The world of Tzu Chi Nov-Dec 2022 (Vol.144)

TZU CHI 144 25 1 Tzu Ching is the abbreviation of Tzu Chi Collegiate Youth Association. 2 Traceless living means to prepare one’s own tableware and make the best effort to complete daily meals without leaving any traces behind. Simple and natural “3, 2, 1…” Following the emcee’s command, Leong Hao Qiang, leader of the Collegiate Youth Association; Low Ying Fan, mentor to the event coordinators; and Khor Sue Yee, Co-founder of Zero Waste Malaysia; slowly opened a carton box and took out a board with the “Midori Market” logo, officiating the opening of the event. “Nowadays, the whole world is investing in the sustainable development of the Earth. Tzu Ching members are also actively investing a lot of time and manpower to bring a clean and beautiful environment to the community,” remarked Hao Qiang, feeling grateful that the youths are playing their part in bringing a positive change to the world. Instead of the usual hustle and bustle of a commercial market, visitors to the Midori Market were greeted by live performance of melodious music. In line with the simple and natural concept adopted by the organizer, all the stalls were set up with a pure white parasols and pure white table cloth, reflecting a youthful, minimalist and aesthetic design. The white stalls spreading across the compound of Jing Si Hall looked like white clouds gathering beneath the clear blue sky, injecting a humanistic atmosphere to the market. The visitors shuttled among the various stalls, as if they were in a “sky market”, enjoying the pure simplicity. Meat-free, zero waste To help the visitors identify the type of plant-based food each stall was selling, the Tzu Ching members used their ingenuity and hung a CD with drawing representing vegan, lacto-ovo vegetarian, lacto-vegetarian, and so on, on the stalls. In addition, to promote the practice of a zero-waste lifestyle, the organizer highly encouraged the visitors to bring their own reusable bags, food containers and eating utensils. “We can take this opportunity to enjoy vegetarian food. After all, a vegetarian diet is not only environmentally-friendly but healthy at the same time.” A six-year vegetarian, visitor Meenies felt such an event would allow young people or families to try out vegetarian food in a comfortable environment. “I have had the habit of bringing a reusable bag with me. So, the idea of ‘leaving no trace’ is not troublesome to me.” Meenies claimed that she will continue The word “Midori” is derived from Japanese and generally refers to green. Midori Market is, therefore, a green market, which is not only meat-free, but also signifies caring for the environment and being traceless. By naming it a Midori Market, the organizer looks forward to calling on everyone to conserve the environment through a plant-based diet.