On December 27, Taichung Tzu Chi Hospital organized a coastal cleanup at Wenliao Fishing Harbor in Taichung's Da’an District. Led by Hospital Superintendent Shou-Hsin Chien (簡守信), around 70 participants—including doctors, nurses, administrative staff, their families, and partner companies—spent two hours carefully picking up waste along the shoreline.

By the end of the morning, they had removed 290 kilograms of general trash and 20 kilograms of recyclables from the beach.

Healing people, healing the planet

For many hospital staff, this was their first close look at how much rubbish accumulates on a single stretch of coast. Rows of filled garbage bags left a strong impression, and several participants said they better understood the need to reduce plastic use at the source.

Radiologist Yao-Ming Wang (王耀明), from the Department of Medical Imaging, joined the cleanup for the second time. Moving skillfully between the piles of debris, he sorted waste and recyclables into separate bags.

He shared that, in his view, medical care and environmental protection are deeply connected. Preventing illness and protecting the environment are both ways of safeguarding health. Spending long hours on duty in the hospital reading imaging scans strains his eyesight; he felt that taking time to look out to the distant sea and engage in meaningful physical activity was good for both body and mind.

For Teaching Nurse Hsing-Jung Wei (魏杏蓉) from the Nursing Department, the day had another purpose. She brought along her two children so they could experience environmental protection firsthand. For her, walking out of the hospital to serve the wider community is important, but so is giving her children the chance to learn by doing—sorting waste, understanding recycling, and seeing for themselves how human behavior affects the coastline.

Superintendent Chien also came with his grandchild. On the beach, he patiently demonstrated how to empty plastic bottles before putting them into recycling bags, turning a simple action into a lesson about responsibility.

He emphasized that a hospital’s duty does not end with treating illnesses inside its walls. In his view, caring for health should extend to the environments where people live. Seeing colleagues willingly bring their families to join the cleanup reassured him that environmental awareness is taking root in the next generation. He hopes this growing awareness can gradually influence households, then neighborhoods, and eventually the wider community.

Environmental action woven into daily hospital life

For Taichung Tzu Chi Hospital, the cleanup is not a stand-alone charity event, but part of an ongoing commitment to environmental sustainability.

General Affairs Office Director Po-Hsun Yang (楊栢勳) explained that beyond the annual beach cleanup, the hospital holds monthly recycling and sorting activities. Staff practice what Master Cheng Yen describes as “using our clapping hands to do recycling work”—turning everyday hands that care for patients or perform administrative tasks into hands that also protect the environment.

The hospital has also taken on the challenge of managing medical waste more responsibly. Each year, more than 38 metric tons of biomedical waste—such as syringes and artificial kidneys used in dialysis—are processed for recycling and remanufacturing into other products. This accounts for over 20 percent of the hospital’s total waste output.

Handling such materials safely requires strict procedures and collaboration with qualified partners. For patients and staff, it means that the things used to save lives do not automatically become a burden on the environment once they are discarded.

Recognition for a long-term commitment

The hospital’s efforts—from the shoreline to the wards, from daily recycling to specialized medical waste treatment—show that protecting lives and protecting the Earth can progress together rather than in conflict.

This year, Taichung Tzu Chi Hospital received the “Green Level” Net Zero label from the Taiwan Institute for Sustainable Energy. The recognition reflects years of work in energy conservation, waste reduction, and resource reuse within a demanding medical setting.

For the staff who bent down to pick up bottles, fishing gear, and scattered trash at Wenliao Fishing Harbor, the award is less a finish line than a reminder to continue. Many participants said they left the beach thinking differently about the plastic items they use daily—both at home and in the hospital.

As the tide rolled back in that afternoon, the sand was visibly cleaner. Children followed their parents’ example, dragging light bags of recyclables across the shore. For the families who came, the day was not only about numbers, but about forming new habits and a different sense of responsibility toward the ocean.

From the exam room to the coastline, the people of Taichung Tzu Chi Hospital are learning that caring for the sea and caring for patients share the same starting point: respect for life in all its forms.

Written by Yi-Ting Wang (王藝婷)