The recent tree planting event at Taman Rimba Bukit Kerinchi, Kuala Lumpur was a clear celebration of environmental conservation and a major step towards creating a greener, more sustainable urban landscape. The tree planting took place on November 2nd, a day filled with excitement and a shared commitment to sustainable urban development. 

A collaborative effort organised by EcoKnights, Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur Landskap, and Group Tax from Petronas brought together a diverse group of volunteers, including 10 passionate public volunteers. A total of 70 trees, spanning 10 different species, were planted as part of the “Tree4Us Urban Park Tree Planting Programme,” which aims to improve Taman Rimba Bukit Kerinchi’s greenery and benefit the surrounding community and environment. Furthermore, the event was driven by a collective goal to promote biodiversity while combating urbanisation challenges, therefore contributing to the overall well-being of the environment.

The event transpired after meticulous planning, where 10 public volunteers along with 240 members of DBKL and Group Tax actively participated in the planting process. After the initial registration, the event started off with a couple of speeches from EcoKnights, Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur Landskap and Group Tax. The volunteers were then instructed to take a group photo together and were briefed on tree planting. After listening intently, the volunteers were split into groups of four and began the process of planting their trees.

By the end of the planting, around 70 trees found their new homes while a sense of collective pride filled the air. The “Tree4Us Urban Park Tree Planting Programme” is a prime example of the effectiveness of community-based environmental projects. As the recently planted trees grow, they offer hope for a greener and more sustainable future for Kuala Lumpur.

If you are interested in joining our initiatives or organising sustainable workshops for your area, school, or company, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at info@ecoknights.org.my. We would be thrilled to offer additional details and explore potential partnerships with you.

December 2nd, 2023 – In a collaborative effort with HSBC volunteers to inspire sustainable living, the Guardians Against Garbage (GAG) initiative take place at Sungai Kayu Ara, Taman Tun Dr Ismail (TTDI), Kuala Lumpur. At 8am, 35 passionate HSBC volunteers united for a notable river cleanup event. Facilitated by EcoKnights, this initiative aimed to combat and reduce river pollution while cultivating a shared sense of environmental awareness within the community.

The event kicked off with an inspiring opening speech and a meticulous safety briefing conducted by EcoKnights facilitators, ensuring that the volunteers were well-equipped with the necessary guidelines and expectations. The river saw enthusiastic participation from HSBC volunteers, who engaged in an exhaustive cleanup operation which targeted the river’s various sections.

The volunteers were divided into three teams and embarked on a mission to restore the river, back to its pristine condition. Their hard work paid off as they were able to collect an impressive total of 377.90 kg of diverse waste, ranging from plastic remnants, textiles and even debris from past construction projects. This cleanup was more than just picking up trash, it was a call for environmental awareness and conservation, acting as a reminder of the urgent need to address proper waste management along with river pollution.

After the cleanup, the volunteers worked seamlessly, forming a human chain to transport the collected debris to the segregation area. The segregation process, where volunteers segregate the trash based on its composition, started out smoothly. However, challenges arose during the segregation process as a handful of the volunteers were starting to become tired. Alas, their unwavering dedication and teamwork enabled them to efficiently categorise the waste. A closing speech acknowledged the volunteers’ tireless efforts, emphasising their pivotal role in contributing to a cleaner environment.

Through their actions, the ardent volunteers from HSBC demonstrated that small, collective efforts can lead to substantial environmental changes. As they departed, the effect of their dedication remained, emphasising the possibility of a more sustainable future, one river cleanup at a time.

If you are interested in joining our initiatives or organising sustainable workshops for your area, school, or company, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at info@ecoknights.org.my. We would be thrilled to offer additional details and explore potential partnerships with you.

Outgoing EcoKnights’ President’s Farewell Message

Eighteen years ago, I founded an environmental NGO called EcoKnights. EcoKnights was my creative journey in establishing an organization that will craft sustainability programs that I would enjoy running; where my young daughter (Mia was close to four years old at that time) can have fun in and be educated about nature and her role in protecting it, where the public (specifically parents and children) can participate in fun environmental programs.

I did all these from the dining table of our home, in between tending to a kid and doing house chores. It was one of the best times of my life where all I needed to fuel was my brain, and I was churning out ideas, and forming a team, working on creative fundraising approaches, picked up new skills in project and financial management, design and redesign pitch decks, you name it.

