD – "An Inconvenient Truth". The damage we had done to this planet is beyond belief. It's such an urgent message that I had the sudden urge to do something to save the Earth - yet I cannot save the planet singlehandedly. WE need to help it together.

More stunning than the devastation is that many do not do much even though they are aware of the issues. A lot more just simply choose not believe it or think there is nothing they can do. Are we really sitting ducks, waiting for "The Day After Tomorrow" to come?

I am at a loss of words in describing the impact that Global Warming has to anyone. The truth may be inconvenient for many people, but our survival depends on our appropriate response to this truth.

Please do not procastinate anymore, please go to ClimateCrisis.net to learn how you can help. The Earth is dying. Will you not save it? If not for you, for your children?

Hazy Illusion

2006-10-10T05:03:00.000-08:00

One look at the photo, and one would assume it's a photo taken from, say, Genting Highlands. Or perhaps, somewhere in the Scottish highlands where fresh mists are common. Well, we are not anywhere high up in the highlands afloat in a sea of clouds - we are in the middle of Singapore, surrounded by suffocating haze.

Forest fires... what's worse? It's man-made! We are at a point where pointing fingers and criticising do not help anymore. We need to do something fast. There's a need to understand burning forests isn't a viable option anymore - profitable only in the short run, digging our graves in the long run. There's a need to understand forests are important to us and our environment.

While people around the Malay Archipelego are choking with haze, another crazy human phenomenon had just started elsewhere. Nuclear tests in North Korea! A test that caused the Earth to tremble literally, unnecessarily. Whether it's a hoax, or real, why can't people choose peace over war, love over hate, forgiveness over grudges, generosity over selfishness, harmony over pride?

Hellfire on Earth?

2006-08-22T21:48:00.000-08:00

Frankly speaking, the Chinese lunar 7th month is a month of 'burning hell on Earth' in Singapore. Chinese folks will start buying joss paper and candles, to make offerings to hungry ghosts or deceased relatives. And supposedly, these paper-made materials will transform magically into usable items in the nether world. Interesting idea, but rather illogical though.

During this month chinese lunar 7th month, a few companies along Ubi Cresent will have offering sessions outside their offices. Needless to say, there is a lot of burning to do, thus resulting in patches of burnt plants or grass everywhere, and ashes blown by occassional winds, which make the entire road messy and suffocating. The question I never fail to wonder, why on the grass? Why not use a proper burning bin with a lid?

The picture shows a patch of burnt plants caused by an intensive fire at the opposite side of the pavement. What is left at the actual burning site is burnt grass with paper ashes. These plants and grass often take months to recover, and what lies ahead is yet another round of the burning session.

I have nothing against some folk customs, but in this age, burning joss paper and candles? Some innovative ideas should have been proposed and followed by now. Why not just burn one credit card or blank cheque? What's worse is that the burners have no regard of the environment at all. Barren grass and heaps of ashes can be seen almost everywhere in the heartlands, strewn with joss-sticks ends and candle wax on the pavement and grass. And these folks never seem to clean up the mess they make. If with goodwill they offered the unfortunate deceased with paper 'goodies', please spare those who are still breathing and in need of a pollution-free environment too.

If you have to make offerings, why not go to temples where they have special facilities to accommodate such activities? Spare the already deteoriating environment. Stop adding to the heatwave of global warming!

Let's Protect Our Trees

2006-08-15T08:26:00.000-08:00

Monk Protecting the Trees
Vasan Sitthiket 1957, Thailand
Mixed media on canvas
79 x 61cm

Singapore Art Museum

Rewriting The Science

2006-08-07T21:30:00.000-08:00

After reading Rewriting The Science on CBS NEWS.com, I was really stunned. A country that preached and breathed freedom of speech so much had the most important issue on this planet heavily censored and distorted.

It's sad to have a person to lead a country who has his needs above his countrymen. It's even sadder that this person's greed and ignorance could destroy the entire planet.

Keanu Reeves on Global Warming

2006-08-07T21:24:00.000-08:00

"Just as we are the cause, we can be the solution." ~ Keanu Reeves

Please visit The Great Warming for more info.

Axing Singapore's Oldest Bodhi Tree?

2006-07-03T18:08:00.000-08:00

As reported on the SaveOurRoots' website, "On 20th January 2003, URA issued a compulsory land acquisition order to acquire the plot of land belonging to JLS as part of URA's redevelopment plan for Circle Line Stage 3 construction. If nothing is done, both JLS and the Bodhi tree will have to make way for redevelopment in 2007."

The Bodhi tree (scientifically known as Ficus religiosa) at Lorong How Sun, located in the premises of Jing Long Si, has been verified by Nature Society and National Parks Board to be more than 100-year-old, with a girth of approximately 8.5m and its height is about 30m. It was in fact recommended to be preserved as a Heritage Tree.

Heritage Tree expert, Wong Yew Kuan also mentioned that, "The roots of the Bodhi tree and JLS have become so intertwined that saving one means that you have to save the other and any land development at the tree's location has a high likelihood of causing soil movement and undue strees to the tree roots."

