Written by Shahirah Anuar

Another day, another achievement!

Empowering sustainability is not a one-armed initiative. It requires influential joint forces from various networks to raise awareness of environmental and climate change and mobilize sustainable action among the young generation. The first 5-day Planet Us Environmental Exhibition, held from the 15th to the 19th of February, was organised by the Biji-Biji Initiative, with the support of the US Embassy in Kuala Lumpur was successfully concluded. This event featured a variety of components such as workshops by different organisations and interactive and physical exhibitions where EcoKnights came in as exhibitor partners.

Melinda Masonis, Counselor for Public Affairs in the US Embassy KL, and Dr Yasmin Rasyid, President of EcoKnights made the opening speeches, where they touched on how Planet Us is a fantastic opportunity for the youth to pave the way by playing an active role in taking action for environmental change. Throughout the opening day, Nabila Shohimi, Sustainability Manager of EcoKnights, was invited to participate in a panel discussion to share her thoughts and experiences in inspiring young people to take the lead in making the world a better place.

EcoKnights managed to display some of our ongoing projects as part of engaging with public visitors on information related to urban sustainability at the grassroots levels for the entire 5 days, such as:

1. Project VOCAL (Voice of Climate Action Leaders)
2. #AirKita
3. GParks Ranger
4. Old Soles New Life

Through these exhibitions particularly Kempen #AirKita, we have managed to create the following impacts:

1. 45 members of the public participated in and answered the #AirKita survey on water consumption awareness, with one of the key findings being that nearly half of the respondents (48.9%) believe our river water is unfit to drink.
2. New registrations for children to become GParks Rangers have been generated.

On the 16th of February, EcoKnights was also one of the hosts that held an interactive composting workshop with super enthusiastic high school students from SMK Alam Damai and SMK Tun Hussein Onn, who got their hands dirty while eagerly participating in the session. Students can learn how to make a self-sufficient compost system out of kitchen scraps such as fruit peels and greens. It was an incredible experience to see these young minds seize the opportunity to be more environmentally conscious while also providing them with affordable options for reducing their carbon footprint whether at the heart of homes or schools.

The days — the 17th and 18th of February — ended with the screening of short documentaries to raise awareness about climate change and sustainability and to inspire visitors at Publika to be a part of the solution. This screening indirectly incites the public to want to know what’s really going on in the world and how climate change has affected the various backgrounds of communities so that they can build their own resilience. The following films were shown:

1. It’s Look Sunshine
2. Education On The Boat
3. VAKA

Deepest appreciation to the Biji-Biji Initiative for inviting EcoKnights to participate in the Planet Us Exhibition, where we are proud to be able to play an active role alongside other organisations. Not only is it important to contribute to the program’s goals, but it is also important to inspire youth and the general public to be more courageous in taking action for environmental change. Change begins within us.

To learn more about Planet Us, feel free to visit their website: https://planetus-exhibit.com/

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