I would wake up daily just excited to continue where I left off the night before, all these papers, diagrams, ideas, capturing my vision and passion to drive kick ass public programs on sustainability. My soft skills were on overdrive.

During the early formative years of EcoKnights, and with very little public knowledge and recognition of a small homegrown/grassroots NGO, I was also rejected, turned down, you name it – countless times. While I was equipped with passion and drive, I was not connecting with everyone about what EcoKnights was and what it can do for the country or a “client.” I learnt then how to polish my presentations, how to read my “clients” better,
how to see the problem statement(s), and how to work on win-win solutions that would serve the desired outcomes. That saw me really embracing a more strategic approach to thinking, designing, planning, you name it. My skills required to be analytical, technical, strategic and be outcome driven, were on hyper mode.

During the last decade, I realized the importance of developing sustainability leaders, and focused on the organization’s volunteer and internship programs. I thought that if I can grow a local NGO to attract good talent in all fields of studies, I can have a small chance in crafting and molding these young Malaysian minds to walk, talk, eat, and breathe sustainability. Basically, make them practitioners, at least for that 3-to-6-month duration of their internship program. In short, brainwashed them.

What resulted was unexpectedly amazing! Much to my evil delight. I have seen them come and go, and I have seen many of them grow. Not just academically, but in the way they apply their experiences and knowledge with EcoKnights and leverage on the networks they made to then lead in their own ways in the field of sustainability. I can never express how proud I am of many of them, to see them now presenting their papers on sustainability, or to be invited by them to attend a university reach program they are leading, or to bump into them in a conference and to be whispered by their bosses that “this kid that was your intern is amazing”. Man, that makes me so proud of how our past interns now drive sustainability in their own workspaces and lives.

Today, they (past volunteers and interns) inspire me the most. I witnessed them boldly paving the way to make a difference for the country in sustainability. I am just lucky to have had the chance to be in their sustainability leadership quest/journey.

Over close to two decades, I have seen, and been through a lot with EcoKnights. The bitter ones I learnt from them. The sweet ones, I cherish and am appreciative of them. For sure, there are many best memories and moments, long lasting friendships made, and old connections rekindled and redefined in the name of sustainability. But the ultimate satisfaction is witnessing the current young EcoKnights team lead, administer, plan,
implement, communicate, advocate and forge partnerships independently.

I have served EcoKnights as the organization’s president since 2005. A bit too long if you asked me. To grow something out of nothing was not an easy feat, and once it was well oiled and running, to work on my exit strategy also took a while. Now is the right time to pass the baton to the next person who will continue to drive the organization to meet its vision and mission. All good things need to evolve to become better and I have stayed on for a bit too long (because letting go of a baby you gave birth to such as EcoKnights is hard) and I feel that the time has come for me to say my farewell.

I am excited to announce that Amlir Ayat will be replacing me as the President of EcoKnights and this process will be officially formalized in the following months. All operative and administrative matters will still be lead under the guidance and leadership of Fadly Bakhtiar. I have known Amlir since 1998. He was my first “sifu” when I came back to Malaysia as a young energetic marine biology graduate. He was one of the reasons and main drivers of my passion in sustainability. I learnt the power of education in transforming livelihoods and addressing human-wildlife conflict through and from Amlir. I was privileged to be his pupil, to be taught how to survive with not much in the tropical jungles of Kenong, to appreciate citizen science (even though it wasn’t trending back then) and the strategic ways of networking especially with government agencies. I trust that through Amlir’s leadership in EcoKnights, he will continue to drive the vision and mission of the organization, while lead a young capable and driven team to continue to design and deliver impact-driven sustainability programs for all stakeholders. It has been a wonderful experience and journey and thank you to all who were part of this journey with me.

Dr Yasmin Rasyid
Former President of EcoKnights, 2005 – 2023

10 October 2023

World Ocean Day is an annual celebration of the ocean that is celebrated by millions throughout the world every June 8. In conjunction with this year’s World Ocean’s Day, EcoKnights in collaboration with MISC Berhad organized several events at Dayabumi Complex, Kuala Lumpur and Akademi Laut Malaysia (ALAM), Melaka.

