Special News-en

Sharing the Vegan Solution at COP 21 in Paris

16 June 2016

By USA News Team (Originally in English)

From November 30 to December 12, 2015, world leaders from 196 countries attended the 21^st annual United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP 21) in Paris, France, to negotiate a global agreement on mitigating climate change. To support this important event and promote veganism as the ultimate solution to global warming, our Association members from Âu Lạc, Canada, China, the Czech Republic, Formosa, France, Germany, Paraguay, South Korea, Sweden and the United States worked together to distribute vital information and delicious vegan meals to the participants.

We felt very grateful and uplifted when we received a special, encouraging note from Supreme Master Ching Hai in which She said to give Her urgent COP 21 message to as many as possible apart from the main leaders, and to give to those concerned outside the convention, and also to anyone who cares. She expressed Her thanks for our sincere effort and said it was very touching. Master also sent Her love.

During the two-week conference, we delivered up to 250 vegan meal boxes daily to UN delegates, NGO workers, ambassadors and journalists, with each meal including various western-and eastern-style dishes and a dessert. All the boxes were made of biodegradable material and labeled “Vegan Food: Best solution for climate action – for water, land, food, forest, ocean, ecosystem, cost and health.” Many people loved our food. For example, Place to B, the media headquarters, posted the following message on their Facebook page: “A HUGE thank you to Loving Hut Paris, who provided free for two weeks an absolutely delicious vegan meal.” We also served a sumptuous vegan buffet at a film screening organized by the Citizen Film Institute on December 10, which is both International Human Rights Day and International Animal Rights Day.

In addition, we delivered gift bags to VIPs from 64 countries, each containing a copy of Supreme Master Ching Hai’s From Crisis to Peace – the Organic Vegan Way Is the Answer, the Alternative Living Flyer, a vegan recipe booklet, the Climate Change Information Kit, DVDs on various climate change topics, and a “Be Vegan, Make Peace” T-shirt. We presented the Loving the Silent Tears DVDs to many VIP guests in person, including French President, His Excellency François Hollande; President of COP 21, His Excellency Laurent Fabius; and Ireland’s Prime Minister, His Excellency Enda Kenny. When Prime Minister Kenny opened the DVD case, he recognized the picture of Master, asking, “Is it Master Ching Hai?”

On December 12, we received Master’s letter addressed to all the world leaders at COP 21, urgently advising them to vote for and implement a vegan law to stabilize the climate and save lives. Master wrote: “Otherwise, lives ON EARTH will perish and we will be committing a GRAVER OFFENSE THAN ALL THE ACTS OF KILLING and WARS COMBINED.” Feeling the extreme importance of the matter, we worked through the night and sent the letter via email to hundreds of leaders. The following day, we handed out 4,000 more copies along with the gift bags to people we encountered. We also discussed the importance of the vegan diet while being interviewed by a Swedish radio station.

During the summit, we participated in many events and activities to bring the vegan message to the public. For example, on November 29, we took part in a silent march carrying a banner with the message “Be Vegan, Make Peace,” and on December 3, presented a play during Alternatiba, one of the largest environmental festivals in France. The play, performed in a musical background of percussive rhythms, emphasized “Be Vegan, Make Peace” as the solution to halting climate change.

COP 21 ended with an agreement calling for zero net anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions to be reached during the second half of the 21st century. We thank all the world leaders for their continuous efforts to mitigate the impact of climate change, and pray that for the survival of all beings on Earth, the leaders will heed Master’s urgent advice and immediately implement a compassionate vegan law.

VIPs Attending COP 21