Jian likes to read. Whenever possible, he reads with nature light.
The Dadu River empties into the Taiwan Strait at Longjing Township, Taichung, central Taiwan. People out for a stroll saunter near the estuary and enjoy a serene picture of the setting sun and the white, foaming waves billowing in the rising wind. However, close nearby is a jarring note to the tranquil natural scene—a massive power plant that runs day and night, never stopping or slowing, its smokestacks constantly blowing smoke.
Mountains of coal pile up at a power station near the month of the Dadu River, Taichung, Taiwan. Burning coal is a major source of carbon dioxide emissions. The decorations on the smokestacks can’t disguise the fact that their purpose is to dump tons of carbon into the atmosphere.
The electricity produced here has monetary value, but the towering smokestacks and mountain-high piles of coal serve as silent reminders of the true cost—the environmental cost—of the energy produced here. How to strike a sensible balance between energy production and protecting the environment is a topic that deserves everyone’s attention. Jian Dong-liang (簡棟樑) has thought much about it and has done his share to help.
An energy efficient family
Jian, a 40-year veteran at Taiwan Power, said that power station engineers have achieved a great deal in improving generator efficiency and reducing carbon dioxide emissions. However, he knows that such improvements can never do enough. To reach the goal of meaningful, persistent CO2 reductions, Jian advocates a lifestyle of energy conservation.
Jian Dong-liang, Chen Ming-hui, and the family of one of their daughters in Jian’s house. There is little luxury; everything is clean, simple, and practical. Jian grew up this way, and he has brought up his children this way too.
For the Jian family, burning fewer lights and unplugging power cords when not in use is just the beginning. They also take pride in saving on big-ticket items, such as their 20-gallon water heater. Chen said that everyone in her family takes a quick shower one after another, within a short time. They turn the water heater on half an hour before shower time and turn it off when the last shower starts. They save a respectable amount of energy this way.
Jian estimates that his family of three used to use 300 kilowatts of electricity a month, although that amount has gone up slightly because the couple now has their daughter’s son at home too. They need to keep an electric hot water dispenser plugged in all the time for their grandson’s powdered milk formula. It is impractical and uneconomical to turn the hot water dispenser on and off between uses, which actually wastes more electricity than it saves. Even with this increase, the family’s electricity expenditures are minimal.
Jian and Chen save on water and natural gas too. When they bathe their grandson, they give him a final rinse after the suds have been rinsed off. Then they catch and use that water to wash themselves or their clothes.
When they cook, they don’t turn the gas jets full open, which just wastes gas. Instead, they cook with a lower flame. It cooks just as well, but they save on gas. A 16-kilogram (35-pound) tankful of gas lasts more than two months in their household.
Like many others, Chen saves the water in which she rinses rice before cooking. She then uses that water for her plants. Even her son-in-law, Sun Zhong-wei (å«ä»²å�‰), is becoming more energy-conscious. He’s picking it up from his in-laws and incorporating it into his lifestyle. “Now I turn the faucet off when I lather my hands with soap,” Sun said.
Jian said, “If you accept energy conservation as a heaven-given duty, then you will be mindful of it at all times.” For Jian, using less electricity, water, and gas saves more than money; it also saves the environment for future generations. That’s why he insists it is everyone’s responsibility.
A frugal lifestyle
“As the standard of living improves, people tend to use more resources than necessary,” notes Jian. “Master Cheng Yen admonishes people to return to a simple lifestyle. Such a change doesn’t hurt anyone, yet it helps the earth tremendously. If this generation ruins the earth, how is the next generation supposed to live?”
The Jians have always lived frugally. Chen described the family’s earlier days: “My husband was making about 3,000 NT dollars (US$75) a month when we got married. After paying the rent and other expenses, and giving more than a thousand dollars to his parents, we had very little left. Therefore, our children were breast-fed and we used diapers made from old undershirts.”
Their children grew up to be just as resource-conscious as their frugal parents. To help the family with their expenses, son Ke-da (ç°¡å…‹é�”) chose a high school that offered him scholarships over one that was more glamorous but more expensive. For five years, he rode a bicycle to school—until his parents bought him a scooter during his junior year in college.
Even though that bicycle has been through several sets of tires in the last 20 years, it is in fairly good shape. Chen still rides it to collect monthly donations from Tzu Chi members. After a major earthquake in September 1999, Jian rode it from his home in Taichung to Wufeng, more than an hour away by bike, to help rebuild schools under Tzu Chi’s Project Hope. Tzu Chi raised funds after the quake to rebuild more than 50 schools throughout the stricken areas.
One bike, two generations of riders, 20-some years—this family doesn’t just talk frugality, they live it.
The family bought their first automobile in 2001. Jian needed it to look after his ailing mother. Before he bought the car, he visited her once a week using public transportation. The trip took about three hours each way, so he decided to buy a car to lessen the pressure on his own time. His mother has since passed away, so now he only drives the car to work when public transportation is not in service. Otherwise, the car remains parked at home, having logged less than 30,000 kilometers (18,750 miles) in eight years.
“We’ve basically lived the same simple life over the decades, regardless of how sophisticated society has become,” Jian said. “People say that we are a rare breed.”
Food
Many people, perhaps too tired to cook after work, eat out or eat takeout foods with their children. The Jian family almost never does that. They cook and eat at home as a matter of course. They never think of eating outside food, except when they attend wedding banquets from time to time.
In addition to frugality, the children have learned many culinary skills from their mom. Like their mom did for them, Chen’s children make for their own children many of the foods they eat. Ke-da often cooks at home so his parents can come home to a hot meal after their busy volunteer work.
Chen is a Tzu Chi commissioner, and part of her responsibility is to visit people in need. She often encourages families who receive aid from Tzu Chi to eat at home to cut down on expenses. She takes her own advice too. Oftentimes her visits get in the way of lunch, so she has to wait. After the visit, however late it may be, she goes home—not to an eatery—and cooks noodles for herself. That’s vintage Chen Min-hui.
Nowadays Jian takes an early morning shuttle bus to work at the power station near the estuary. He plans to retire at the end of next year and devote himself full-time to volunteering. Jian knows that carbon reduction is all the rage. Although Taiwan Power is planting trees and experimenting with phytoplankton as ways to battle carbon emissions, he knows that there is a simpler and more effective solution. He believes that a lifestyle that centers on simplicity and frugality is the most important and effective CO2 buster.
The Jians clearly show that our needs are few and not a source of trouble. It is our wants that have thrown the earth into disarray. He urges people to rein in their excessive wants and reduce consumption. Then humans can live in harmony with Mother Earth.
Translated by Tang Yau-yang
Photos by Lin Yan-huang