Author name: GGAFwc092023

The YRE Environmental Pitching provided opportunities to young people to chive out their opinions and take a stand in what they believe in. They were able to connect their passion with the solution to a problem, develop a pitch for their solution, and perform the pitch to an audience. Through this programme, students’ creativity were seen s they performed their ideas invarious ways including public speaking and singing performances. The main topic for this pitching exercise was plastic pollution, the effects and how to mitigate it. There were two categories of selection; the Environmental Pitching and Environmental Pitching for students in Special Education. Overall 6 students were selected as winners.

GGAF partnered with WWF-Malaysia and the Department of Fisheries to conduct The Back 2 Nature – Turtle Camp Programme 2019, that was held in various stages from February to June at the Turtle Conservation and Information Centre of Padang Kemunting and Padang Kemunting beach. Throughout the camp, 300 individuals, 304 students, 33 teachers from 15 primary and secondary schools participated. They were exposed to sea turtle conservation efforts in Melaka focusing on the endangered hawksbill turtle species that come to nest along the beach. The participants learned the effects of plastic pollution on turtles and marine ecosystems, and became more aware of the usage of environmental friendly products and public littering issues. Studentsbecame interested in conservation and aspired to pursue marine biology and conservation looking into the health of marine ecosystem and marine debris management. The camp also featured Turtle Talk Session by WWF-Malaysia staff enriching the participants knowledge on the issues faced by sea turtles around the world. Participants visited the Turtle Pond to observe adult hawksbill and green turtles in rehabilitation. Finally, to commemorate their experience, students performed a poem recital during the Turtle Appreciation session.

In July 2020, two young reporters chosen from GGAF’s National Young Reporters for Education Malaysia programme, were given the opportunity to spend three days at the world-renown The Datai Langkawi (TDL). Accompanied by Mr Arnaud Girodon, General Manager TDL and Executive Administrator, Board of Trustees, The Dati Pleedge, as well as Mr Johan, Director of Human Resources of TDL, the pair were able to learn about TDL’s overall sustainability initiatives and obtained in-depth knowledge of the Datai Pledge. Through YRE, various programmes have been implemented, visiting TDL being one of the highlights. The young reporters produced engaging videos and learning materials from their viewpoints through this lifelong impactful experience. The Datai Pledge upholds four Pillars, namely Pure for the Future, Wildlife for the Future, Fish for the Future and Youth for the Future. It is in the Youth pillar that this opportunity is linked to. Go to Website www.lensakelestarian.com

The Sea Turtle Friendly Lighting Project in Melaka was a joint effort between GGAF and WWF-Malaysia to mitigate the negative implication of artificial lighting towards wildlife, especially light fixtures that have a short wavelength. Light fixtures in most developing coastal areas in Malaysia are not regulated; this poses a threat to the landing marine turtles. The traditional sodium-vapour street light fixtures compared to a light-emitting diode (LED) streetlight are inefficient and potentially harmful for the environment. Evidence suggests that marine turtles can notice light pollution up to 10 kilometres away from the beach, once landed, they are attracted to the beaming light fixtures, mistaking it for other natural cues e.g. moonlight. This change in direction exposes them to the danger of being run over, dehydration and preyed upon by a larger animal. Padang Kemunting Beach is a small fishing village in the Alor Gajah constituency in Melaka that was chosen as the project site. The coastal area of Melaka is the home of the hawksbill sea turtle with 400-500 recorded nesting a year. The beach is 800 metres long and funds are required to install 27 units of amber toned LED light bulbs specifically designed for the safety and comfort of the sea turtles. Contact us for more information.

In an effort to empower Malaysia’s youth to act on climate change issues within their own schools and communities, GGAF (Eco-Schools Programme) collaborated with the Hang Tuah Jaya Municipal Council to conduct the Climate Ready Classroom Workshop. The workshop was held on 10th and 11th February 2020 for both primary and secondary schools at Dewan Seri Bendahara, Melaka while the programme was launched on the 12th of February. The student participants gained knowledge on climate change, carbon emissions and footprint. Potential impacts on health and sustainable of the environment and inhabitants. They were taught to calculate carbon emissions, retrieve financial data and analyse the data to determine the progress in reducing carbon footprint. Go to Website. www.paradigmakelestarian.com