The Life News Agency
August 28, 2023

Organized jointly by the Buddha Light International Association (BLIA) Sydney and Nan Tian Chinese School of Sydney and sponsored by Hsing Yun Education Foundation of Australia, the "Fo Guang Three Acts of Goodness SDG14 My Ocean" Writing Activity Award Ceremony was held on 12th August 2023 at Nan Tien Buddhist Temple Parramatta. State Member for Parramatta Donna Davis, Lord Mayor of Parramatta Sameer Pandey, Parramatta City Councillor Dr Patricia Prociv, Director Victor Yu, Director Robert Liao and General Manager Venerable Jue Fang of Hsing Yun Education Foundation Australia, and President of BLIA Sydney Daniel Wu attended the award ceremony. More than 200 people participated in the event.

The 2023 SDG14 “My Ocean” Three Acts of Goodness Writing Awards Ceremony was held at Nan Tien Buddhist Temple Parramatta. photo／FGS Nan Tien Buddhist Temple Parramatta

BLIA has been committed to promoting the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) of the United Nations, aligned to "Environmental and Spiritual Preservation" initiated by the Pure Green Foundation. BLIA Sydney set up a booth in the "Sustainability Festival" held by Ryde City Council with the theme "Love My Ocean", and asked children and adults at the festival to write down how to protect the ocean. Many have written kind words and suggested ways to protect the oceans on postcards. In addition, BLIA Sydney also promoted on how to move towards the SDG goals of the United Nations through "Environmental and Spiritual Preservation" to the public at Sydney Vegan Market.

The Fo Guang Three Act of Goodness Writing Activity has entered its second year. In addition to children, the organizer has also expanded the activity to allow adults to participate together. Out of 120 articles, 5 people were selected for the Buddha’s Light Award and 20 for the Excellence Award. Other participants also received participation awards as encouragement.

Mr Robert Liao, Director of Hsing Yun Education Foundation Australia, presented awards to winners in the SDG14 “My Ocean” Writing Activity. photo／FGS Nan Tien Buddhist Temple Parramatta

Stacey Yip from Sydney won the “Buddha’s Light Award” with “Stop Ocean Plastic Pollution. She mentioned that she chose to raise this topic because plastic pollution has been getting worse and become one of the main factors causing damage to marine ecosystems. Plastic is non-degradable, can last a very long time in the sea and contains hazardous and toxic materials. In the long term, plastic waste that is not processed properly will have a fatal impact on the environment and surrounding nature. She also mentioned that it is undeniable that plastic is very useful for our daily lives as its convenient to use, but she has learnt that it is important for everyone to reduce the plastic pollution both on land and in the sea. She urged all to protect and preserve the oceans together, as the survival of humanity and living things on earth depend on oceans.

SDG14 “My Ocean” Three Acts of Goodness Essay Exhibition. photo／FGS Nan Tien Buddhist Temple Parramatta

Angelina Lay from Sydney who also won “Buddha’s Light Award” with “My Ocean”, an imaginary essay on what the oceans and world would be like in a couple of years if pollution and climate change isn’t gotten under control. She wrote about how unhealthy the underwater ecosystem would potentially become and how that could negatively affect marine life as well as non-aquatic life. She mentioned that writing this story helped her reflect on how the environment is being treated and how poorly sea animals are living because of human activities.
Ivanka from California wrote that overfishing has caused a lot of damage to the ocean and its ecosystem, and she proposed using the Three Acts of Goodness to help the ocean. She suggested spreading awareness about the ocean through schools and education, and starting off by recycling more plastics or simply picking rubbish from the ground.

In order to allow more people to read these essays, the organizer has designed an exquisite e-book, which can be conveniently accessed by scanning a QR code.

Michael Tan, President of BLIA Sydney West 1 Subchapter, introduced the essay collection on an e-book to the public. photo／FGS Nan Tien Buddhist Temple Parramatta

In order to integrate the concept of environmental protection into daily life, the organizer carefully selected low-pollution laundry bubble sheet, beeswax cloth that can replace plastic wrapping paper and other environmentally friendly products as prizes for the winners.  Sydney Water also donated 67 sets of environmental-friendly cups and toothbrushes, as well as a bath timer that can help save water as gifts for the public at the ceremony.

Invited guests spoke at the SDG14 “My Ocean” Three Acts of Goodness Writing Awards Ceremony. Clockwise from top left: Ms Donna Davis, State Member for Parramatta; Mr Sameer Pandey, Lord Mayor of Parramatta; Mr Daniel Wu, President of BLIA Sydney; and Venerable Jue Fang, General Manager of Hsing Yun Education Foundation Australia. photo／FGS Nan Tien Buddhist Temple Parramatta

Lord Mayor Sameer Pandey said that this event allowed him to know Fo Guang Shan and BLIA better. He commended the activities organized by BLIA and felt that they were very educational. He immediately invited BLIA to participate in the upcoming "Religious Roundtable Conference".

Venerable Jue Wu, Guiding Venerable of BLIA Sydney praised all the participants, emphasizing that winning or losing was secondary; what mattered was the reminder to prioritize environmental protection in everyday life. The Venerable encouraged everyone to implement environmental preservation in their lives.

The e-book is available at: https://online.fliphtml5.com/yqjuw/qyve/.