Albert Lin, The Merit Times staff writer
June 15, 2023

Volunteers from Nan Tien Buddhist Temple Parramatta of Fo Guang Shan and Buddha's Light International Association (BLIA) Sydney participated in the third "Sustainability Festival" held at Ryde Park in the western suburbs of Sydney on June 4. The BLIA's booth of "Environmental and Spiritual Preservation" attracted a large number of visitors.

The BLIA's booth of "Environmental and Spiritual Preservation" attracted a large number of visitors. photo／Nan Tien Buddhist Temple Parramatta

The theme of this year's World Environment Day is "Beat Plastic Pollution," reminding people of the importance of taking action against plastic pollution. In order to align with this theme, BLIA Sydney set up a booth with three-dimensional environmental artwork made from recycled plastic, urging everyone to care about the issue of plastic pollution in the oceans.

Since 2021, the BLIA Sydney has been organizing cultural and educational activities annually based on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This year, the focus is on "SDG 14: Life Below Water." At the event, BLIA Sydney promoted the "Love My Ocean" FB writing event, encouraging adults and children to write down methods for protecting the oceans. The response from the public has been enthusiastic, and within a short period of time, they have collected over 30 posts.

In addition to the city council introducing community service programs such as waste sorting, green transportation, and food waste management during the Sustainability Festival, there are also many community volunteer groups and small to medium-sized environmental businesses participating. Among them are volunteer group Ocean Action Pod, which focuses on marine conservation, organization OzHarvest, which aims to reduce food waste, and environmental enterprise Tumbleweed, which converts food waste into fertilizer.

Representing the BLIA Sydney and the city council, Fo Guang member Ruan Aichan expressed that the organizers will invite the BLIA Sydney to participate in the "Sustainability Festival" again next year.