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.”