Heat wave claims numerous lives in Australia.
According to a recently released report by Victoria state’s Chief Medical Officer Dr. John Carnie, the state experienced a 62 percent increase in fatalities between January 26 and February 1 of this year. Within that one week, as many as 347 people are believed to have lost their lives to the unusual 15 degree Celsius above average temperatures during that period, with the highest temperature topping 45.1 degrees Celsius. The majority of the victims were elderly or chronically ill who were less capable of adapting to such sudden variations in weather. In response, the Victoria state government has announced expansion of a registry program to monitor and help ensure the well-being of the elderly living on their own.

We are sorrowed to hear of the lives lost due to the extreme climatic conditions of global warming. Our prayers for humanity’s caring stewardship of the planet to restore nature’s gentle stability.

In a videoconference with our Association members in Australia on August 17, 2008, Supreme Master Ching Hai conveyed once again the importance of an animal-free diet as a solution to global warming along with her optimism about its widespread adoption in time to save our planet.

The death of a lake in Greece
Efforts to restore Lake Koroneia. The ancient Lake Koroneia, located in the northern Greek prefecture of Thessaloniki, has become a shadow of her former self, having shrunk in size from containing 130 million tons of water in 1986 to just 20 million tons in 1996 due to low rainfall and over-use by agriculture. Chemical fertilizer runoff and fish depletion also created an oxygen-starved dead zone, leading to massive perishing of insects, frogs, and other aquatic life. Yiorgos Zalidis, a professor of soil science at the University of Thessaloniki, is now leading rehabilitation efforts to help restore the lake by creating a trench to bring in overflow from another nearby lake. Water levels are expected to be raised significantly along with four wetland areas that are planned at the far end of the lake to help restore the complete ecosystem.

Professor Zalidas, our hats off to you and all involved in the effort to restore the historic and vital Lake Koroneia. With the grace of the Divine, may the lake regain her original purity and beauty as we are reminded to adopt sustainable lifestyles for the stability of our environment worldwide.

 Veggie garden improving bodies and minds at Tamaki school
New Zealand school plants veggie garden to improve bodies and minds. Tamaki Primary School in Glen Innes, New Zealand has reported that the children's concentration has improved significantly after the implementation of the school vegetable garden and the encouragement of eating a healthy diet. Funded by the Auckland District Health Board's Nutrition Fund, the vegetable garden is cared for and harvested by the children with the produce served in the school canteens as well as sent home to low-income families. School principal Corinne Hansell said, “Eating healthily is expensive and we wanted to show our families that by growing your own produce you can cook big amounts really cheaply.”

Wow, what a worthy project! Kudos Tamaki Primary School for your proactive efforts to encourage sustainable living through the simple practice of planting vegetable gardens. We look forward to seeing many more schools similarly inspired to promote healthy bodies, minds and environment.

Canadian journalist Gwynne Dyer talks about the future of the human race
Renowned journalist says major action needed on climate change. Internationally-acclaimed Canadian journalist and author Mr. Gwynne Dyer recently was a keynote speaker at a climate change conference on the topic of the geopolitical implications of global warming. Mr. Dyer stated that with climate change accelerating more quickly than anyone has anticipated, immediate actions to address it in an open and equitable manner are necessary to avoid potential conflict. Citing concerns about global food shortages, he stated, “Countries that can’t feed themselves will not be able to buy themselves out of trouble, even if they have the money.”

Our gratitude for your candid assessment, Mr. Dyer. We pray that humanity realizes the simple solution of the sustainable veg lifestyle, to stop the global warming trend and yield plentiful food for all.