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   From: peter.terpstra7@gmail.com   
      
   108 Things You Can Do to Help The Environment   
   H.H. The 17th Gyalwang Karmapa   
      
      
   TEN THINGS YOU CAN DO TO MAKE A DIFERENCE…   
      
       Make aspiration prayers. We make aspiration prayers for all sentient   
   beings. This should also include the Earth, which sustains us and   
   gives us life. We can pray for a more harmonious world where humans recognize   
   how their actions have harmed the Earth and change   
   their behavior.   
       Read, discuss, and develop an understanding of environmental issues and   
   how they affect you and your community.   
       Go vegetarian. Not only will you practice compassion for all sentient   
   beings, but you will decrease the resources you use up. It takes   
   about 100,000 liters of water to produce 1 kilogram of beef but only 750   
   liters of water to produce 1 kilogram of wheat.   
       Live simply. Practice your vinaya vow and live as simply as possible,   
   without unnecessary possessions.   
       Educate people on environmental values. Whenever possible, teach stories   
   and Buddhist traditions that illustrate harmony between   
   people and nature.   
       Don’t litter. Collect your own waste and dispose of it properly.   
       Use less paper. A lot of trees are cut down simply to produce paper. Even   
   a small choice such as printing on both sides of the paper   
   makes a big difference.   
       Use less plastic. We use plastic bags for a few hours, sometimes for only   
   a few minutes. However, it takes over 500 years for plastic   
   to completely degrade in a landfill.   
       When making offerings, make healthy choices. Buy fruit rather than sweets,   
   or plants rather than cut flowers.   
       Turn the switch off. If you see that a light or an electrical device is   
   switched on but no one is using it, turn it off.   
      
       ACTIVITIES YOUR MONASTERY OR NUNERY CAN LEAD WITHIN YOUR COMMUNITY…   
       PROTECT FORESTS   
       When a new monk or nun joins the monastery or nunnery, have them plant a   
   tree sapling as part of their commitment to serve the   
   world. Their commitment should extend to taking care of the sapling until it   
   becomes a tree.   
       Monasteries that need timber for building materials should oversee the   
   planting of at least twice the number of trees that are used.   
       Encourage people who put up many prayer flags (such as gyathar) to string   
   the prayer flags up instead of using one bamboo pole per   
   flag.   
       Designate a sacred space on the monastery grounds, which can bring you   
   closer to nature. Put prayer flags around a spring source, or   
   a grove of trees, or a large wilderness area with a beautiful view, and   
   encourage the monastic community to use it as a meditation   
   ground.   
       Plant trees in severely degraded areas.Set up the practice of planting   
   trees in areas where there are many landslides and above the   
   slippage area.   
       Work with the local forestry department or an environmental organization   
   to select the right kinds of trees for planting. Select varied   
   species of trees that are indigenous to the area. This means that the trees   
   will be more likely to survive.   
       After selecting the area, plant the tree saplings mixed with half-grown   
   and fully grown trees. This will provide a more natural habitat   
   and encourage wildlife species to thrive there as well.   
       Keep the area protected from livestock and minimize the extraction of   
   resources (fodder, thatch, medicine, etc.) for a few years.   
       Monitor the forested area over the long term and experiment with different   
   combinations of tree saplings. It is not enough just to   
   plant a sapling; you must take care of it as it grows into a tree.   
       Use sacred occasions to carry out environmental activities such as tree   
   planting. As monasteries do this more often, the connection   
   between Buddhism and environmental protection will become clearer to the   
   general public.   
       Encourage community management of forests. If there are common property   
   lands nearby that are degraded, work with local   
   communities and environmental NGOs to establish sustainable community forestry   
   that benefits everyone.   
       Speak out against illegal timber cutting and trade. Forests belong to the   
   entire community, not the people who cut them down.   
       Use recycled paper whenever possible. Pechas and other books regularly   
   used by monasteries can be printed on recycled paper.   
       Use biogas as an alternative to fuel wood. In areas where people still   
   depend on wood as their primary source of fuel, they should   
   examine biogas as an alternative. Simple biogas plants can also address the   
   issue of human waste and animal waste disposal.   
      
       PROTECT WILDLIFE   
       Learn about the wildlife that exists in your area. Include these animals   
   in your aspiration prayers and in your teachings.   
       Teach local communities to feel reverence for all life.   
       If you are in a heavily forested area, protect existing wildlife.   
       If you know of people who hunt or participate in illegal wildlife trade in   
   your surrounding communities, advise them against killing   
   endangered species. Some animal species are on the verge of disappearing from   
   the face of the Earth forever due to human activity. It   
   is our duty to prevent this.   
       Don’t buy fur, ivory, or other endangered-animal products. By buying   
   these things, you are personally contributing to the extinction   
   of an entire species.   
       If you can influence local communities to give up wearing the fur of   
   tigers, leopards, and otters, do so. There are fewer than 1,500   
   tigers left in India now. Soon there might be none.   
       Think twice before using traditional medicines. Although we are   
   vegetarian, we often consume meat products when we take   
   traditional medicines. Even worse, many of these medicines are made from   
   endangeredanimal products. Look for alternatives before   
   taking these medicines.   
       Don’t buy coral. Coral is a living organism found in the world’s   
   oceans; it provides a home for other living things such as fish and   
   crabs. Due to global warming, coral species are already under great threat,   
   and if they disappear, much of the biodiversity in the oceans   
   will be lost.   
      
       CONSERVE RIVERS, LAKES, AND WETLANDS   
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)