Defining true leadership in the face of climate change.

Our Association members in the UK had the opportunity to speak with Supreme Master Ching Hai about climate change. They had invited Supreme Master Ching Hai to a videoconference, which she graciously accepted, to address their concerns about global warming. During the discussion, trends were noted in the media and government in promoting practices to save the Earth.

Our Association member from UK : Master, Prince Charles recently expressed his concern about the urgency to fight global warming in an article entitled, “18 Months to Stop Climate Change Disaster.” It was published in May 2008 in the Telegraph newspaper in the UK.

I was wondering what words of encouragement can Master offer these leaders to help them speak the truth and get their important message through.

Supreme Master Ching Hai: Wow. I am very grateful to His Royal Highness and other courageous leaders in the world, for stepping out of their boundary and to speak out for the sake of everyone.

Supreme Master Ching Hai: To be a leader is to be endowed with bravery, compassion and nobility. That’s why you are a leader. It’s not easy, of course, to be in the position of a leader. Being a leader, we must know what is good for our subjects and what is not. And what is good, we have to encourage them to do, facilitate them to do. And what is bad, we have to stop, to protect them. That is the true meaning of a leader.

Our Association member from UK : Yes Master. More and more news reports are mentioning going vegetarian as a solution to combat climate change. For example, last week on BBC 2, there was a program on the news about the measures to tackle climate change, and the headline said something like this: “Is it time to turn vegetarian?” BBC2 Newsnight on the 3rd of June, 2008. It said the best solution would be for us all to become vegetarians.

Our Association member from UK : Good of them!

Supreme Master Ching Hai: And I want to tell you some good news. Okay? Well, the message, if people listen to it and do more, then we will, of course we can save the planet! Right now, we have gained 7 months plus.

(group): Wow!

Supreme Master Ching Hai:  That means right now, we have like 2 years and 2 months plus a few days to change.

(group): Wow! 

Supreme Master Ching Hai: We have to thank the people who have changed into the vegetarian diet, and thanks to the government who have put effort in preserving the environment, and we have to thank some news media who have been putting in effort to remind people about our deadly situation.

Supreme Master Ching Hai: So if you guys continue helping, remind people, if the government gives us more blessing, if the news people continue the trend of giving the public more knowledge, then we still can save the planet. I do hope so.

VOICE: We are grateful for Supreme Master Ching Hai's continued faith and encouragement of the world's endeavors to halt climate change. With Heaven’s continued grace, may more leaders speak out and take action for the best interest of all lives on the planet.

Please tune in to Supreme Master Television's Between Master and Disciples on Saturday and Sunday, June 21 and 22, 2008 for the full broadcast of this special videoconference with Supreme Master Ching Hai.

New water recycling invention.

At the Palo Alto Research Center in California, USA, Researcher Meng Lean and his team have developed an inexpensive, compact water purification method that uses a spiral filtration system to recycle water for use in non-drinking purposes up to five times faster than current systems. Dr. Lean’s team hopes to soon be able to achieve a volume of recycling 100 liters per minute to serve agricultural and other needs of large scale water districts.
Bravo Dr. Lean and colleagues! May your green technology be rewarded with much success in helping preserve our precious natural resources.
http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=news/environment&id=6198707

Fragile state of medicinal plants endangers public health.

An international survey carried out by the Botanic Gardens Conservation International indicates that approximately 400 medicinal plants are at risk of extinction due to the effect of climate change on ecosystems as well as practices such as over-harvesting and deforestation. Currently endangered species of medicinal plants include the magnolia, which has long been used as a traditional Chinese medicine for age-related memory loss and heart disease. Over half the world’s prescript-xion medications today are derived from plants, and the vast majority of the world’s population relies primarily on plant-based medicines. Author of the report, Belinda Hawkins, stated; “It is not an overstatement to say that if the precipitous decline of these species is not halted, it could destabilize the future of global healthcare.”
Our gratitude, Botanic Gardens Conservation International, for this call to action to preserve the world’s plant diversity along with the untold benefits it brings to our lives.
http://www.naturalnews.com/023402.html

Climate change could reach the point of no return.

Professor Barry Brook, Director of the Research Institute for Climate Change and Sustainability at the University of Adelaide in Australia, reported at a conference in Canberra that changes associated with global warming are taking place much faster than previously expected. Dr. Brook said, “We're seeing events predicted for the end of the 21st century happening already.” In Australia alone, changes include long-term droughts due to a poleward shift of the tropics, which has pushed weather systems containing much-needed rain to fall over the ocean rather than on land.
We are grateful, Professor Brook, for courageously sharing your findings with the world. We pray that the whole of humankind will do our best to act together in restabilizing our cherished planet.
http://www.theage.com.au/environment/no-return-fears-on-climate-change-20080611-2p53.html, http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/climate-change/expanding-tropics-a-threat-to-millions-761326.html