The
US state of Ohio is home to some beautiful inland lakes that attract
millions of visitors every year. However, agricultural pollution runoff
from fertilizers and manure is affecting both the environmental balance
and the recreational appeal, as toxic algae has been found growing on
popular destinations like Lake Erie and the Grand Lake St. Marys.
For
the second consecutive year, state officials have had to post signs
warning people and pets alike to avoid the visible surface algae that
can cause gastrointestinal problems and skin irritation.
As a
result, Grand Lake St. Marys in the western part of the state saw 50,000
fewer visitors this past year alone. A task force appointed by Ohio’s
Environmental Protection Agency determined that manure from livestock as
well as agricultural applications of commercial fertilizers were the
main source of pollutants that were catalyzing the algal growth.
These
same substances are similarly affecting other countries. China’s state
news agency recently reported that a gigantic floating mass of green
algae covering some 200 square kilometers was headed towards Shandong
province, posing a potential threat to wildlife and the region's tourism
industry.
As in the United States, China’s State Oceanic
Administration cites agricultural runoff as one of the major causes of
pollution responsible for the algae.
Meanwhile, in Guatemala in
2009, the natural splendor of the breathtaking Lake Atitlan was struck
by a deadly algal bloom that experts said was the result of pollution
and climate change, which halved the number of visitors and devastated
businesses.
In response, Guatemala’s government is taking
measures including helping 80% of the farmers in the lake's watershed to
convert to organic farming over the next three years.
Our
sincere thanks to regional and national governments for responding to
the environmental crisis as well as to farmers who are embracing the
life-sustaining organic methods.
We look forward with hope to the
restoration of the beauty and vibrancy of lakes and oceans as human
adapt the organic, vegan lifestyle that eliminates such harmful
pollution.
During an October 2009 videoconference in Germany,
Supreme Master Ching Hai cautioned of animal agriculture’s role in these
unnatural algae problems, urging for a comprehensive solution for the
environment.
Supreme Master Ching Hai:
Along with the waste are chemical fertilizers runoff used on crops fed
to animals which have been documented by scientists to cause dead zones
as well as toxic algae outbreak, those green moss that grow in the
water.
One such event just occurred in Brittany, France, where a
majority of the country’s livestock and a third of the dairy farms are
located.
On the Brittany coast, this waste and chemical runoff
coming into the sea causes outbreaks of toxic algae, which emit the
lethal, deadly gas hydrogen sulfide.
So, recently in news we
heard of a horse that died within half a minute of stepping into the
algae and now the health concerns of over 300 people are being
investigated for the same reason around that area.
Making all of
this worse is the fact that animal waste is largely unregulated -
meaning that there is nothing to stop these events of contamination that
can cause illnesses or even death for massive numbers of animals and
people.
So, to return ourselves and our world to a purer state,
we have to stop the killing of innocent animals. Stop it now. Stop it
now and turn to the merciful way of life. The natural way of life that
God intended us to live, which is the vegan diet. This will restore the
conscience of every person who adopts such a lifestyle as well as the
planet itself.
http://www.newsnet5.com/dpp/news/state/new-water-warning-at-ohio%27s-largest-inland-lakehttp://www.ohio.com/editorial/opinions/96776804.html