IN A BID to encourage the younger generation to plant more trees and nurture love for nature, a seed-planting session was organised by members of the Sunway Environmental Society on the campus of Sunway College and Sunway University.
As part of Sunway University’s #campuswithaconscience campaign, the activity aimed to enhance the awareness of climate issues and drive lifestyle changes for sustainable living.
It was also in line with the Sunway Education Group’s commitment towards the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs).
Sunway Environmental Society president Mohammad Imamul Ariffin Inamulla said that although the society is still new as it was only established last September, there are already 70 members.
Explaining that society aims to promote sustainable practices on campus, Centre for American Education (CAE) senior teaching fellow Saqib Muneer Sheik said the society will act as a grassroots movement to encourage youths, especially those at Sunway, to adopt sustainable practices through activities such as urban gardening, recycling and nature hikes.
According to Saqib, Sunway Education Group has given the society a small plot of land for an urban garden, while Sunway Pyramid donated 20kg of compost to the society’s urban garden initiative.
Though still in its early stages, students have planted peppers, cili padi, kailan and ginger, as well as spinach. Mohammad Imamul pointed out they were still experimenting to see what could be grown.
“Right now, the focus is on having them learn gardening and composting methods, as well as learn about the local herbs, with methods from the farm which they can practice in this garden space. It is critical to get students involved in these sustainable farming activities to help them learn the best practices of waste management and to reconnect with the soil, as many urban youth are unfamiliar with these practices. We hope to create a grassroots movement among Sunway students towards being more connected with Mother Earth,” Saqid said.
Prior to the seed-planting session, Sunway students have been active in their endeavours to foster good environmental practices, such as attending an eco-bricks workshop, where they packed plastic bottles with used plastic materials, which in turn can be made into various modular structures such as furniture.
They also did a beach clean-up at Port Dickson, and members have gone for two nature hikes. Saqib said a movie night will be planned with a screening of Leonardo DiCaprio’s documentary Before the Flood which talks about climate change.
Saqid added: “With regards to climate change, students should focus on educating and creating awareness among their peers, as well as advocating for positive action by all stakeholders. That is the purpose of the movie night, to generate interest among students and let them think of the bigger picture and how to get more involved.”