From JLS' website, there is some interesting feedback about URA recalling of the temple's land. As quoted below...

"The Temple land in question does not affect the proposed conversion of the neighbouring 40,000 square metres state land into residential use. The Temple land also does not affect the on-going MRT CCL Stage 3 construction taking place in the vicinity. In fact, no other residential buildings and the other religious buildings in the vicinity are subject to the land acquisition except this Temple!"

Which led the author to further question...

"Why is it that only the Temple land is being acquired to optimise land use, whilst all other buildings, a number of which are much closer to the MRT construction vis-a-vis the Temple land, are left alone?"

So why is URA taking back JLS' land and not others'? How is a plot of land of estimated size of two basketball courts and rather a distance away from the future Bartley MRT useful to URA for MRT CCL stage 3 construction?

From the map of the street directory, we can clearly see Bartley Christian Church and Ramaksishnan Mission Temple & Boy's Home are much nearer to the future Bartley MRT station. It certainly seems to make more sense to extend the Circle Line there or the plot of empty land beside Millennia Institue. It's really strange that URA chose to bypass Bartley Christian Church and Ramaksishnan Mission Temple & Boy's Home, the empty land beside Millennia Institue, Millennia Institue and the private semi-detached houses near JLS and "aim" right at JLS.

We know that Bishan MRT is having Circle Line extension now, but we don't see URA taking back Junction 8 Shopping Mall or the nearby HDB blocks or condominium for construction, do we? If URA is in need of land for the Circle Line, why is URA able to afford keeping the surrounding buildings and also build a new library beside the extended Circle Line at Bishan, but "unable" to spare JLS and its tree? The equation doesn't seem to work out.

Even if JLS' land is for residential development and not for Circle Line development, a rare century-old tree in this modern concrete world should be spared.

On the other hand, if a 75-year-old angsana tree along Braddell Road was spared for construction of roads and had a normal 3-lane road split into two to accommodate it, why can't URA consider some alternative as well for JLS and its tree? Likewise, National Parks Board did a road diversion and drainage system to preserve a more than 80-year-old Angsana tree along Upper Serangoon Road.

We are sure URA and the relevant authorities will be able to come up with a better solution to accommodate and not damage JLS and its tree with their future development. It would be thoroughly disappointing if this is not so.

Are They Non-Earthlings Among Us?

2006-06-27T21:58:00.000-08:00

Came across this article by Noam Mohr :How Environmentalists are Overlooking Vegetarianism as the Most Effective Tool Against Climate Change in Our Lifetimes. Please find time to read through it. In the meantime, check out the following recommendations from the article:

• Organizations should consider advocating vegetarianism as a major part of their anti-global warming campaigns. At a minimum, environmental advocates should mention vegetarianism in any information about actions individuals can take to address global warming.

• Government policy should encourage vegetarian diets. Possible mechanisms include an environmental tax on meat similar to one already recommended on gasoline, a shift in farm subsidies to encourage plant agriculture over animal agriculture, or an increased emphasis on vegetarian foods in government-run programs like the school lunch program or food stamps.

Singapore's Health Promotion Board recently started a campaign to encourage the public to eat more healthily by recommending a certain portion of vegetables and fruits as part of one's meal. Although the direction was more health-based than environment-based, it helps to some extent at least.

Well, pig farming was phased out since 1987 in Singapore, due to limited land and water resources. Although pollution was also one of the concerns, I feel that wasn't the main motive at all, or was it? Nonetheless, am glad that Singapore had finally ratificated/accepted* the Kyoto Protocol on 12 April 2006.

From many articles that I read, not many countries are always willing to put their economies at risk by promoting environmental-friendly ways of living. Just how unbeneficial can it be to be environmental-friendly? Is it more wise or beneficial to destroy the Earth that one lives in? I find rationalisations against environmentalism rather peculiar. To be fair, maybe they don't know the Earth is not as invincible as they thought it to be. But it becomes unforgivable when much research and recent extreme weather conditions already indicate otherwise. Is the meat industry more profitable than the agricultural industry? But how could it be so when many resources are lost during the process of producing a certain amount of meat a day. (Please read my past post: Meat-eating is Harzardous To The Earth. There's no need to be a mathematician to do simple calculation to see the vast contrasts.

Greed, ignorance or plain denial reached a point beyond logic when the Bush and Blair administration outright ignored the signs and warnings of global warming and decide to continue feeding the Earth with unrationed toxins. America never signed or ratified the Kyoto Protocol, and Blair recently backed nuclear plans. Are they even Earthlings, I wonder.

Here's a list of environment-related articles at the EarthSave website.

*Note: According to Wikipedia, signing of the Kyoto Protocol is optional, indicating intention to ratify. Ratification is the key step for a country to formally accept an international treaty.

An Inconvenient Truth

2006-06-24T07:40:00.000-08:00

An urgent message, please watch this film.

