Everywhere in the world,
we can observe
and be touched
by acts of kindness.
People from all walks of
life, faiths, and cultures
extend themselves
beyond the call of duty
to help others
unconditionally.
Through their noble deeds,
humanity as a whole
is elevated.
To commend
virtuous actions and
encourage more people
to be inspired
by their examples,
Supreme Master
Ching Hai
has lovingly created
a series of awards,
including the Shining
World Leadership Award,
Shining World
Compassion Award,
Shining World Hero and
Heroine Awards, Shining
World Honesty Award,
Shining World Protection
Award, Shining World
Intelligence Award,
and Shining World
Inventor Award,
to recognize some
of the most exemplary,
generous, caring,
and courageous people
who walk amongst us.
The country town
of Bundanoon
in New South Wales,
Australia, has
a population of 2,500
eco-conscious citizens.
The small town
won admiration and
unprecedented media
coverage the world over
when it declared itself
bottled water-free.
Bottled water is
no longer sold in shops,
and the residents have
access to free and safe
drinking water
for refilling
their own containers.
What do the locals
think of this change?
I think
it’s a wonderful idea.
It’s really raising the
environmental awareness
for not just Bundanoon,
but for really
the whole of Australia.
And everyone’s 100%
behind it in the town.
People are becoming
aware that it’s necessary.
There are immense amounts
of plastic collecting
in a certain area
in the Pacific.
In Australia
the annual consumption
of bottled water is
about 600 million liters.
To produce this amount
of bottled water,
the industry uses
approximately
1 billion liters of water.
Plus, at least 120 million
liters of oil every year are
used to manufacture and
distribute bottled water
in Australia.
Bottled water therefore
has a much higher carbon
footprint – more than
300 times larger per liter
– than tap water!
Recognizing the high
environmental costs of
bottled water, Bundanoon
businesses and residents
voluntarily agreed to ban
pre-packaged single-use
bottled water
from their town.
By some weeks later,
the town had officially
launched its alternatives
to bottled water.
The initiative, called
“Bundy-On-Tap,”
led to Bundanoon
becoming
Australia’s first
“Bottled Water-Free Town.”
Alternatives include
public water stations
providing
free filtered water to
residents and visitors,
while local businesses
sell reusable drink bottles
and chilled filtered
tap water.
Mr. Huw Kingston,
a shop owner
in Bundanoon, was
instrumental in rallying
fellow businesses
and others to join
in Bundanoon’s
bottled water ban.
Quite a number of towns
in Europe and in the
United States, Canada,
as well as places
around Australia are
being in touch and saying
“Well, how do we do
what you have done?”
We’ve had literally
thousands of emails from
around the world from
Siberia to Brazil
to Lithuania saying,
“Good on you
Bundanoon!”
And I think just if we can
make people think
a little bit about,
“Do I need to buy
a bottle of water?”
“Can I fill up from a tap
or can I fill up from
a water station?”
Then that’s a better thing
than towns necessarily
taking bottled water
off the shelf.
The consumer makes
the choice and I think
what’s happened
in Bundanoon.
The community has
decided that bottled
water isn’t a good thing.
Mr. Darrel Conybeare,
the co-founding director
of Street Furniture
Australia, explains
about the re-design of
the drinking fountain
as part of the town’s
initiative to provide free
and safe drinking water
stations for the public.
What it does is
it redefines the idea
of the old bubbler,
which would have
a bowl and a drain.
And what this cleverly
does is remove
a whole business of
bowls gathering leaves
and rubbish and the
drain blocking and so on.
So it takes the water
straight down the blade
and into a sump
below the ground.
The idea behind
the whole campaign is
to reduce or eliminate
ultimately landfill
problems and
the landfill problems
are exacerbated
by empty bottles.
So what this does
is delivers into
the public environment,
free filtered water.
Bundanoon residents
celebrated the launch
of being Australia’s first
bottled water-free town
with a commissioning
ceremony of the town’s
water stations.
There’ll be no need
for bottles
And no need use for cars
We’re empowered
with the fire of
transforming stars
For their wonderful
green endeavor, one that
happened all in a matter
of weeks,
Supreme Master Ching Hai
honored Mr. Kingston
and Bundanoon,
Australia with
the Shining World
Leadership Award.
An excerpt from
the award letter read:
“This Award is presented
in recognition of your
outstanding effort and
enlightened leadership as
the first urban region
in Australia and
perhaps the world to
ban commercially
bottled water, and
for your exemplary vision
for a sustainable Earth.
… for bringing
the beautiful town of
Bundanoon together to
act with one voice
to help our planet,
we hereby applaud and
celebrate the great deeds
of the town of Bundanoon
with special thanks
to Mr. Huw Kingston
for your innovative
leadership.
With Great Honour,
Love and Blessings,
The Supreme Master
Ching Hai”
Our accolades and thanks,
Mr. Huw Kingston
and all the residents of
Bundanoon for rallying
together to reduce waste,
save money and
protect the environment.
Please stay tuned to
Supreme Master
Television.
When we return, we will
meet a Macedonian
opera singer and
Shining World Protection
Award recipient.
Welcome back to
our program featuring
admirable recipients
of the Shining World
Awards who have made
remarkable efforts in
environmental protection.
Mr. Boris Trajanov
of Macedonia is
an internationally
famous opera singer
who has been named
Artist for Peace
by the United Nations
Educational,
Scientific and Cultural
Organization (UNESCO).
He is also
the ambassador of
the Economic Chamber
of Macedonia.
In spring 2008,
Mr. Trajanov launched
the “Plant Your Future”
initiative to plant
by year’s end
10 million trees
throughout Macedonia’s
mountains, particularly
those areas that
had been ravaged
by recent forest fires.
