http://greenacts.us.tzuchi.org/
Lifestyle Changes Can Curb Climate Change - UN IPCC Report “Please eat less meat - meat is a very carbon intensive commodity. Cycling or walking instead of jumping in a car to go 500 meters. Purchase only what you really need instead of buying something just because it’s there.” - Dr. Pachauri, Chairman of Nobel Peace Prize-Winning UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Tzu Chi Foundation has devoted to its mission in environmental protection for over 20 years. Based on our experiences, combined with UN IPCC’s latest advocacy, we ask you to join us in the “3 Green Acts.”
Act 1: Mindful Eating 1. Try vegetarianism: our diet contributes to global warming more than our cars 2. Buy low carbon food: buy seasonal/local, not air-freighted, less packaged food 3. Reduce food waste: proper portion size, donate food, composting “Raising animals for food generates more greenhouse-gas emissions than all the cars, trucks, trains, ships, and planes in the world combined.” – UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) “American meat eaters are responsible for 1.5 more tons of carbon dioxide per person than vegetarians a year.” - Univ. of Chicago Study “If every American had one meat-free meal per week, it would be the same as taking more than 5 million cars off our roads.” – Environment Defense “Fruits, vegetables, and grains, require 95% less raw materials to produce and, when combined properly, can provide a complete and nutritious diet.”– Al Gore, “An Inconvenient Truth”, page 317. “Almost half of the food in the US goes to waste. Household food waste alone adds up to $43 billion, making it a serious economic problem.” —University of Arizona Study
Famous Vegetarians
DID YOU KNOW? To produce ONE pound of beef takes…
2500
water,
16 36
gallons of
pounds of grains,
pounds of carbon dioxide-equivalent is produced.
Albert Einstein:
Abraham Lincoln
Leonardo Da Vinci
Albert Einstein
Mark Twain
Albert Schweitzer
Paul McCartney
Benjamin Franklin
St. Francis of Assisi
vival for life on earth
Dalai Lama
Steve Jobs
as much as the evolu-
Gandhi
Thomas Edison AND YOU?
“Nothing will benefit human health and increase chances of sur-
tion to a vegetarian diet.”
Act 2: Eco-Friendly Living 1. Bike or take public transit: walk short distance, bike to work, carpool more 2. Conserve water and electricity: pollute less, use energy-efficient appliances 3. Reduce paper consumption: print double-sided, use scrap paper for notes “Transportation sector directly accounted for about 27% of total U.S. greenhouse gases emissions.” - US EPA “About 30% of the world’s land is in serious drought condition.” - National Center of Atmospheric Research “If the US cut office paper use by just 10%, it would prevent the emission of 1.6 million tons of greenhouse gases - the For more green tips, or conequivalent of taking 280,000 cars off the road.” - Environtribute your idea, please visit: mental Paper Network http://tcnw.wikispaces.com
Act 3: Frugal Living 1. Buy only what you need: shop smart, frugal fashion is chic 2. Extend life cycle of a product: donate to and buy from thrift store 3. Stop using disposable products: use reusable utensil, bring your own bags
“About 46,000 pieces of plastic float on each square mile of sea.” - The Telegraph, UK “A garbage patch of floating waste in the Pacific Ocean now covers an area twice the size of the continental U.S.” - The Independent, UK “Only 2% of plastic bags were recycled in the US” - American Chemical Council “The US population tosses out enough paper and plastic, forks and spoons every year to circle the equator 300 times.” - ECOagent.org “Protecting the environment is a responsibility that all of us share. I hope everyone can live with greater environmental awareness. It is a simple concept, but if we can all put it into practice, the impact can be profound and far-reaching.” – Master Cheng Yen, Founder of Tzu Chi Foundation
Make the Pledge, Leave a Better Future for Our Children http://greenacts.us.tzuchi.org/