Midori Market - A ‘Green’ Movement Spearheaded by Youth

“When society is peaceful and safe, it is a blessing for people. When the Earth is peaceful and safe, it is a blessing for all beings.” Quoting this Jing Si aphorism by Master Cheng Yen, a Tzu Ching alumni member, Choo Ke Xin, expressed her wish for the visitors to the Midori Market to adopt vegetarianism and traceless living.

The two-day Midori Market, organized by Tzu Chi KL & Selangor Collegiate Youth Association, was held at the KL Tzu-Chi Jing Si Hall from October 29 to 30, 2022. More than 2,000 members of the public were attracted to the pop-up market with 33 stalls selling plant-based food and eco-friendly products, thereby experiencing a green lifestyle.

◎ Simple and natural

“3, 2, 1…” Following the emcee’s command, Leong Hao Qiang, leader of the Collegiate Youth Association; Low Ying Fan, mentor to the event coordinators; and Khor Sue Yee, Co-founder of Zero Waste Malaysia; slowly opened a carton box and took out a board with the “Midori Market” logo, officiating the opening of the event.

“Nowadays, the whole world is investing in the sustainable development of the Earth. Tzu Ching members are also actively investing a lot of time and manpower to bring a clean and beautiful environment to the community,” remarked Hao Qiang, feeling grateful that the youths are playing their part in bringing a positive change to the world.

Instead of the usual hustle and bustle of a commercial market, visitors to the Midori Market were greeted by live performance of melodious music. In line with the simple and natural concept adopted by the organizer, all the stalls were set up with a pure white parasols and pure white table cloth, reflecting a youthful, minimalist and aesthetic design. The white stalls spreading across the compound of Jing Si Hall looked like white clouds gathering beneath the clear blue sky, injecting a humanistic atmosphere to the market. The visitors shuttled among the various stalls, as if they were in a “sky market”, enjoying the pure simplicity.

◎ Meat-free, zero waste

To help the visitors identify the type of plant-based food each stall was selling, the Tzu Ching members used their ingenuity and hung a CD with drawing representing vegan, lacto-ovo vegetarian, lacto-vegetarian, and so on, on the stalls. In addition, to promote the practice of a zero-waste lifestyle, the organizer highly encouraged the visitors to bring their own reusable bags, food containers and eating utensils.

“We can take this opportunity to enjoy vegetarian food. After all, a vegetarian diet is not only environmentally-friendly but healthy at the same time.” A six-year vegetarian, visitor Meenies felt such an event would allow young people or families to try out vegetarian food in a comfortable environment. “I have had the habit of bringing a reusable bag with me. So, the idea of ‘leaving no trace’ is not troublesome to me.” Meenies claimed that she will continue to practise meatless and traceless concepts.

Low Sin Yee, who lives nearby, has been adhering to a green lifestyle for a long time. She was delighted to find many like-minded youths at the Midori Market. It made her feel the power of collective action. She has always been supportive of such activities and reckons environmental conservation as a shared responsibility. She hoped to lead by example and influence more people to care for the environment.

Tan San from Kepong learned about the Midori Market through Facebook a few days before the event and visited out of curiosity. He was impressed with the stall set-up and flash mob, which he believed attracted the young people. He remarked, “Traceless living is a must now. I hope (this event) will give the young people a different experience.” Tan San also hoped the Midori Market can create a good cycle in the community and benefit the residents nearby. He has turned vegetarian during the pandemic as he believed that meat consumption was one of the factors that caused the outbreak. After visiting the Midori Market, he planned to invite his family to try the healthy vegetarian bento meals promoted by Tzu Chi.

◎ A raw vegetarian diet

In addition to delicious vegetarian food, there were also talks and experiential lessons for the visitors to calm their minds and learn more about vegetarianism and environmental protection.

Raw vegan chef Boey Yin Yin shared about the benefits of a raw vegan diet, citing her own health improvements as an example. Thirty years ago, she was plagued by prolonged skin problem, where her hands and feet were prone to cracks and bleeding from dryness. She had visited many doctors but there was no cure. It was not until she started a vegan diet that her skin problem was solved. “Adopting a vegetarian diet is an excellent way to lose weight, and it gives you a younger appearance.” She suggested that the audience embrace veganism progressively, to allow the body enough time to adapt to the diet change.

Yin Yin came into contact with a raw vegan diet in 2014, and became a certified raw vegan chef two years later. To her, it was a wonderful experience to leave her comfort zone in the public relations industry and go into the culinary industry. She encouraged everyone to bravely accept what they were afraid of and maintain a lifelong learning.

“Those who adopt a raw vegetarian diet do not eat food that has been cooked above 47℃. We have to use various machines, like fruit roaster and spiralizer in food preparation to preserve their nutrients.” She recommended vegetarians to ensure they choose a variety of food ingredients from five different colour groups when purchasing, so that the meals they prepare are nutritionally-balanced.

◎ Reduce your desires

“It is an uphill task to promote the concept of zero waste in Malaysia. Studies have shown that Malaysians produce 1.2 kg of waste per person per day.” Sue Yee, Co-founder of Zero Waste Malaysia, shared about the situation in the country. She also discussed in a humorous and interactive way how we can practise waste reduction in daily life.

“When we learned to refuse, we can prevent 50% of furniture and appliances from entering our homes.” Zero Waste Malaysia advocates the 5Rs (i.e., Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, and Rot), and Refuse is of utmost importance. Sue Yee shared with the audience some tips on how to refuse, as the waste produced will stay in the ecosystem forever. She looked forward to continue cooperating with Tzu Chi, to jointly promote a zero-waste lifestyle.

◎ Healing the body and mind

Catering to the Midori Market, Tzu Chi Continuing Education Centre specially organized workshops on blue dyeing, simple Japanese wagashi and decoupage, to enable the public to settle their minds in a serene space and appreciate the overlooked beauty in life.

Participants of the blue dyeing workshop produced a unique, one-of-a-kind cotton t-shirt using natural blue dyes from plants. The instructor, Swiss Chai explained, “Chemical dyes used in the modern textile industry can cause serious water pollution. The use of natural dyes from plant sources is not only friendly to the environment, but can also reduce the chances of skin allergies.” She felt that environmental protection should start from home. Although the power of one person is limited, we can still start from our own living habits.

Au Kar Wei, a cancer survivor, works as a vendor selling her own brand of chemotherapy headwear. She came to the Midori Market especially for the blue dyeing workshop. “The result of blue dyeing is completely unpredictable. It feels really special.” Kar Wei claimed that she has great interest in blue dyeing, which she did hands-on throughout the process. She was full of praises to see so many young volunteers sparing their time for the event and handling their tasks efficiently. Even though she was worried about her cancer recurrence, she expressed her intention to join Tzu Chi Cancer Support Group and face life bravely.

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It is Master Cheng Yen’s hope for Tzu Ching members to act on the kind thoughts and seize the time to make their lives worthwhile. Hence, Tzu Chi KL & Selangor Tzu Ching members translated their kindness into action by spearheading the plant-based movement amongst youth. Various media and key opinion leaders have reported the event and promoted a meat-free and waste-free lifestyle. Hopefully, the next Midori Market will attract a bigger crowd and make a deeper and far-reaching impact.

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