The World Of Tzu Chi(Vol.128)

TZU CHI 128 35 them in a box, conscientiously thinking that they might come in handy one day. The box of now-yellowish white paper has finally been converted into logbooks to register the dental clinic guest details in light of the SOPs from the Covid-19 pandemic! “Driving on the highway, I’m always most heartbroken to see the bare hill slopes, after the trees were cut down. I always think, what would the consequences be if this situation continues? The calamities that occur on our planet are due to our actions. Thus, we have a responsibility to protect the Earth.” Dr. Ng does not only reflect about it. She practises recycling at her dental clinic. Initially, she kept paper and cardboard, but gradually included plastics, bottles, cans and transparent plastic bags. The long corridor at the back of the clinic serves as a small recycling corner, where segregated items are stacked neatly. With the recycling corner set up, she has educated her assistants and dentists the recycling process (collect, sort and fold). Whenever the corner appears messy, she would initiate the process of tidying up the section while encouraging her assistants to participate. The sorted items will then be collected by Tzu Chi volunteers each week. Dr. Ng also took the opportunity to have her staff join the TIMA team on a visit to the nearby Tzu Chi Ayer Keroh Environmental Education Exhibition. They learnt about the current environment condition of the Earth and the importance of recycling to mitigate further deterioration of nature’s resources. Dental assistants Nurul Fatehah and Thaneswary a/p Muniandy, both of different race and faith, were among those who participated. I am doing this to protect the planet At the recycling centre, Nurul Fatehah twisted plastic caps off the bottles, rinsed them and then placed them in labelled areas. “Dr. Ng taught us all these processes. When I first worked at the clinic, I wondered why we had to recycle. Then I learnt that it was for the environment, so I continued with it,” she said. The clinic staff take the initiative to fit in recycling in their work schedule, usually gathering at noon to do the sorting. The most diligent among them is Thaneswary. As the clinic can be very busy to the point that even mealtimes are short, she would go the extra mile to start the process so that she can help ease the workload of her other colleagues. She is very happy that Dr. Ng works alongside her colleagues, showing them the ropes on how to sort better. In the past, Thaneswary would throw away old newspapers at home and often use disposable food containers for takeaway meals. She has now adopted the recycling habit at home too. Ng Wei Ling is a clinic staff of six years and is an invaluable assistant to Dr. Ng especially on medical outreach missions. Her colleagues and her are encouraged to bring their reusable bags and lunch boxes to work. Reflecting on her first day at work where she had witnessed the clinic’s recycling efforts, she wondered what the purpose of that initiative was and the effectiveness in doing so. She vividly remembers Dr. Ng sharing with her, “Little drops of water make a vast ocean. The cumulative effort of even a small group of people can dowonders to help others. So long as someone is being influenced,