The theme for World Ocean Day 2022 is: “Revitalization: Collective Action for the Ocean.” It highlights how our actions and choices can affect the revitalization of the health of our oceans and marine life. To educate Malaysians about several topics ranging from ocean awareness to proper waste management and waste segregation techniques, EcoKnights came up with an innovative idea where we held a series of film screenings curation with the President of EcoKnights, Dr. Yasmin Rasyid that focused on these topics. The films that were screened were:

• VAKA Documentary
• Sleepless 
• Birthplace

Two hands-on workshops whereby in total 30 MISC employees were taught how to make their biodegradable soap using cooking oil in the Cooking Oil for Cleaning (C4C): Soap-making workshop, as well as 100 ALAM cadets, were taught how to create a self-sufficient compost system using kitchen scraps in the Garbage to Garden (G2G): Bokashi Composting Workshop. The aim of these workshops was to encourage the participants to be more conscious about their choices when it comes to the environment and also give them affordable options that they can opt for in order to reduce their carbon footprint.

These events have successfully brought together MISC employees and ALAM cadets in their bid to be more environmentally friendly and conscious of the choices that they make when it comes to the environment. We hope that this effort by EcoKnights and MISC can inspire Malaysians to take part in activities like these or even start a new initiative of their own to create a sustainable future for everyone.

If you wish to help the environment or learn about more fascinating projects, please contact us at info@ecoknights.org.my or follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter (@EcoKnights). 

20th March 2022 and 15th April 2022 mark the third and fourth cleanup respectively under EcoKnights’ Guardians Against Garbage (GAG) Program, a strategic partnership between Coway Malaysia and EcoKnights to raise public awareness and knowledge on the challenges of solid waste management primarily at local level. Both the cleanups were conducted with the help of Fuze Ecoteer at one of the riverbanks of Sungai Kayu Ara, nestled in between the residential areas of Taman Tun Dr Ismail and Kampung Penchala. 

The source of Sungai Kayu Ara is at Bukit Lanjan and then it flows through Kampung Sg Penchala, Taman Tun Dr. Ismail (TTDI) and Ara Damansara before discharging into the Damansara River, serving as a water body with important ecosystem services such as rainwater flow mitigation and increasing aesthetical value. “This section of the river has been cleaned regularly so that it may be preserved as a wildlife corridor for small insects, fish and birds. Fishermen from the village regularly come here to fish,” stated Daniel Quilter of Fuze Ecoteer who monitors the river consistently. Hence through the cleanups of GAG program, it is hoped that the river can be both restored and conserved for a sustainable future.

High-Spirited River ‘Gotong-royong’ Collected 165.6kg of Waste

This river clean-up on 20th March 2022 was to develop a stronger employee engagement in maintaining the cleanliness of public spaces as well as raising awareness that everyone has a part to play in charting a sustainable future for Kuala Lumpur and be the change for a better tomorrow. The cleanup was joined by Mr. Kyle Choi, Managing Director of Coway Malaysia, along with 10 other employees and with gusto, the cleanup took about an hour to conclude. While cleaning the river, the group was happy to find a Red-Eared Slider, a species of semi-aquatic turtle, in the river, an indication of the river’s biodiversity.

At the end of the cleanup, the group collectively managed to collect a whopping  165.6 kilograms of waste, with 25.5kg of recyclables and 140.1kg of non-recyclables. The plastics were collected and sent to be recycled at a dedicated recycling center.

Public Participation as River Citizen Scientists During Ramadhan

The other cleanup took place at Sungai Kayu Ara on the 15th April 2022. This time, volunteers from the general public joined this endeavor not only to clean up the river but to also conduct a simple biological assessment of the river. This is to measure the water quality and biodiversity of the river by sampling benthic macroinvertebrates (aquatic insects). According to the bio-indicator of water quality manual, Sungai Kayu Ara receives a score of 4.3/10 which is classified as ‘average’. The waste collected was sorted into different categories which includes recyclable plastics, clothing, plastic bags, aluminum cans, metals, glass, and others. This is to determine the source of the waste and implement mitigation procedures accordingly. Astonishingly, the small group of volunteers managed to collect 262kg of waste inclusive of 3.5kg of recyclable waste, 119kg of clothing, and 64kg of plastic bags.

These two successful river cleanup activities show the crucial importance of aligning with the sustainable development goals on responsible waste management and taking collective responsibility to keep our environment clean and healthy. This is because the environment plays a major part in providing essential ecosystem services and improved quality of life for human benefit. Hence, the GAG initiative plays an important role, with the support of Coway Malaysia, in the rehabilitation, restoration and conservation of the environment. This initiative is open to everyone who wishes to contribute to a positive impact on our ecosystem. Hence, the general public members are welcomed to participate in future cleanup/plogathon events together and may contact us at info@ecoknights.org.my.  