Mr. Boris Trajanov
explained how
his ambitious project
for nature began.
I would see valleys –
bare places
without trees at all,
and I constantly
asked myself why don’t
they forest them?
But the main impetus
to me was when
the Macedonian forests
were on fire.
Suddenly several
vast fires appeared.
Part of them were because
of the climate changes
and the other part –
caused by the people,
who wanted more pastures
for the cattle,
and for the mushrooms,
that grow after the fire –
all for financial benefit.
That affected me
very much.
Wondering why
a national day of mourning
was not designated
for such a tragedy
as the fires,
Mr. Trajanov seriously
pondered a way to reforest
his beloved homeland.
Suddenly
it occurred to me,
although nothing occurs
accidentally,
it comes from God.
It occurred to me that all
of us Macedonian people
can do this forestation.
And we must do it.
So the system was clear:
in one day
a large number of people
would plant millions
of trees on terrains,
prepared in advance.
So, it happened.
I was in an audience
with the Prime Minister,
talked to him,
and he promised me
to provide the trees.
A group of enthusiasts
was already formed,
from all professions,
working on the project
enthusiastically,
without any profit.
The trees were provided,
the terrains were
designated.
We traveled all over
the regions, and thus,
the ordinary people, then
the famous ones, finally
the media took part.
It became a huge campaign
and thus
we had our first action.
With the Macedonian
government declaring
the first planting day
a public holiday,
huge turnouts saw
2 million new trees
planted in 63 sites
around the country!
Then, again in autumn
of that year, another
Tree Day was organized.
Mr. Trajanov along with
hundreds of thousands
of co-citizens planted
6 million trees across
100 sites in a single day!
In particular,
Mr. Trajanov engaged
the support of children
and youth, teaching them
about the importance
of planting trees
for the environment.
One highlight of
the event was that
religious leaders
also participated.
They call
in different ways
the same energy that
runs all that,
the energy of
the supreme Creator.
This time we organized
an additional initiative,
in which every year
the religious leaders of
all religions will plant
trees symbolically, before
the very day of the action
as an elevation of
the atmosphere
and the spirituality.
They will plant a tree
together
in a church yard
or in a mosque yard.
In recognition of
his hard work in restoring
Earth’s ecology and
inspiring youth to help
protect the planet,
Mr. Trajanov was
honored with the Shining
World Protection Award
from
Supreme Master Ching Hai.
“Adults and children
planted trees
with celebrities,
foreign diplomats
and importantly,
even Macedonia’s long
alienated ethnic groups
came together and
worked alongside
each other in a spirit of
genuine goodwill
and cooperation.
Mr. Trajanov,
your wise venture has
achieved a great step
toward a cleaner and
greener Macedonia
and also made inroads
toward reconciliation
and peace between
the ethnic groups.
We fervently wish that
all nations will follow
Macedonia’s
tree planting project
and help transform
the planet into a healthy,
living paradise and that
all people align and
work together in peace.”
For compassionately
working for a peaceful
and beautiful planet,
for your selfless and
warm-hearted actions
and for being a dedicated
and noble role model,
we hereby applaud and
celebrate the great deeds
of Mr. Boris Trajanov,
Renowned Opera Singer,
Unesco Artist for Peace
and Environmental
champion…”
To further support
this noble cause,
Supreme Master Ching Hai
contributed €30,000
to Mr. Boris Trajanov’s
project through
the Economic Chamber
of Macedonia.
The donation
was presented
on the eve of the next
tree-planting session.
In addition, Mr. Trajanov
received other gifts
including
Supreme Master Ching Hai’s
lecture DVDs
and music CDs, and
the delightful #1
international bestselling
books by
Supreme Master Ching Hai,
“The Noble Wilds” and
“The Birds in My Life.”
Mr. Trajanov extended
his appreciation to
Supreme Master Ching Hai
by conveying
the following.
It is really incredible
that the Supreme Master
has seen it and that’s why
we were all surprised.
We were in a spiritual
contact, so to say,
as the Supreme Master
has understood it,
has received that message.
I am sure that
as there are streets,
roads, airplanes, vehicles,
with which
people can get
from point A to point B;
just like
there are material roads,
there are also
spiritual roads
that are intertwined.
Big greetings and
gratitude for everything
that you have done.
Thanks to the people
who were chosen
to come here.
You came, you did
something great,
you gave much love,
everyone now
loves you, and I wish
and I invite
the Supreme Master
to come with you
the next time to give
a part of her energy,
so these plantations
can grow and enjoy
their long life on Earth.
Thank you so much
Mr. Trajanov for your
exemplary actions in
safeguarding the beauty
of your country
and our Mother Earth.
May Macedonia
and our entire planet
be green and healthy
once more through such
united caring stewardship.
Eco-hearted viewers,
thank you for your
company on this program.
Coming up next is
Words of Wisdom,
after Noteworthy News.
Please stay tuned to
Supreme Master
Television.
May your smiles
and laughter bring joy
to all around you.
A landmark documentary
witnesses climate change
in the most impacted
countries – through
the victims’ own voices.
Just as long as the drought
doesn’t get worse.
Life has become
really hard in recent years.
Combining them
with international
expert insights.
Maybe in the
developed countries
you are just
reading the books, and
looking at the television,
and seeing
what will happen.
But it is
already happened.
The women and children
are famished.
We, the adults,
are stronger
than today’s youngsters.
If you grow up hungry,
you are never strong.
I could only hope that
people who were
confronted with
the real face behind
a fact or a figure, that
they would be moved
by hearing the story
and hopefully
change their lifestyle.
Tuesday, July 27,
Belgian film director
Geert De Belder tells
about the making of
a unique climate film
both heartrending
and convincing:
“Climate Chaos
in the South:
The Victims’ Story.”