If you’re going to learn about something, why not learn from the best? And when it comes to the environment, there aren’t many better ‘teachers’ to learn from WWF-Malaysia.
Our QIU Eco-Rangers got the chance to do just that, as six of them recently represented the University to a WWF-Malaysia youth conference on plastics.
The six were:
1.Turkeswari Uvarajan (Team Leader / Master of Science)
2. Nur Hanis Zulkernain (Master of Science)
3. Sarannia Thanganathan (Master of Science)
4. Chang-Yunn Cheyenne-Mae Flora
(Bac.of Environmental Technology)
5. Diaby Mamadou (Bac.of Environmental Technology)
6. Chowdhury Mehraj Salsabil (Bac.of Environmental Technology)
The conference, which was held in Shah Alam, was themed ‘What’s With Plastics’. It unpacked the myths surrounding plastics, aiming to increase the general understanding of the benefits of plastics and the destruction caused by its mismanagement.
Our diverse group of representatives included Master’s in Science students and Bachelor in Environmental Technology students from Malaysia, Bangladesh, Mali and Seychelles.
It was truly an eye-opening experience for everyone, as they were briefed by top industry players and stakeholders from the Malaysian Plastic Manufacturers Association (MPMA), the Malaysian Plastic Forum, and the Maritime Institute of Malaysia.
The discussions covered topics like plastic life cycles, eco-bricks and the clean coast index – which is used to assess the volume, distribution, and composition of litter in coastal areas.
In the group’s collective report, team member Sarannia said the students also gained hands-on knowledge of sustainable eco-friendly activities like plogging (click the link to find out what that is)
“We learned about responsible shopping, where we needed to buy items for five days of balanced meals. The challenge was to buy the items with the lowest amount of plastic.
-Sarannia Thanganathan
“A roundtable discussion was also held on the role of education in plastic pollution. The results will be presented to the Ministry of Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate Change (MESTECC),” she added.
Reflecting on the event, Nur Hanis noted that the conference exposed the students to current issues, allowing them to gain more knowledge and experience that cannot be acquired in class. Added team leader Turkeswari:
-Turkeswari Uvarajan
This journey gave me a chance to see plastic-related issues from a difference perspective. I can use this to initiate changes within my own campus and society around me.
All in all, it sounds like our Eco-Rangers had an enlightening time at the conference. We can’t wait to hear more from our resident environmental heroes.
Congratulations to everyone involved and thank you for representing our University at such a prestigious get-together!
