Eco-Schools Programme
Eco-School Activities
Young Environmental Ambassadors Assembled to Learn about the Impacts of Wastes on Biodiversity
8th December 2017
Eco-Schools Green Flag Award Recipients visits Fraser’s Hill
29th April 2017
Eco-Schools and Eco-Institutes Award Ceremony and Appreciation Dinner
28th April 2017
World Environment Day Celebration with Eco-Schools
5th June 2017
Earth Hour Week 2017 ‘The Green Revolution: #ChangeClimateChange’
31st March 2017
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Young Environmental Ambassadors Assembled to Learn about the Impacts of Wastes on Biodiversity
Melaka: The sixth edition of the International Eco-Schools Conference (IESC) took place in Melaka Sentral Riverview Hotel from 7 to 11 December 2017. 71 students and 27 teachers from 27 schools across Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore participated in the conference aimed to inculcate a sense of environmental stewardship among students and urge them to care for the planet. WWF-Malaysia was honoured to receive support by Deputy Director General of Development, Tuan Haji En. Ismail Bin Ithnin, Department of Environment (DOE) who was present to officiate the event.
Themed ‘Waste Management and its Impact on Nature and Biodiversity’, the conference took place in Melaka to give the participants exposure on Melaka’s numerous award-winning environmental projects. Through our collaboration with Green Growth Asia (GGA) in August 2017, the state committed that by 2022 all 314 schools in Melaka will sign up with the Eco-Schools programme.
The conference creates a platform of opportunity for students to exercise leadership skills and boost their confidence through interactions among fellow participants. Over the last six years, the conference has received an overwhelming support from schools, teachers, students, partners and corporate sponsors, and has combined learning with hands on experiences.
Commenting on the programme, Tuan Haji En. Ismail Bin Ithnin said, “I am pleased to be a part of this auspicious event that aims to educate young minds on the behavioural changes that they should embrace to make the world a healthier place to live. This effort is aligned with the ministry’s plan to inculcate the love and care for the environment from an early age. Our government aims that by 2019 environmental education (EE) will become a subject taught from kindergarten to university.”
“The theme of the conference is narrated in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs); therefore I hope that the conference will discuss it further, as well as many other areas in the SDGs where sound management of chemicals and waste have significant roles to play. Focusing on not only the issues but also approaches to solve the problem in a long run.”
WWF-Malaysia's Executive Director/CEO, Dato' Dr Dionysius Sharma said that it is high time that we educate students on the impact of waste management towards biodiversity. He reiterated, “Our very own country is expected to produce 30,000 tonnes of waste each day by 2020. On daily basis 3,000 tonnes of food waste that goes to landfills is edible, that amount of food could feed around two million people. Therefore, we have to admit today, waste has become a pressing environmental problem that is too big to be ignored.”
Among other activities, the conference participants took part in a field trip to the turtle information centre in Melaka to learn about turtle conservation as well as the harmful effect of wastes on marine life. A study published in Science by Jambeck and his associates in 2015, estimated that, out of 192 coastal countries in the world, Malaysia is the eighth largest producer of mismanaged plastic wastes.
The conference brought forward experts from the automotive and plastic industries to share their initiatives on how to reduce and better manage waste, such as practicing waste segregation at source, and their effort to actively find environmental-friendly solutions and innovations.
Through this conference, WWF-Malaysia and partners provided the opportunity for students to share their work, ideas and passion with other students of different backgrounds. We want to build a community of young people who care for the environment. When they are back in their schools and communities, the participants will be able to lead sustainability activities and make waves of changes by taking action and influencing others to follow.
