Learning from Taiwan

Expert Response and Handling of Earthquake Disasters

Tzu Chi's (慈濟) innovative tent "福慧格屏" set up in the disaster relief center for earthquake victims has earned admiration from the Japanese social media community. Victims can maintain a considerable level of privacy as if living in a private tent.

(The tents balance privacy and rest functions to ease the discomfort of earthquake victims.)

(Currently, there are 2000 tents of this kind, which have only been used in drills before, while the April 3rd earthquake marks the first time they have been deployed. The space is 245 cm by 245 cm – good for 2 separated beds or 3 connected beds.)

(The tent also considerably accommodates individual needs, with separate areas designated for women and special care zones.)

These innovative tents from Tzu Chi Foundation offer affordable, sustainable, and private shelters for earthquake victims. As a reference, homeless in major cities in the U.S., refugees in the Gaza Strip, and countless others in similar situations can also benefit from the Taiwanese experience.

Photo credits and original posts

慈濟全球資訊網：日本人很佩服 慈濟福慧隔屏救災安置重隱私

自由時報：花蓮地震》收容所「隔屏」 讓日網友驚豔認輸 現場直擊畫面曝

紐約時報：強震後建築屹立不倒、人員傷亡較低：台灣是如何做到的

 "Listening to Taiwan's Musical Garbage Trucks: Hearing the Slow Violence of Environmental Degradation."

By Professor Nancy Guy in Resounding Taiwan Musical Reverberations Across a Vibrant Island (Routledge, 2022).

To view, please click here.

Related international news articles in relation to Taiwanese musical garbage trucks:

• Smithsonian Magazine - How Taiwan Has Achieved One of the Highest Recycling Rates in the World
• BBC - How getting rid of dustbins helped Taiwan clean up its cities
• Huffpost - How The Country Once Nicknamed ‘Garbage Island’ Cut Waste By 30%
• The Guardian - In Taiwan, leftover food scraps help farmers sustain porky appetites
• The Wall Street Journal - Taiwan: The World’s Geniuses of Garbage Disposal (Paywall)
• gaia - Community Action Leads Government Toward Zero Waste

General Summary: Guy focuses on garbage truck music as a sonic irritant, as an element in community building, and as a component in Taiwan’s successful household waste reduction schemes. As an irritant, garbage truck tunes remind citizens of the necessity of managing waste, both at the personal level (as in removing trash from one’s home) and at the island and even global levels." (Guy 2022: 180).

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