Author name: GGAFwc092023

The Zero to Maker Innovation Competitions project (Z2M) was launched in Kedah (Z2M Kedah) organised by GGAF and Asia School of Business (ASB) in collaboration with Menteri Besar Kedah Incorporated (MBI Kedah) as a partner to support the implementation of the umbrella IE Programme. MBI Kedah represents a highly strategic partner for the successful implementation of the Z2M Kedah. The programme aims to develop innovation and entrepreneurship skills and attitudes of youth living in Kedah and enable them to contribute to the development of the state. Through a series of workshops focused on Making, Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Z2M Kedah is designed to be a continuing strategy that provides youth in Kedah with added opportunities to unleash their creative potential. The programme registered 100 students, 20 teachers from 10 schools and moving forward, plans to set up a Zero to Maker Labs and Online Learning Platform, as well as Zero to Maker national competition.

GGAF collaborated with UPM and SK Air Baruk to hold the Malacca State-Level World Water Day 2019 Celebration with the theme “Water For All: Leaving No One Behind”. Launched by YB Datuk Dr Wong Fort Pin, the programme hosted many activities for the school children to participate in including the launch of SKAB’s Rainwater Harvest System Project, an exhibition on water by UPOM and the Eco-Code Competition: Leaving No One Behind. This competitions was also a part of the YRE Malaysia Programme’s initiative to train school children on advocating environmental issues and solutions. A total of 15 schools from all over Malacca participated in the campaign, 7 schools being awarded winners of the competition.

The Young Reporters for the Environment Malaysia Training was conducted at Universiti Putra Malaysia attended by 57 Environmental Health students. The session aimed at raising awareness among the general public on how to take action towards building sustainable and resilient communities. The programme’s 4-step methodology comprises investigation, researchingsolutions, reporting and disseminating of findings. The workshop was part of the session held for participants who registered for the YRE International Competition for the year.

GGAF conducted a beach clean-up event along Padang Kemunting beach. It is the most frequented nesting ground of the hawksbill turtle in Melaka. In Peninsular Malaysia, the shores of Melaka are the most frequented nesting grounds for this species with Padang Kemunting recording the most numbers of nesting sites. Supervised by their teachers, students who participated in the cleanup managed to collect 172.80 kg of trash along almost 4 km of the beach. They recorded the types of trash collected to be uploaded into the Clean Swell database prepared by The Ocean Conservancy. This initiative is a global community movement to monitor the trash collected on beaches around the world with the objective of formulating mitigation methods to further ensure the cleanliness of beaches worldwide.

Rainwater tanks have been an integral part of the Malaysian landscape. Yet, large cities, including Melaka have not fully taken advantage of these simple structures. With recurring water crises and changes in climate, the importance of rainwater tanks is paramount. The Hang Tuah Jaya Local Council became the first local government authority in Melaka to promote the use of rainwater tanks in all the schools within their jurisdiction. To facilitate this, the Council in partnership with GGAF has planned to install rainwater tanks in selected schools. The project involves continuous simulation modelling to determine the appropriate tank volumes, based on factors including water usage patterns and available roof surface areas for harvesting. Numerous outcomes were recorded, not only in water savings but also in fostering water conservation awareness and behaviour in the younger generation. Six schools were selected to undertake the simulation in three phases with Universiti Pertanian Malaysia assisting GGAF and Hang Tuah Jaya Local Council in formulating the research plan, conduct the study and publish the research report. Go to Website www.paradigmakelestarian.com

The annual YRE International Competitions is the highlight of the National YRE programme. The most inspiring and creative entries from the National Competitions are assessed by an international jury and winning participants are given the opportunity to be recognised on a global scale. The purpose of the competitions is to engage youth in talking about environmental issues and share their thoughts and ideas with the international network and audience. As the national operator of YRE in Malaysia, GGAF runs these competitions and winning entries will be submitted to YRE International 182 entries across all three categories of Articles, Photos and Videos from 31 countries were submitted to the international competition in 2020. Go to Website www.lensakelestarian.com

The #YREstayshome Competition aims to empower Young Reporters for the Environment (YRE) to remain active, engaged and creative even during the COVID-19 lockdown. Through this competition YRE continues being critical and curious voices for the environment as the world begins to shift out of lockdown.The above photos is an entry by Malaysian representative for the Single Photo category which highlights the sacrifice of the frontlines during the Covid 19 pandemic, often times risking their own lives, for the benefit of the nation. In the story category, Malaysian entry entitled “2020: Through Eyes of Normie garnered Special Mention. The article describes how the new norm in lockdown actually positively affected the environment, taught humans to be more careful in our actions and work towards a sustainable green lifestyle.

GGAF presented the Eco-Schools Programme to the Kelantan State Government in July 2020 and both parties agreed to enrol 30 schools in Kota Bharu into the program for a pilot run. A working committee was formed with representatives from the Kelantan State Government, Kumpulan Pertanian Kelantan Berhad, Unit Perancang Ekonomi Negeri Kelantan, Yayasan Islam Kelantan and Kelantan Utilities Mubaraakan Sdn Bhd. GGAF is committed to ensure that this programme paves the road for young leaders to create an environmentally conscious society.

GGAF, in collaboration with the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) and the Datai Langkawi hosted a series of webinars to promote the sustainable practices in their daily operations. These webinars were hosted on the FEE’s Young Reporters for the Environment (YRE) programme networks. Four main topics were presented: Run virtually, close to 200 participants from all over the world enjoyed the sessions that ran from 9th July to 20th August 2020. Contact us for more information.

The Melaka Environmental Week was held on 23 & 24, 28 & 29th December 2020, organised by GGAF and strategic partners comprising Melaka State Government, Ministry of Education, and Perbadanan Teknologi Hijau Melaka (PTHM). It is an educational initiative towards sustainable development and topics were selected with the goal of bringing awareness on present day challenges on the environment to the younger generation. A total of 77 students from 41 schools participated in this successful program. The programme was conducted virtually through an e-learning portal that was specifically developed for this purpose. Topics presented comprised Introduction to Environmental Pollution Issues, Air and Water Pollution, Marine Conservation, Solid Waste Management, Food Waste Management and culminated in a quiz. PTHM sponsored the prizes for the quiz winners. Go to Website www.paradigmakelestarian.com