The world of Tzu Chi (Vol.110)

children. She was confident that the volunteers’ tireless efforts would eventually bear fruit, and hoped for more members of the public to commit to environmentally-friendly measures to achieve a greater and more sustainable collective impact. Taking timely action Volunteer Lim Siew Man recalled being awed by a poster featuring the compelling image of a mother breastfeeding her child against a backdrop of a towering mound of waste. The poster first caught Siew Man’s attention many years ago, yet the visual impact it generated proved lasting. Siew Man dreaded the day when the mountain of waste depicted in the poster would materialize before her very eyes. To her, the prospect of living among heaps upon heaps of waste was catastrophic beyond imagination. Siew Man not only strives to brush up on her knowledge on environmental conservation, but also actively incorporates it into her daily life. Whenever she eats out, she would opt to dine on the premises or prepare her own food container for takeaway orders. She also keeps a set of reusable cutlery handy. She found the practice cumbersome at first, but soon settled into the habit as she gradually became mindful of the potential impact her lifestyle choices would leave on the environment in the long run. Siew Man was encouraged by volunteer Ng Kim Poh to make her first foray into promoting environmental conservation efforts. At the beginning, she was uncomfortable with foraging through garbage bins for recyclables and carrying out tasks that required constant interaction with pecial Feature members of the public, but the phase of initial awkwardness soon dissipated and she now dedicates herself wholeheartedly to the cause. Siew Man has come full circle from being inspired by a poster advocating environmental conservation; now, she is the one influencing others, armedwith a poster to spread themessage of environmental conservation. Furthermore, she takes steps to commit to environmentally- friendly practices as she believes in the power of leading by example. “We must step up our efforts to save the environment before it is too late. Change starts from ourselves, hence we should set an example to others by adopting an environmentally- friendly lifestyle, for actions speak louder than words,” Siew Man asserted. Working together for environmental conservation “I long for the idyllic natural landscape of my childhood, long before pollution took over. I used to wake up to cool, misty mornings, but now the air is choked with haze. The harmful effects of widespread environmental pollution are taking a turn for the worse. I worry for the well-being of our future generations,” lamented Tang Choon Seong, who was offering prayers to his deceased kin with his relatives at the memorial park. The volunteers’ concern for the environment resonated with Choon Seong, prompting him to add that although constant development has inflicted extensive damage on the environment, he was comforted to know that Tzu Chi volunteers are willing to go the extra mile to save the Earth from total destruction. Choon Seong, who suffered from heart complications, decided to embrace 2019 • 05 32