The award recognised EcoKnights for its outstanding volunteering efforts in restoring and rehabilitating degraded landscapes in the country.

“Winning this award was a pleasant surprise. It’s great to be recognised for our volunteer programmes.

“I think it shows that small efforts such as this can grow to shape and encourage the general public to address environmental challenges by taking action.

“The real people we should be celebrating are our volunteers, as they are the ones who are making a difference.

“EcoKnights is merely a vehicle, and the real heroes are the young, the middle aged and the senior citizens whom we will be celebrating with soon,” said Yasmin Rasyid, EcoKnights’ founder and president.

EcoKnights has initiated a diverse range of volunteerism projects over the years and includes volunteerism efforts aimed at restoring and rehabilitating degraded areas in and outside of the city.

From beach and river clean-ups to household waste management campaigns, the EcoKnights’ volunteerism efforts are often conducted in partnership with government agencies, community groups and businesses such as HSBC Bank, Vanke Malaysia, Starbucks Malaysia, DHL Express Malaysia, Shell Malaysia, Bursa Malaysia, Maybank Foundation, ASEAN Foundation and many more.

This year, EcoKnights is pursuing higher goals in continuing the effort of restoring and rehabilitating degraded landscapes around Klang Valley.

“We are thankful to all of our corporate partners, donors and supporters for the environmental volunteer initiatives. This year, we are targeting to plant 300 trees and to have 20 clean-ups, especially along the rivers within Klang Valley. We are keen to have more collaborations with various partners in achieving this goal,” said Fadly Bakhtiar, EcoKnights programme director.

The National Landscape Day was initiated on   March 3, 1998 as an annual celebration; the effort is aimed at mobilising a culture of love for landscaping among the people in line with Core 1 of the National Landscape Policy, namely, to popularise love for landscaping. – Bernama

“This award will definitely place the efforts of EcoKnights on a bigger public sphere, and I do hope that with this recognition, the validation of EcoKnights as a brand, and the efforts and impacts we deliver through our community programs, will enhance the development of better, stronger, and more impact-driven partnerships with other brands in the immediate future. I am truly humbled by this recognition and I hope EcoKnights as a brand will continue to make big influences in the country,” said Yasmin.

The Brand Laurate Awards which entered into its second decade, highlighted brands which demonstrated great brand value and strong brand equity. The Brand Laureate Best Brands Awards have been recognizing excellence amongst the best brands in Malaysia and the world for the 20 years. Multinationals, trans-national corporations, large corporations, public-listed companies and government-linked companies are honoured for their outstanding practices in branding after meeting the strict selection criteria of the Asia Pacific Brand Foundation (APBF). A Brand Laureate award is a prestigious endorsement, signifying the success of a brand by acknowledging their strength, value and character.

“Thank you to my dedicated and wonderful EcoKnights team including the board, our beloved Founder & President Dr. Yasmin Rasyid, Team Leaders, and all the previous and current interns as this award is another proof of all your hard works and beliefs in what we do and deliver the highest quality of work,” said Fadly Bakhtiar, the Programme Director of EcoKnights after receiving the award.

“Also thank you to everyone that has always support us in what we do: our families, the government, corporate partners, communities, educational institutions, strategic partners, fellow NGO/CSO colleagues, volunteers and individuals,” added Fadly.

The award aims to recognise individuals and partners in Marketing, Branding, CSR, Social Innovation, Education & Academics across leadership levels and was attended by representatives from more than 12 countries. Former Chief Executive Officer of Malaysia Airlines, Tan Sri Dato’ Abdul Aziz Abdul Rahman was also invited to give a keynote speech during the ceremony.

On the last night of the Congress, an award ceremony was held in which EcoKnights won the “Best NGO Leadership” award (see insert picture). The award to EcoKnights was in recognition of the organization’s contribution in its leadership effort to mobilize more communities to make a sustainable change in their backyards.

EcoKnights would like to thank the World CSR Congress as well as past and present corporate supporters who have chosen to work with the organization to inspire sustainable living across all communities in Malaysia.

The World CSR Congress, organized by the World CSR Day took place from 18th February to the 19th February 2017 at the Taj Lands End Mumbai in Mumbai, India. The conference covered areas like New Insights into the Correlation Between CSR and Brand Strength, Aligning CSR with Brand, Image & Reputation, Women Entrepreneurs Agents of Change, Innovation CSR Application in The Supply Chain Business, Value Driven Social Change, The Big Focus on Social Entrepreneurship, Women & Girls Innovation is a Mind-set, Entrepreneurship & Innovation as Engines for Growth, Driving Action In Social World in the world today, Key to Achieve Sustainability Goals and Competitive Advantage, Change For Sustainability, Sustainable and Responsible Business, Measuring The Success of CSR, Responsible Growth and Challenges and Opportunities in Putting Sustainability into the Heart of an Iconic Brand.