Articles
Making Taiwanfest more Taiwanese
- Details
- Published Date
Taiwanfest in Vancouver Canada ran this year from September 4th to the 6th, and featured a 20-year retrospective of Tzu Chi's recycling mission. Tzu Chi worked with the City of Vancouver Engineering Services to dramatically reduce waste over that period. Ironically, Vancouver hosts many large festivals and celebrations, which have always spelled trouble for the city's waste services. So for Taiwanfest, Tzu Chi organized 1,000 shifts of volunteers to work at the festival and further promote recycling.
< Carrying the Dharma abroad t>
Tzu Chi volunteers at the 2010 TELUS Taiwanfest have been promoting the idea of one vegetarian meal a week, and have received a lot of support.
Italian tourist:"We are Italian, and we at least have once a week a vegetarian pasta. Everyone can do it. It's very easy, and it helps the planet."
< Doing the dirty work >
Taiwanfest is being held at one of Vancouver's busiest public sites, its Vancouver Art Gallery Plaza Attendance has been brisk, running from morning to evening without break. Of course, there is garbage.
At every one of Vancouver's large events, the city's Engineering Services has big trouble managing waste because of event-goers' carelessness with sorting recyclables.
Tzu Chi-Canada executive director, He Guoqing:"There isn't proper sorting at large events like this. So the trash always piles up at these things, and it just gets buried. So we'd like to reduce this waste."
< Coordinating a big effort >
For the first time, Tzu Chi and the city's Engineering Services have joined hands, with volunteers staffing 10 recycling points throughout the event. (NS)Tzu Chi volunteers also push carts, circling the grounds every half-hour, and patrol the grounds individually, picking up litter, as well. About 300 volunteers are present on each day.
Tzu Chi volunteer, Shi Zhilian:"I've never seen them so particular about the sorting; there's compost, recyclables, and refundables. We've never done that before. At home, it's much simpler."
< Sort, sort, and sort again >
But things aren't done yet. The trucks carry all of it off to an underground garage, where yet more work awaits. Everything gets sorted again, right down to leftovers, and packed for delivery to the final destination.
Metro Vancouver business advisor, Ian Williamson:"I have never seen as committed a group of volunteers as the group here. The work is hard. The work is messy and dirty, and the people who do it are organized and highly motivated, so for me the experience has been a very positive experience."
< Diligent until the work is done >
Even when it began to rain, Tzu Chi volunteers remained committed to clearing every last piece of trash in sight, sparing city workers from extra labor, while guaranteeing that their mission was completed to the satisfaction of all.
加拿大溫哥華的台灣文化節這一次從九月四號到六號，主軸環繞慈濟環保20年，慈濟和大溫哥華區環保局合作，將活動的垃圾量大幅度的減少，溫哥華每逢大型活動製造的龐大垃圾量都令市府頭痛，還好志工三天下來動員了約一千人次不停的宣導環保與垃圾回收分類。
開宗名義的主旨貫穿了2010TELUS台灣文化節的訴求，慈濟志工推動每周一素，不論在地鄉親或遊客反應熱烈。
Italian touristl：「我們從義大利來的，一個星期吃一餐素義大利麵，每一個人都可以做得到，很簡單，又能幫助地球。」
文化節舉辦場地是在溫哥華最熱鬧的美術館廣場周邊舉行，人潮從白天到夜晚幾乎沒有斷過，無疑的，垃圾量也驚人。
每逢大型活動，大溫環保局就十分頭疼，因為民眾在外頭並不見得會分類。
Tzu Chi-Canada executive director, He Guoqing：「大型活動的時候就沒有這種分類，每一次大型活動完就垃圾一堆，只能掩埋，所以這次就希望說能夠減少垃圾。」
這一回，由慈濟和環保局攜手，慈濟總共擺放十處的垃圾收集站，還有志工推著車子每半小時巡迴收取一次，也有志工拿著長箝沿街撿拾垃圾，每一天動員約三百人。
Tzu Chi volunteer, Shi Zhilian：「從來沒經歷過這麼細緻的垃圾分類，有廚餘還有可回收、可再用的，以前從來沒有，包括我在家裡也只是簡單的分一下。」
以為這樣就完成了，隨著車子 進入到大樓地下室，有更繁鎖的工作在等待，有的垃圾還要再更仔細的分類，包括了可回收物的區分，才算做完。
Metro Vancouver business advisor, Ian Williamson：「我沒有看過你們這麼有心的團體，這個工作很辛苦，而且很骯髒，你們的人展現了高度的動員力，對我來講，這具有正面的影響力。」
遇到了下雨天，慈濟志工的這份精神也同樣的不馬虎，就是要讓會場地面看不到一片垃圾，讓市府的員工不用勞心費力，圓滿完成任務。
Newer news items:
Older news items:
