Article: Green envoys

Sunday July 5, 2009

By ALYCIA LIM

WHAT do you get when you put 10 nature lovers from various backgrounds together on an environmental camp for five days?

Lots of energy, passion, information, and heaps of fun is what you get!

The annual Bayer Young Environmental Envoys (BYEE) camp was back again for the fourth consecutive year, and this time the 10 selected candidates were taken on an all-expense paid trip to Cameron Highlands, Pahang to learn more about the green concerns of the highlands.

Mingling with like-minded individuals, these young envoys unleashed their passion for the environment as they shared with one another their individual experiences.

While some came from science backgrounds, others were well-grounded in the engineering field, which gave the envoys an opportunity to learn from each other, and learn about the different views and angles of the same issue.

SAVING THE EARTH: The students holding some of the rubbish they collected during a field trip.

TV3 news and current affairs division assignment editor, Karam Singh Walia, who has been a BYEE judge for the fourth consecutive year and a guest speaker at the camp this year, said that the envoys were very well-grounded and focused in terms of what they wanted to achieve.

"The envoys this year have certainly succeeded in putting their ideas forth and they have a good grasp of environmental issues."

He added that there was much cooperation and a good sense of commradeship within the group.

"The group this year are very at ease with one another, which is one of the objectives of the BYEE programme, because they must be able to mingle well and demonstrate a strong, convincing personality when they represent Malaysia at an international level."

However, Karam reminded the envoys to not only implement their project, but also to ensure that their project was sustainable.

"They (the envoys) have great ideas, but they have to make sure that their project is sustainable to make an impact."

Participant Lionel Harith Sebastian Daraup said he has been contributing to the conservation of mother nature from a young age.

Inspired by his late great grand aunt who used to recycle plastic bottles and aluminium cans out of her love for Mother Earth, Harith grew up recycling as a habit.

"My great grand aunt managed to earn a fair bit of extra income just by recycling, and often, she would donate the money to charity."

Now the president of the marine club at his university, Harith leads a beach cleanup every weekend.

"During the beach cleanup, we collect rubbish and try to clean as much as possible.

"Sometimes, the younger children who see us collecting rubbish would also volunteer to help out!"

Agricultural science student Amirul Asraf Turin, on the other hand, was more interested in the agricultural side of things, particularly in the area of converting agricultural waste into fertilizers, in order to reduce landfill.

He said, "Coming from an agriculture background, it has certainly been a good experience learning about other aspects of the environment, especially about issues pertaining to the highlands."

For some like Tan Chia Hui, the trip was an adventure of a lifetime.

"The visit to the mossy forest was the best!

"It was really amazing, I felt like I was part of a scene in the Lord Of The Rings!"

Everyone at the camp had a story of their own to share and although it may not have seemed obvious at that time, the envoys certainly had a lot to learn from each other.

Participant Syaheenaz Abdul Halim said, "We've learned so much from each other, and the entire experience is invaluable."

After the camp, all 10 participants had their chance to show their commitment to the environment, through individual presentations on the iniviatives they would take in their respective fields of expertise.

And after a tough round of judging, Titus Loh Wei Ren and Felicity Kuek were selected to represent Malaysia in Germany, come November.

The duo would represent Malaysia in a week-long study tour in Germany, where they would be meeting envoys from 18 other countries.

Open to Malaysians aged between 18 and 24, the BYEE programme in Malaysia involves 19 countries in four continents worldwide, under Bayer International.

Felicity said, "I look forward to meeting the envoys from other countries to exchange ideas with them and share our knowledge.

"I also hope to learn more about methods to sustain and preserve the environment from the place they do it best."

Asked if he would continue working for the preservation of the environment in the future, Titus gave a passionate reply.

"I don't envision myself working full-time in this line, but environmental issues will always remain close to my heart.

"And I would definitely get involved whenever I can in the future.

"After all, preserving the environment is everyone's responsibility," he added.

This article was taken from: The Star Online: Education 5 July 2009