Activity Report: Earth Day at the MNS UCF

PENCINTA ALAM JUNE 2017

GREEN LIVING SIG ACTIVITY REPORT

EARTH DAY AT THE MNS UCF

By Wong Ee Lynn

(wongeelynn@yahoo.com / gl.mnselangor@yahoo.com)

 

The gloomy drizzle that we woke up to on the morning of Earth Day (22nd April 2017) failed to deter close to 40 dedicated volunteers from showing up at the Malaysian Nature Society Urban Community Forest (UCF) to assist in the trail and nursery cleanup organised by Green Living SIG.

 

 

 

Volunteers consisting of MNS members, members of the public, members of expat community InterNations and staff of biodegradable medical examination glove manufacturer Cranberry (M) Sdn Bhd worked together to clean up the UCF / Federal Hill trail and nursery, the UCF stream and the areas surrounding the MNS headquarters’ entrance. This completed, they also mulched the UCF compost pile and weeded the nursery and vegetable patch.

 

 

 

 

A refreshment break was provided once these tasks have been completed, and each volunteer was given a reusable cloth tote bag as a token of appreciation. The generous volunteers also brought electronic waste for recycling and pre-loved clothes, toys and books for Green Living’s ongoing projects with other organisations assisting the homeless and urban poor communities in Kuala Lumpur. Several kind volunteers also helped to sort through and pack the donations for easy transportation, while others contributed refreshments.

 

 

 

A Photo Scavenger Hunt was held to end the event on a high note. Volunteers were given a list of items to look for and photograph, including something that propagates through spores, an edible plant, something that has no use in nature (clue: it’s manmade!), and a ‘wefie’ with another volunteer that they have not met prior to this event.

 

Prizes were given out to the winners and volunteers were duly thanked for their contributions. Green Living would like to thank all the volunteers who participated and we hope to see you at future events.

  

Green Living Event Announcement: Earth Day Forest Cleanup and Colour Fight Party

GREEN LIVING EVENT ANNOUNCEMENT

EARTH DAY FOREST CLEANUP AND COLOUR FIGHT PARTY

Come celebrate Earth Day by doing your bit for an urban green lung and partying with like-minded nature-lovers!

Date: Sunday, 24 April 2016

Time: 8.30 a.m. – 11.00 a.m.

Location: Kota Damansara Community Forest, Seksyen 10 Kota Damansara, at the Gazebo facing the school.

Dress code: Old clothes and a white t-shirt that you don’t mind ruining.

To bring:

For the clean-up and tree-planting session:

-        Sunblock

-        A hat/cap

-        Gardening gloves

-        A gardening spade or shovel

-        Sturdy gunny sacks for heavy items, broken bottles and sharp metal objects.

-        Drinking water and snacks/picnic food to share.

For the colour fight:

-        A change of clothes

-        Water to clean yourself up with

-        An old white t-shirt to wear during the colour fight

-        Rubbish bags/old newspapers to line your car seats with if you are driving home after the colour fight

-        Swimming goggles or protective eye wear (important if the participant is a child)

-        A washable bowl or cup to put coloured flour in.

-        Plastic bags / ziplock bags (kindly reuse) to put phones, wallets and valuables in.

Event Agenda:

8.30 – 8.45 a.m. Safety briefing and distribution of tools and rubbish bags/sacks.

8.45 – 10.00 a.m. Cleaning up the KDCF hiking trail and around the lake and planting 50 merbau saplings.

10.00 – 10.30 a.m. Group photo and midmorning snack break, picnic style

10.30 – 11.00 a.m. Holi-inspired colour fight using coloured flour.

Essential info:

-        

1    Participants will be responsible for their own safety at all times. Parents are encouraged to exercise discretion in deciding whether to allow children under age 6 to participate.

-        Participants are encouraged to carpool, bike or walk to the event. There may be a Lucky Draw with prizes for participants who biked or walked to the venue.

-        The Colour Fight is an optional activity. You can choose to leave before it takes place, or opt to watch or photograph it without entering the fray.

-        Individuals who show up for the Colour Fight without first volunteering for the cleanup and tree-planting session will be charged RM5.00.

-        Green Living SIG will provide rubbish sacks, gardening gloves, spades and coloured flour for the colour fight. However, all assistance in bringing your own gardening gloves, tools, rubbish sacks and coloured flour will be highly appreciated, and consistent with our environmental values. If you have any old but clean white t-shirts that you are willing to lose, please bring it along for others who may have forgotten to wear white.

-        Please keep the event waste-free. We will clean up the field before and after the colour fight. At the same time, please bring food, beverages, sunblock, water for cleaning up, etc in reusable containers.

-        Assistance is needed in making large amounts of coloured flour. If you are interested in volunteering for this, please contact Ee Lynn at wongeelynn@yahoo.com.

To register for this event or to offer to volunteer/contribute items, please contact Ee Lynn at wongeelynn@yahoo.com

Event Announcement: MNS Green Living Earth Day Taman Rimba Ampang Cleanup

Come lend Mother Nature a helping hand this Earth Day weekend! Green Living will be organising a cleanup session at Taman Rimba Ampang, a popular picnic site and recreational fores, as a way of honouring Mother Earth, taking back our public spaces and educating picnickers and members of the public on the importance of keeping public and green spaces clean.