About Guardians Against Garbage (GAG) Program with Coway Malaysia

The Guardian Against Garbage (GAG) Program is a waste management program that helps in ecosystem restoration. GAG with Coway Malaysia serves as a one-year partnership with the key objectives of providing education, raising awareness, and encouraging environmental conservation movements among the Coway employees, as well as the general public. Currently, there are 4 main programs that are conducted under the GAG: River Log Boom Clean-Up, Plogging, Community Action on Recycling & Education (CARE) station, and various awareness programs. These programs aim to provide first-hand experience and understanding of waste management by instilling a sustainable and just mindset among the general public. 

On 19 March 2022, a group of passionate individuals from different walks of life joined hands to revitalise the school compound of Sekolah Kebangsaan Bukit Tadom (A) – a school specialised for the education of the Orang Asli children in Bukit Tadom. This noble humanitarian work is made possible by Dow who supported ‘Projek BUMI @ Bukit Tadom’, organised by EcoKnights. 

Situated at the lower lands of Bukit Tadom in the district of Kuala Langat, Selangor, approximately 200 Orang Asli families were affected by the December flood last year. Originally functioning as a temporary relief centre (PPS) for the surrounding villages, SK Bukit Tadom (A) was inundated by the flood as it continued to worsen. This left its 15 teachers and 100 students, including kindergarten children, with close to nothing as the flood brought critical property damages to books, furniture, laptops and other school necessities.  Through Project BUMI (Benefiting Underprivileged and Marginalised Individuals), EcoKnights mobilised into action, raising funds and public awareness on the dire situation of the school and villagers.

Natural disaster recovery for citizens goes beyond immediate post-disaster survival.

The immediate flood relief aid serves as the first and second phases of ‘Project BUMI @ Bukit Tadom’ to help the community of Bukit Tadom in the process of recovering from the aftermath. Believing that road to recovery often does not stop at surviving the time of disaster, the project has started moving into its third phase known as the ‘restoration and revitalization phase’ to assist the community in rebuilding their resilience. Joining in the call for necessary sustainability action is Dow as a partner of EcoKnights to rebuild a positive learning environment of SK Bukit Tadom (A).

41 volunteers consisting of employees of Dow, EcoKnights, Malaysian Youth Care members and the general public repainted the damaged school walls and replaced broken toilet doors while school essentials such as printers, student learning necessities (school bags and stationery), teaching kits and cleaning equipment were provided to the school representative. The event started at 7.30am and ended at 3.30pm.

Post-disaster community resilience is a concentrated effort.

Post-disaster community resilience now lies as a socioeconomic challenge for Malaysians of all ages in the country’s transformational growth towards sustainability. For SK Bukit Tadom (A), it is still a long journey for the school to be restored and fully resume to a conducive learning environment for both teachers and students.

On the other hand, Bukit Tadom’s Orang Asli villagers who are of the Temuan tribe, face similar daunting challenges in getting back on their feet to restart their lives with the precious little of what is left. Having struggled with the economic downfall following the COVID-19 pandemic for the past 2 years, the flood that struck their homes have caused much damages and losses that threatens their livelihood in terms of job security, financial stability as well as proper health and wellbeing.

This is where Project BUMI, through the ‘restoration and revitalization’ phase, comes into play with the support of key actors such as Dow, in providing help that leads to the resilience and sustainability of the indigenous people in Bukit Tadom.

Take a look at the final outcome of the day’s program at: https://youtu.be/7eIgjFbCyyU

About Project BUMI: Meet the Needs

Project BUMI is EcoKnights’ sustainability-driven project that aims to uplift underprivileged communities from poverty and empower them towards sustainable living. The goal is to ensure basic necessities are made available to all communities throughout the country. This includes a continuous supply of electricity, clean water, proper sanitation, connectivity alongside access to basic healthcare and education for the communities.

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*For any inquiries, you may contact Ms. Shahirah at shahirah@ecoknights.org.my or Ms Nabila at nabila@ecoknights.org.my 

The Tree-for-Us program aims to raise greater awareness among stakeholders to play an active role in restoring the environment through tree planting and an educational workshop.  A composting workshop was conducted by EcoKnights team on sustainable ways in turning household organic waste into soil compost to reduce food waste and improve the soil quality for a healthy ecosystem.

If you wish to learn more information about Tree-for-Us, feel free to contact us at info@ecoknights.org.my.