The world of Tzu Chi (Vol.110)

well as others who were well-acquainted with the organization.Among those in the latter group was Tan Chooi Ping, who had come across Tzu Chi volunteers while manning her refreshments stall during the Wesak Day procession at the Seck Kia Eenh Buddhist Temple many years ago. Chooi Ping recalled that back then, the volunteers were busy spreading the message of environmental conservation. She approached the volunteers and requested for a poster appealing to the public not to litter to be displayed at her stall in support of the cause. Now, a sense of nostalgia arose within her at the familiar sight of the volunteers, easily recognizable from their distinctive uniforms. Chooi Ping has been travelling to various venues with her mobile stall, and is no stranger to litter strewn on the streets, leading her to remark that public awareness of environmental conservation is lacking, before admitting to falling behind in environmentally-friendly practices herself. Nevertheless, she has taken the initiative to provide a plastic disposal bag at her stall for her customers to dispose of their emptied beverage cans in order to keep the surroundings clean and reduce litter to a minimum. She handed over the soft drink cans in her collection to a volunteer who was going around gathering recyclable litter into a sack, eagerly offering, “I have saved the recyclables I have collected for the volunteers, as I am aware that Tzu Chi would channel the proceeds from the sales of the recyclables towards helping the needy.” She admired the volunteers’ humility and patience in communicating with members of the public without being intimidated by the risk of being confronted with hostile reactions. She, on the other hand, preferred to interact with to neglect the cleanliness of their surroundings while partaking in traditional customs and rituals to pay tribute to the dearly departed, leaving behind a trail of litter. In an effort to reverse this trend, Tzu Chi Malacca volunteers took the initiative to conduct various activities at the Malacca Memorial Park on March 30 and 31, 2019 to raise public awareness on the importance of environmental conservation. On March 30, the CEO of Tzu Chi Malacca, Loh Siew Cheng demonstrated her support for the cause by personally advocating for various environmental issues, speaking on topics ranging from the Earth Hour campaign to saturated landfills, and shared informative insights on recycling practices and environmental conservation. Despite being confronted with ridicule and even rejection from onlookers, she persisted in her mission to raise environmental awareness. Her perseverance was rewarded when several onlookers showed interest in the cause and requested for further information. Siew Cheng opined, “Reaching out to members of the public is an ideal way of promoting our cause as it is bound to attract the attention of curious individuals.” She acknowledged that it is far-fetched to expect to leave a meaningful impact through educational efforts over a mere two days, but at the same time, she was disheartened at the thought of recyclable waste being discarded indiscriminately or worse, being burnt to ashes. Hence, she would rather make do with the limited resources and manpower at her disposal, and encouraged the volunteers involved to give their best. During her time at the memorial park, she had encountered some members of the public who had only a vague knowledge of Tzu Chi, as TZU CHI 110 31