Date: Saturday, 25th April 2015

Time: 9.00 a.m. - 12.00 noon

Meeting Point: Entrance of Taman Rimba Ampang 

We will provide:

- Fruits for a waste-free breakfast

- Drinking water for refills (Please bring your own water bottles)

- Mosquito repellent

- Rubbish bags and reusable gloves

- Green Living publications for those who want copies

Please bring:

- Your own drinking water bottles

- Sunblock and any medication

- Fire tongs / rubbish tongs, if you have one

- A phone or camera phone for the Photo Contest

All cleanup participants will be eligible to participate in the Earth Day Cleanup Photo Contest. Photos will be uploaded to the Facebook event page. Prizes will be given for the most highly-rated photos in the following categories:

- Best 'Before & After' Photo

- Most Creative Photo

- Best Cleanup Action Photo

- Funniest Photo 

The Facebook event page is as follows: https://www.facebook.com/events/1426196601026643/

Hope to see you there!

Earth Day Activities for Young Earth Warriors

PENCINTA ALAM APRIL 2014
ECO KIDS COLUMN

EARTH DAY ACTIVITIES FOR YOUNG EARTH WARRIORS
By Wong Ee Lynn
gl.mnselangor@yahoo.com

Earth Day falls on April 22 each year, and it is recognised all over the world as a day on which we celebrate and give thanks to Planet Earth and Mother Nature. Governments may discuss ways to protect the environment on this day, and this can lead to important decisions being made that can benefit mankind and the Earth. Ordinary citizens including schoolchildren learn ways they can protect the environment and help plants and wildlife. Sometimes, people may feel disheartened and discouraged and think that we are doing too little, too late to help Planet Earth. But every action makes a difference, and we should never stop doing things that we know to be good for the environment, animals and society.

Here are some ways you can observe and celebrate Earth Day this April:

1. Plant a tree. Plant a new tree in your garden, or if you don't have a spot for a tree, you can find out from Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM) and Landskap Malaysia if they could plant one on your behalf upon a donation being made. If you live near a community forest such as Bukit Gasing or Kota Damansara Community Forest, you can plant a tree there as well. Choose a native tree or plant, especially one that produces fruits or flowers that can provide food for native birds, animals and insects.

2. Go on a hike and celebrate the beauty of our wonderful Planet. If you live in Kuala Lumpur or Selangor, here are some of the hiking/trekking spots you can visit: Templer Park, Lembah Kiara Park, Bukit Gasing, Bukit Nenas Forest Reserve, FRIM and Kota Damansara Community Forest. Bring a few rubbish bags and gardening gloves along so you can pick up any rubbish you find along the trails.

3. Learn about composting and set up a compost bin. You can find out more about composting here: http://mnsgreenliving.blogspot.com/search/label/Composting


4. Brainstorm ways that your family can do more in helping the Earth. Do you need to turn off the lights and appliances more often? Can you recycle more? Can you replace paper items with cloth, such as napkins and cleaning rags? Can you reduce the number of documents you print? Perhaps you can try to keep your clothes cleaner so you won't have to do so many loads of laundry. Or how about driving less, and carpooling to activities with friends, or taking public transport instead?

5. Observe birds and wildlife. Learn about what animals need from us to live and remain in their environment. Can we do more to help them? It can be something as simple as watching a backyard bird feeder outside your window. Or perhaps you can put up some form of fencing around trees where birds gather to stop the neighbourhood cats and dogs from chasing and harming the birds.

6. Plant a garden. Try to grow your own vegetables this year. Not only will you be eating healthier, but you'll be reducing your carbon footprint. If you don't have room for a garden, grow some potted herbs on your windowsill. And if you really don't have a green thumb, vow to shop at your local farmer's market more this year. Local environmental organisation CETDEM holds a Hari Organik farmers' market every few months.

7. Hold a Jumble Sale: Pick out all the books, clothes, toys and other items you no longer need or want to keep, and sort them out for recycling, donating or sale. Hold a jumble sale to sell all the items that are still in good condition, and announce the event to your friends and neighbours. If you don't have the time or space for a Jumble Sale, then hold the sale online. Take photos of the items for sale and post them on Facebook or your blog with the asking price and a brief description of the item. Your friends can place their orders and pick the items up from you at home. You can then donate the proceeds of sale to your favourite wildlife / environmental protection organisation.

8. Make your own recycling bins: Make your own recycling bins (or bags) out of boxes, baskets, old toy storage units or cloth shopping bags. Decorate them as attractively as possible to encourage your friends and family members to notice and use them. You can also write or illustrate environmental tips and mottos on your recycling bins.

9. Do the No Impact Experiment in one day. Stand in a tub or large pail when you shower to see how much water you use during each shower. Stick a sheet of paper to the toilet cistern and tick on the paper each time you or someone else flushes the toilet. Think up ways you can reduce your water usage. Go through your household rubbish for the day. What do you throw away most of? Can you find ways to reduce the wastage of this item? Check the number of appliances used in your home. What should have been switched off, or put away when not in use? Are there any appliances whose function can be done more efficiently by hand? Can you go on a one-day "carbon cleanse" and not use any electrical appliances (except for perhaps the refrigerator and the fan)?

10. Go Car-Free: Car Free Day falls on Sept 22, but there is no reason why you can't go car-free other days of the year. Choose a day the same week as Earth Day to go car-free and walk, cycle or take public transport instead.

11. Hold a Book/Toy Swap with your friends: Pick out all the books, toys, games and CDs/DVDs you no longer want, and hold a toy/book/video swap with your friends. Everyone gets to go home with something new to him/her, and you get to share resources and prevent waste!

12. Replace disposable items with reusable and sustainable ones. Earth Day is a good day to break out of your old habits of carrying and using tissue paper or buying things that come in Styrofoam packaging or plastic bags. This Earth Day, form new and better habits of carrying reusable shopping bags, refillable water bottles, washable food containers and handkerchiefs with you everywhere you go. Give yourself a star on a chart each time you remember to bring your own drinking water, handkerchief, reusable shopping bag or food container whenever you go out of your house.


(Sources: http://www.creativefamilyfun.net/2013/04/10-ways-to-celebrate-earth-day.html)