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Culture (2006-2014)
Tzu Chi in the USA
1989 – 2014

harma Master Cheng Yen has long called on Tzu Chi volunteers to
contribute back to the communities they live in. Following her call,
DTzu Chi volunteers in the United States often participate in events
organized by local governments—including litter cleanups in parks, streets,
beaches, and rivers—as a way of serving their communities. In many areas,
volunteers also organize annual summer camps for children. As part of these
camps, students learn about the importance of recycling, using resources
wisely, and reducing carbon emissions both in the classroom and through active
participation. Environmental philosophy can take deep root in youthful hearts,
however young their age.
Many Tzu Chi offices around the country double as recycling collection
and education stations. At the Houston office, Tzu Ching collegiate volunteers
established a recycling station in 2002. In addition to collecting recyclable
resources, they started to utilize every opportunity to promote environmental
concepts through such methods as holding community workshops and charity
rummage sales. Since 2010, Northern California volunteers have used free time
after work and school to regularly sort paper and plastic recycled items at the
Asus Computer recycling center in Fremont, California. Each month, fifteen tons
of paper is collected, equivalent to three hundred twenty-year-old trees. By
collecting plastics, they also reduce the amount of non-biodegradable waste
that goes into landfills to harm the environment.
In 2012, EcoVerse, a first-of-its-kind environmental community center,
opened in the heart of downtown San Diego, California. EcoVerse offers a variety
of free community seminars and workshops to bring the concepts of sustainable
living and zero waste to the community. On March 19, 2014, EcoVerse offered a
class on repurposing used plastic bottles as planters for the first time to People
Assisting the Homeless (PATH), a San Diego organization serving the local
homeless community. Interested students brought recycled plastic bottles as
their tuition. This class showed participants that recovered plastic bottles not
only can be resold, but also can be creatively reconfigured to contribute to a
beautiful environment.
An overwhelming majority of climate scientists agree that the planet’s
climate is warming due to human activity, much of which can be attributed to
modern consumer culture. To combat this worrisome trend, Tzu Chi volunteers
try to find simple ways to reduce carbon emissions in everyday living, such
as by carrying reusable cups, bowls, and utensils instead of using Styrofoam
cups, paper plates, and plastic utensils, which would create more garbage
polluting the environment. After the 2010 Haiti earthquake, Tzu Chi not only

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