December 2015 (Christmas)

A MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR!

It’s the end of the year and just like you, many of us are winding down too. We’ve been so busy throughout the year that it’s time for all of us here in the office to take a deep breath, take a break and indulge in all the other stuff we have missed, especially when it comes to spending time with our loved ones.

Tis the season to be jolly. Tis is also the season to reflect back on how 2015 has been and how we want to make 2016 better.

The haze which caught of us off guard serves as a big realization that we need to start doing something ourselves to protect the planet.

With the start of the monsoon season, there’s als o the dear that the 2014 floods will be back to haunt us again. I hope we are all ready for this and even if you’re home is not affected, it’s good to be prepared to help others who are in need.

Lastly, if you’re spring cleaning, or rather year-end cleaning your home, don’t forget to send usable items to charity organizations, and to reuse, and recycle items that you don’t need. These are small steps for us, but a giant step for the planet.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS AND HAVE A WONDERFUL CHRISTMAS AND HOLIDAY BREAK!

ECOKNIGHTS UPDATES

Local Agenda 21 National Conference and Exhibition (LANCE), November 2 2015, Johor Bahru

EcoKnights participated in the LANCE 2015 which was held in Johor Bahru and organized by the Ministry of Urban Well Being, Housing and Local Government (also known as KPKT). Close to 300 local authority officers, including mayors and also state secretaries attended the national conference and exhibition which was aimed at enhancing the knowledge of local authorities on LA21 and to also motivate them to work on 2016 LA21 initiatives with communities. EcoKnights also conducted a workshop for the officers aimed at inspiring them to design LA21 efforts for next year.

To view the pictures, please click on our EcoKnights Picture Gallery here.

Festival Hijau Langkawi and Community Dialogue, Nov 6-7 2015, Pulau Langkawi

EcoKnights, together with Langkawi Development Authority (LADA), the Kedah State Government, Tropical Charters Sdn Bhd and also Frangipani Spa and Hotel Resort, organized a one day community dialogue (Langkawi Ke Arah Bebas Plastik) and also a one day green festival for the communities in Langkawi. Aimed at engaging more public participation in local green efforts, the festival and dialogue are two such platforms to be further developed in to programs and activities for grassroots societies in 2016.

To view the full report on the Festival Hijau Langkawi and the Community Dialogue, click here to download the PDF version of the dialogue.

Knights of Nature Sustainability Camp with YCK Youths, Nov 23-24 2015, Ulu Hati.

Thanks to DHL Malaysia, EcoKnights conducted a sustainability and nature camp for 14 youths from Yayasan Chow Kit at Ulu Hati. The camp was aimed at providing fun exposure and learning experience for the youths with an environment theme. The youths participate in a turbo charge learning workshop, an inspiring talk by EcoKnights president, Puan Yasmin, and also hands-on upcycling activities with the EcoKnights team.

To view the pictures, click on our Picture Gallery here

Get To Know Our Intern, