Pure air, fresh water and nutrient-rich soil. Vast oceans, mighty rivers and ancient forests. These are but some of the life-sustaining natural resources from Mother Earth that nourishes all beings.

Today, eco-conscious viewers, in honor of Earth Day on April 22, Planet Earth: Our Loving Home will address the seven best ways to save our precious planetary home. With glaciers dwindling, rising sea levels, turbulent weather, species extinction, ocean dead zones and drying rivers, our Earth and all her inhabitants are in danger from the catastrophic effects of climate change. So what is the single most effective, efficient and fastest way to save our planet?

#1 ORGANIC VEGAN LIFESTYLE

As Supreme Master Ching Hai explained during a live videoconference in Frankfurt, Germany on October 18, 2009:

even though our predicament is very grave, we do still have time if we act now. And the solution is still very simple. Well, you know it, right? It’s the vegan diet – no animal products. No more killing, no more torturing, no more even experimenting with animals, no more raising animals for meat or any other purposes, except to protect, love, and take care of the animals. This is the key. If everyone switches to this beneficial lifestyle, our planet will be cooled in no time, scientifically speaking and my promise.

“Livestock’s Long Shadow” a report released in 2006 by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations revealed that livestock raising produces more greenhouse gas emissions than all transportation in the world combined. Half of the United States’ water consumption is wasted on livestock production, which also pollutes our air and waterways. Any way we approach it, meat is not green and experts from around the world concur.

There are many things that people can do to reduce their carbon emissions, but changing your light bulb and many of the things are much less effective than changing your diet because if you eat further down on the food chain rather than animals, which have produced many greenhouse gases, and used much energy in the process of growing that meat, you can actually make a bigger contribution in that way than just about anything.

Methane is a danger that must be combated by the change of our lifestyle, especially what we put (into) ourselves in the form of food and it is not just vegetarianism, it’s organic vegetarianism to save the soil.

Essentially, a complete shift by humanity to organic veganism is imperative for the sustainability of the ecosphere. The benefits of organic farming are numerous, including higher yields, no pollution from chemicals and pesticides, and the soil effectively serving as a carbon sink.

If we were to move agriculture to organic ecological farming, we could reduce climate change emissions by 25% while protecting the farmers, while protecting biodiversity, and while protecting our health.

By adopting a plant-based diet and supporting organic farming, each person can drastically reduce their ecological footprint and benefit our beautiful planet.

#2 SUSTAINABLE LIVING

As minister of water it is my responsibility to talk to everybody around the globe. “Save water; every drop counts.” I thank you!

Sustainable and green living is another way to help preserve our planet. This encompasses a shift in consciousness to be more ecologically aware of the decisions we make in our everyday lives. Simple actions we can take include using energy-efficient light bulbs, recycling, and being more frugal.

Don’t use the car if you don’t have to really. Don’t leave lights on.

You get a low-flow shower head; if you are going to put in a new toilet, make sure that it is a low-flush toilet. Simply turn off the shower sooner; don’t take a long shower. Don’t let the water run when you are brushing your teeth, etc., etc. Certainly don’t hose off your driveway or your walkway or anything like that. Use a broom. So, we need to save water, we need to put in grey water systems.

Live simply so that others may simply live.

Save the water and save the planet!

Save the water! Save the Earth!

With recent research demonstrating that more than 51% of human-caused greenhouse gas emissions result from the production and consumption cycle for animal products, it is evident that while certainly small conservation steps add up, the most sustainable living practice is definitely that of an organic vegan lifestyle.

Start changing our lifestyles so that the people can see that we can still have a good quality of life while walking to work. Or while eating vegetarian meals rather than meat. So there’s a lot of things that we can start doing.

#3 GREEN TECHNOLOGY

Green technology continues to advance with the ingenuity of scientists helping a wide range of industries become more efficient and sustainable. Examples of progress made include electric cars, greener buildings, and energy efficient computers and servers. Clean energy sources such as wind, solar, and geothermal power are increasingly being used worldwide and supplanting fossil fuel-based energy supplies.

I am happy to inform this Forum that Tuvalu has officially announced its vision that we’ll become 100 percent dependent on clean energy by 2020.

Tuvalu’s energy policy clearly reflects this mission. This (policy) is particularly focused on electricity generation. The vision was due to a continuous concern about the effects of global warming on our very existence.

Approximately 37% of human-caused methane, a potent greenhouse gas that has a warming potential 72 times that of carbon dioxide over a 20-year period, is due to the livestock industry. Although every day progress is being made, there has yet to be an invention that is as effective in minimizing greenhouse gas emissions as a switch to an organic vegan diet.

Please stay tuned to Supreme Master Television for more ways to save our environment here on Planet Earth: Our Loving Home.

I drive a hybrid car, I recycle, and I wear organic cotton. I do everything I possibly can to support the planet. The number one thing I do to support the planet that saves more carbon and trees than any possible thing is being a vegan.

What I think the solution really should be (is) simply doing without animal products. That is a climate-friendly thing to do. It is what everyone who considers themselves to be an environmentalist should be doing.

An animal deserves respect.

Eat less meat, it will be better for you, it will be better for the environment and it will be better for the animals.

