Green Options

80,000 in Seoul, South Korea protest U.S. beef over mad cow disease: Would boycott work better?
What burgers are to the United States, a good marinade of galbi (barbecued beef) is to South Korea. (And man, does it taste good!)

Mad Cow Disease Scare

However, according to United Press International, the South Korean market closed its doors to U.S. beef imports after mad cow disease hit the U.S. in 2003. After a four year ban on imports, the cautious reopening of the South Korean market in 2007 to beef from the U.S. met reservations from the public. These reservations turned to outrage, however, after Lee Myung-bak agreed to resume U.S. beef imports without restriction during his golfing trip and fireside chat, er, “diplomatic” visit to Camp David in April.

If the foot feels the foot when it feels the ground, as the Buddha said, then does the hand feel the hand when it feels a tree?

Due to commercial and illegal logging, the rate of deforestation in Thailand has been one of the highest in Asia.

Most of the primary forest in Thailand is gone, with secondary forest only covering roughly 20% of the land area. This is compared to over 70% forest cover prior to World War II.

As Perry Garfinkel states in Buddha or Bust: “The environmental impact [of this deforestation] is inestimable—from silting that kills fish and leaves riverbeds dry, to the loss of nesting and feeding for birds and other wildlife.”

Enter the forest monks of Thailand, who have come to be known as environmental or, “Ecology Monks.”