Kindness to Earth Focused On

Kindness to Earth Focused On



   
April 2007 -   When His Holiness 
Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama, travels Australia in June 
as part of his ongoing world tour, many of his talks will have 
an environmental focus, and for the first time, a portion of 
the tour will be carbon neutral. 
The spiritual and political leader of the Tibetan people and 
1989 Nobel Peace Prize winner says, "This planet is our own 
home. Taking care of our world, our planet, is just like 
taking care of our own home. Our very lives depend upon this 
Earth, our environment." 
Both the Australian Conservation Foundation and Greening 
Australia, specialists in native vegetation management, will 
be involved in the tour events scheduled to take place in the 
Domain, Sydney. 
Greening Australia will be conducting a carbon audit for the 
Domain segment of the tour, providing the organizers with a 
neutral carbon output result for the events. Included in the 
calculations will be the details for the Dalai Lama's flights, 
as well as those of his entourage. 
Trees will be planted to neutralize the greenhouse gas 
emissions, making this the first carbon neutral tour ever 
undertaken by the Dalai Lama. 
At a time when Australia is tackling issues such as water 
shortages and the challenges of climate change, the Dalai Lama 
brings teachings of kindness, compassion and tolerance. 
His Holiness Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet The Dalai Lama has long considered environmental issues to be 
among the key challenges currently facing humanity. 
"There is suffering on this planet and there is a need to 
strengthen our love for our planet and our service to the 
living Earth," says His Holiness. "We think we can control 
nature, which is a false perception." 
During the 11 days from the opening of the Open Arms – 
Embracing Kindness tour in Perth June 6 to the final events in 
Sydney June 16, free public events will be held across the 
country, allowing all Australians an opportunity to hear the 
Dalai Lama's messages. 
With concern for the environment at an all time high across 
Australia, the Dalai Lama will address issues of environmental 
consciousness and the challenges of climate change. 
Organized by the Australian Conservation Foundation, ACF, in 
collaboration with the Dalai Lama, a free Sustainability and 
Spirituality Forum will take place from on the morning of June 
6 at the Burswood Dome in Perth. 
His Holiness and ACF president Professor Ian Lowe, joined by 
other community and business leaders, will discuss the moral 
imperative to act on climate change. 
The forum will conclude with a GreenHome workshop helping 
participants take the first steps towards reducing their own 
eco-footprints. 
On June 13, the Dalai Lama launches Kindness Week at the 
Australia Zoo near Brisbane, Queenvironment newsland with a talk on 
"Kindness To Animals and The Environment." 
Dalai Lama is a Mongolian title meaning "ocean of wisdom." In Sydney on June 15, ACF will participate in the One Earth 
Forum tribute concert featuring some of Australia's finest 
acoustic talent. 
This free concert will be held in Sydney's Domain in 
celebration of the Dalai Lama as a living example of the power 
of compassion and non-violence, the ACF said. 
The Dalai Lama will speak at the event on the subject of 
"Peace through Inner Peace." 
The ACF said, "His Holiness sees the planet and its peoples as 
interconnected, a view that is increasingly compelling in the 
21st century, and resonates deeply with millions of people 
worldwide." 
The Dalai Lama has been concerned about environmental 
protection for decades. To mark World Environment Day on June 
5, 1986, he said, "Peace and the survival of life on earth as 
we know it are threatened by human activities which lack a 
commitment to humanitarian values. Destruction of nature and 
nature resources results from ignorance, greed and lack of 
respect for the earth's living things." 
"This lack of respect extends even to Earth's human 
descendants, the future generations who will inherit a vastly 
degraded planet if world peace does not become a reality, and 
destruction of the natural environment continues at the 
present rate." 
For more information on the Dalai Lama's tour in Australia, 
visit: www.dalailama.org.au 

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