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For more information, please contact:
Farisha Zainol
Sr Communications Officer of Education for Sustainable Development Programme, WWF-Malaysia
Tel: +6019-327 5456
Email: nabidin@wwf.org.my
Jessie Chew
Manager of Eco-Schools Programme, WWF-Malaysia
Tel: +603-7450 3773
Email: jchew@wwf.org.my
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Eco-Schools and Eco-Institutes Award Ceremony and Appreciation Dinner
WWF-Malaysia is the national operator of the Eco-Schools Programme (ESP) in Malaysia since 2011. Currently there are approximately 170 schools that have signed up the programme. Through hard work of the team, teachers and students, ESP in our country has acquired 24 award recipients so far. The Eco-Institutes Programme (EIP), an adaptation of the ESP has received 6 awards since its implementation. The EIP aims to empower teacher trainees to implement sustainable initiative within the teacher training institutes and surrounding community.
As a sign of appreciation to the schools and campuses’ achievement, the team had organised a celebratory dinner to complement their continuous effort in conservation. The dinner brought together teachers, students, lecturers, future teachers and Eco-Schools’ partners throughout Malaysia. 2016 Green Flag school award recipient, Sri KDU International School hosted the auspicious event.
Special awards were presented to commendable individuals who were involved in sustainable initiatives within their schools, campus and surrounding communities. Dinner participants were later taken on an educational trip to Fraser’s Hill for 3D2N where they learned about camera trap installation and went for a bird watching activity as well as jungle trekking to marvel at Fraser’s Hill flora and fauna.
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Eco-Schools Green Flag Award Recipients visits Fraser’s Hill
Green Flag award recipients also received an opportunity to join an educational visit to WWF Malaysia’s project site at Fraser's Hill. Twenty students and teachers learned about WWF’s conservation efforts and the importance of preserving the biodiversity of in Fraser’s Hill. They got to learn on how a camera trap is installed in forest for wildlife monitoring and data collection through demo and explanation by a member of the WWF species team. The students and teachers also participated in bird watching as Fraser's Hills is one of the hotspots for birds in Malaysia. Through this visit, we hope the schools are more motivated and empowered to continue their journey in conservation.
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World Environment Day Celebration with Eco-Schools
The Eco-Schools Programme Malaysia collaborated once again with Green Flag Award recipient, Sekolah Sri Bestari to organise a waste management workshop :5R Awareness and Action. This workshop was held in conjunction of World Environment Day, 5 June 2017 and was participated by 40 students and teachers from nine Eco-Schools throughout Malaysia.
It was organised as an initiative to explain the importance of 5R concepts instead of existing 3R to the students and teachers. As part of the workshop, participants also visited Kualiti Alam Sdn Bhd, an integrated hazardous waste management centre to get a hands-on learning experience on the importance of waste management and its impact on our environment.
The workshop also hosted several sustainability driven students, speakers and exhibitors where they shared their experiences and innovations in leading a sustainable lifestyle within their school compound or community. Participants had a meaningful learning session on how to take action to implement the 5R's in their daily lives by the end of the workshop.
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Earth Hour Week 2017 ‘The Green Revolution: #ChangeClimateChange’
On the 31st of March was Wesley Methodist School Kuala Lumpur (International) main event, the Earth Hour assembly. The assembly was attended by three invited Guests of Honour, Dr. Tajang Jinggut (Executive Director of Landscape Malaysia), Ms. Nor Shidawati Abdul Rasid (Senior Manager of Formal Education System, WWF Malaysia), and Ms Nurul Nabila Shohimi (Programme Executive of EcoKnights Malaysia. Speeches with topics on climate change, earth hour and the Eco-Schools programmes were given by the Guests of Honours. A video presentation, dance performance and a singing performance was also presented in between the speeches. A long-awaited photography session was held after the singing performance. Lastly, the Guests of Honour, the school Principal, Deputy Principal, Vice Principals, as well as the ESC teacher advisors were accompanied by the President of the committee and the event Organising Committee for a tour around the school to a few places to showcase some of the projects carried out by the Eco-School Committee of Wesley Methodist School Kuala Lumpur (International) before heading to the canteen for some refreshments.
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