A successful 2-week exhibition and private showcase event at 1 Utama in July
SELANGOR (29/07/2024) – Zero Waste Malaysia (ZWM) spent Plastic Free July hosting their first-ever 2-week exhibition to celebrate the success of their pilot education programme, the Green Wira Programme. The Green Wira Programme (“GWP”) is an educational programme that focuses on training educators in Malaysia on sustainability & zero waste living implementation. The exhibition saw over 480 people to interact with our boards and a total of 160 attendees to our closed Showcase Event that happened on the 26th of July; comprising of our collaborators, government representatives (from JPN), teachers, and the public.
The 2-week exhibition called on the public to place their opinions on our boards by voting across various questions regarding education and sustainability. 37% of voters said that ‘Educating the Next Generation’ was key to making Malaysia a sustainable nation, with 30% voting the key to building more Zero Waste Schools is to ‘Educate Students’.
Additionally, the Green Wira pilot Programme concluded with a two-part private showcase held on the 26th of July to delve deeper into the impact of this programme with relevant stakeholders. The showcase was graced by representatives from the programme’s collaborators including Kamal Nawawi, CEO of Axiata Foundation, and Azhar Abdullah, Country Sales Leader (MY & BN) at Amazon Web Services (AWS). The morning session was captivated by a panel discussion titled “From Consumer Blame to Ecosystem Transformation” with panellists: Sabihah Saleh (Head of Greentech Academy, MGTC), Putri Tunku Anor (VP and Head of Community Investment, Bursa Malaysia)and Khor Sue Yee (Co-founder/Director of ZWM), moderated by Nat Zhai Yun Tan (Editor of ESG, The Edge Malaysia).
The afternoon community session featured a separate panel on “Addressing Roadblocks to Sustainability Education in Schools”, with Justin Lee (Director, Bike Commute Malaysia), Chong Zhi Xiong (Chief Technology Officer, Chumbaka) and Felicia Yoon (Co-founder and Director of Arus Academy), moderated by Dennis Tan (Programme Specialist, Edvolution).
“Through our Environmental Pillar, Axiata Foundation is committed to building a healthier planet through educating and collaborating with our youth. This Green Wira programme is an important initiative to raise the awareness and knowledge level of our children in schools so that they are able to actively and effectively contribute to planetary health. We are proud to be part of this movement in creating awareness and promoting positive actions towards the environment among our school communities”, said Kamal Nawawi, CEO of Axiata Foundation, collaborator of GWP.
The pilot education programme saw Puan Khuzaimah Zaaim implement a Material Recovery Facility (MRF) at SK Telok Panglima Garang and, Puan Rosmira Ramlee implemented energy-efficient technologies such as an LED lighting system and photocells as well as a rainwater harvesting system at respective schools.
SMK Taman Melawati: Since May, 142 LED lights were installed in 23 classrooms, 7 photocells were introduced and 1 rainwater harvesting system that can collect up to 1,200 litres of rainwater was installed. We anticipate long-term utility savings and reduced environmental impact from these new facilities.
SK Telok Panglima Garang: Intensified its waste diversion efforts, resulting in an 88.2% increase in waste diverted from landfill, from an average of 200.5 kg to 377.5 kg. This includes proper waste segregation and adopting composting practices from the canteen, this achievement is complemented by a significant reduction in plastic usage, with plastic waste decreasing from 58kg in May to 16kg in June, following the discontinuation of selling mineral bottles and adhering to the 5R principles to prevent waste at the source.
Zero Waste Malaysia is currently seeking funding opportunities and collaborations to run the next cohort of this programme in late 2024. For more information regarding the programme, kindly reach out to info@zerowastemalaysia.org.
For more information, media representatives may contact media@zerowastemalaysia.org (+60173359445 on WhatsApp). For official marketing materials & photos from ZWM’s previous work, including photos from the GWP showcase, please click here (album descriptions are available).
ABOUT ZERO WASTE MALAYSIA
Established in 2016, Zero Waste Malaysia (“ZWM”) is a non-profit organisation and community group based in Malaysia advocating for sustainable development and aiming to increase the local community’s awareness of sustainable living. Learn more about the cause at https://zerowastemalaysia.org.
ABOUT AXIATA FOUNDATION
As part of its mission, Axiata Foundation focuses on developing and nurturing young generations with critical skills to develop them into future digital leaders, under its Education Pillar. In addition, Axiata Foundation provides sustainable solutions to elevate quality of life for underserved and marginalized communities through its Community Investments pillar and aims to build a healthier planet through educating and collaborating with our youth under its Environment Pillar. For more information about Axiata Foundation, visit: www.axiata-foundation.com
ABOUT AMAZON WEB SERVICESAmazon Web Services (AWS) is committed to making a positive difference around the world. To benefit our communities in regions where we build and operate our global infrastructure, we established a program called AWS InCommunities. AWS InCommunities launches long-term, innovative programs that will have a lasting impact in our regions around the world where we work, live, and raise our families. For more, please visit: https://aws.amazon.com/about-aws/global-infrastructure/aws-incommunities/