Thank you for joining us again for Planet Earth: Our Loving Home. The green trend is picking up around the world, with many governments and celebrities promoting the eco-message through their noble examples.

Especially notable are public figures who are vegetarian or vegan and advocate this greenest of all solutions, including actors Alicia Silverstone, Tobey Maguire and Barbie Hsu, NBA basketball champion John Salley, television show host Ellen DeGeneres, chair of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Dr. Rajendra Pachauri, US Congressman Dennis Kucinich, television journalist Jane Velez-Mitchell, musical artists Jason Mraz and Moby, attorney and CNN legal analyst Lisa Bloom, author Jonathan Safran Foer and supermodel Petra Němcová, to name just a few.

In addition to being an organic vegan, practicing sustainable living and using green technology, what are some of the other things we can do to save our planet? Rounding out our Earth Day 2010 top seven list on ways to protect our environment is:

#4 SPREAD THE VEG MESSAGE

For those who understand the importance and the necessity of an organic vegan diet as the solution to reversing the detrimental effects of climate change on our Earth, it is crucial that this information is shared with family, friends, and especially governments, media and schools, as they can assist in implementing veg policies and raising the awareness of the public at large.

I think the most important thing we can do is to start this information about the dangers of meat, as well as the benefits of fresh fruits and vegetables, and put in into a very comprehensible and easy-to-understand form.

Our message should be one of love, of radical inclusion, of compassion, of peace and that's how we create a better, more peaceful world is by everything that we do, being an expression of that peace.

In addition to flyer distribution and other grassroots efforts, the veg message can also be effectively promoted by opening animal-free businesses like vegan restaurants, hotels, bakeries, and so on.

#5 PLANT TREES & ORGANIC GARDENS

Dr. Martin Luther King said, “If the world is ending tomorrow, I will still plant a tree today.” One of the noblest things we can do is to plant trees because trees are much bigger than ourselves. They affect the whole ecosystem. They provide fresh oxygen and stabilize the soil.

Since 1970, more than 80 percent of the Amazon rainforest cleared has been due to livestock raising. By adopting the organic vegan diet, we can stop the destruction of our precious remaining ancient forests. In addition to planting trees, we can plant our own organic vegetable garden to supply ourselves with nutritious, locally grown produce, thereby leading the greenest of green lifestyles.

#6 DO GOOD DEEDS

The world’s major religions all emphasize the principle of “as you sow, so shall you reap” or karmic retribution, where kindness begets kindness. Give your wealth. Give your fortune. Help the world. Share with the people who are in need. We are all vegetarian, if we decide to help everybody, like our relative, like a member of the family, I guarantee you that it would be a better world.

to be balanced, to be kind, to be at peace, to be at peace with yourself first and when you are, then you will be positive.

By doing good deeds in all aspects of our lives from choosing a compassionate diet to helping our environment, we are at our best in carrying out our stewardship of nature and our animal co-inhabitants.

#7 MEDITATE/PRAY

Through meditation and prayers, we can connect with our inner divinity and be guided onto the best path to live in harmony with nature.

I think the basic message from God is that there should be a balance and a harmony, and that harmony has been offset because of our shortsightedness, and that we have a responsibility to handle together.

The first level is the level of individual behavior, of the group and of the community, and a second level is the level of political and economic decision-makers. And the spiritual, the religious can bring a bonus to the change in behavior, and to a new orientation of political and economic strategies.

I pray day and night that the divine manifest in the physical realm and wake up the leaders of our nations, wake up the religious heads, wake up everybody in time so that they understand the urgency of our situation, and that they understand the solution of solving this dangerous crisis that is facing us. That is, we have to turn back to our caring and compassionate nature inside our heart. That’s very simple.

We are that. We are compassion. We are merciful, we are caring. So, we just have been cheated. We have been misinformed up to now, so we did not know it. Being vegan worldwide is the advancement of compassion that will uplift and unify all cultures, bringing tranquility to humans and animals alike.

The inner peace that comes from replacing killing with respect for all life will spread like a wave across the globe, elevate human hearts, and create a harmonious Eden on Earth. That will bring us all to a lasting Golden Era.

May our sincere prayers and Earth-protecting measures invoke Heaven’s mercy to save our beautiful planet. Please stay tuned to Supreme Master Television for Enlightening Entertainment, after Noteworthy News. Let us all act in ways that reflect our consideration and care of our life-sustaining planet and all her inhabitants on Earth Day and every day.

The best thing that you can do if you want to really connect the dots and protect the environment, which will also protect yourself and your family and your loved ones, is to adopt a vegan diet.

one person can make a difference, and together we’ll make real change.

Be Veg, Go Green, Save the Planet. Thank you.

“A Dog’s Tale,” written by acclaimed writer, humanitarian and outspoken animal advocate Mark Twain of the United States, tells the story of a loyal canine, Aileen Mavourneen and her unwavering trust of her human companions.

My father was a St. Bernard, my mother was a collie, but I am a Presbyterian.

It is a heart-wrenching tale with a lesson for us all. Be sure to watch part 1, Saturday, April 24, on Animal World: Our Co-Inhabitants.