On the morning of March 29, volunteers, young and old, gathered to clean up Jells Park in Melbourne.After Brother Lin Tong-rong (林同榮) thanked everyone for coming to participate in the event, Sister Xiao Xing-yu (蕭杏玉) started a question-and-answer session and asked everyone to brainstorm on how to live an eco-friendly life. Among the answers were: carry your own shopping bags; refrain from buying over-packaged products; conserve energy by turning off the lights; recycle.
Many volunteers came with their children. While picking up trash from the ground, they talked to their children about the importance of recycling and environmental protection. Some children ran excitedly from place to place looking for garbage, as though they were at a treasure hunt. In groups of two or three, volunteers chatted while picking up the garbage. When they met any strangers, they introduced Tzu Chi and the importance of environmental protection to them.
At the end of the activity, volunteers sorted out the garbage and put away the tools. Then everyone gathered together to enjoy snacks and hot tea. A song was sung to round off the day's activity.
Source: Tzu Chi Quarterly Summer 2008