Daryl Hannah Uprooted & Arrested

2006-06-20T08:20:00.000-08:00

Actress of Kill Bill 2 was literally up a tree, trying to prevent loss of urban garden.

It's always sad to see a beautiful and well-taken care of garden to be replaced by some lifeless cold metals. As the CNN reported, "South Central Farm, a community garden* in Los Angeles had about 350 people grew produced and flowers on the 14 acres of privately owned land, in an inner-city area surrounded by warehouses and railroad tracks. The garden has been there for more than a decade, but the landowner, Ralph Horowitz, now wants to replace it with a warehouse." - CNN.com

Daryl Hannah and at least 39 others were arrested and failed to prevent the garden being wiped out. The garden was finally cleared.

Not sure what to say, in fact nothing much to say, but personally I feel preserving nature shouldn't always be compromised or axed off for modernation.

I wish people could be more green-minded than money-minded, especially since there is great imbalance at the moment.

* Community gardens transform empty lots into green, living spaces. They are collaborative projects created by members of the community; residents share in both the maintenance and rewards of the garden. There are an estimated 10,000 community gardens within U.S. cities. - mindspring.com

Poison Ivy, Poisoned Earth

2006-06-13T18:20:00.000-08:00

It's interesting to note that carbon dioxide actually boost Posion Ivy's growth, size and toxicity. Did a little research and found out that while trees and woody plants grow 31% faster in the CO2-rich areas, Poison Ivy grows 149% faster. What's more, forests become at risk because Posion Ivy's vines outgrow and smother trees. While 80% of the world population is allergic to this plant and no specific cure is available, should we not pull up our socks now and do something about the amount of CO2 we are producing before things get out of hand?

Ironically, in the movie "Batman & Robin", Poison Ivy's (played by Uma Thurman) environmental project fund was withdrawn by Wayne Enterprises due to some complications. When she personally went to explain to Bruce Wayne (played by George Clooney) about the situtation and request his further support (although a bit to far-fetch). Bruce Wayne still felt that money would be better spent on people than plants. That stirred hatred from Poison Ivy, leading to a string of mayhem.

While Bruce Wayne may not be wrong by putting people first, but personally, I felt he should have balanced his billion dollar fund well by protecting the environment too. Afterall, humans are the ones who cause the breakdown of environmental balance. Without Mother Earth, there's no people to take care of.

Meat-eating Is Harzardous To The Earth

2006-06-13T05:22:00.000-08:00

Not many people know that meat eating contributes to environmental problems.

Issues include:

1) Acres of forests are deforested to make way for grazing and agricultural farms for animals.
2) One-third of the world's agricultural land (two-thirds of United States') is used to feed livestock instead of hungry people.
3) Overgrazing leads to serious soil degeneration resulting in expanding wastelands.
4) Animal faeces and farm wastes are major water and land pollutants which ofteen result in acid rain.
5) All 17 of the world's major fisheries have either reached or exceeded their limits.
6) 1 billion [1 in 5] people lack safe water. Fact: 1 lb of beef uses 5,214 gallons while 1 lb of vegetables uses only 25 gallons.
7) Global warming is also caused by prolific farting and belching of animals which produce much methane.
8) Huge amounts of chemical fertilisers and pesticides are used to enhance plant growth to meet great demands for feeding overwhelming livestock. They deposit poisons on the land, affecting future plant growth, before eventually running into water systems. Fact: Being vegetarian or vegan uses much less pesticides or none at all.
9) 4 billion pounds of pesticide are used in the world each year. There are about 200 chemicals used, 50 suspected of causing cancer and 24 billion tons of agricultural topsoil are washed or blown away each year.
10) According to "Diet for a New America", over a billion people could be fed by the grain and soybeans eaten by U.S. livestock every year.
11) 1 pound of beef needs 16 pounds of grains and soybeans, 2500 gallons of water, and the energy equivalent of 1 gallon of gasoline. To produce one serving of chicken meat, 408 gallons of water are required.

Do these facts set your mind thinking?

Does Being Green Matters?

2006-06-12T00:56:00.000-08:00

At times, I wonder whether green-living really matters, as most around me don't seem to bother at all. The idea of "Reduce, Reuse and Recycle" once so noble fell really short. Are we really taking life for granted? Are we really taking this planet for granted? I guess the answer is yes.

The irony is few see the irony of it, missing the reality of interconnection. I vaguely remember a poster I once read at an exhibition, saying we have no idea the SUV we use to drive our asthmatic kids to hospitals is the very reason why kids nowadays are so vulnerable to pollution and such. We don't see how everything we do can link back to us in millions of other intricate ways. If we do see that, we won't be weeping and thumping our chests, asking why terrible things happen.

Being green matters to us and GreenTheme takes green living seriously. We strive to avoid or minimise lifestyles that harm the Earth and its living beings. Before we can convince the big corporations that short-term benefits driven by greed is doing more harm than good to us, we ourselves should practise what matters, regardless how tiny an (in)action might be.

Thus the beginning of this blog.