Albert Lin, The Merit Times staff writer
April 21, 2023

On April 15th, the Buddha's Light International Association (BLIA) Miami Chapter participated in a bay-cleaning event held by the International SeaKeepers Society, echoing the Earth Day on April 22nd.

The event aimed to help protect sustainable marine ecology, biodiversity, and prevent the degradation of marine environments. A total of 15 people attended the event, including BLIA Miami Chapter Supervisor Zhao Guanglong, President Mei Hanzheng, West Palm Beach Branch President Deng Yanhua, and members of the BLIA Miami YAD.

The bay-cleaning event started at 8:30 am, and the participants gathered at Moringside Park to receive activity T-shirts and garbage bags before starting to clean up the garbage and plastic bottles on the coast.
BLIA Miami YAD members picked up garbage. photo／The Life News Agency

Fort Lauderdale Branch officer Tong Lin, accompanied by his 6-year-old son Hengqing and mother-in-law, participated in this activity for the first time. They stated that actions speak louder than words, and personal example is better than preaching. By participating in such activities, children can cultivate environmental and ecological values.

Deng Yanhua encouraged her husband to participate and gave volunteers a ride to enhance members' awareness of marine conservation. The BLIA Miami YAD, which has always been enthusiastic about participating in environmental cleanup activities, actively participated in this event and introduced the BLIA Miami YAD to the co-organizer, the Miami-Dade County Water and Sewer Department Commissioner, expressing that BLIA places great emphasis on the United Nations' SDGs goals.
Fo Guang member joined local volunteers to clean up the beach. photo／The Life News Agency

The event ended after three hours, and members of BLIA Miami Chapter cleaned up nearly 300 pounds of garbage. The organizers said that about 200 volunteers participated on that day and picked up about 800 pounds of garbage. They expressed their gratitude to all the volunteers for their selfless dedication to protecting the marine environment. They stated that the ocean is one of the most important ecosystems on Earth, but it has been severely damaged due to improper behavior such as littering. To protect the marine environment and maintain ecological balance, more people need to pay attention to and participate in environmental protection movements.
Member of BLIA Miami Chapter cleaned up the garbage. photo／The Life News Agency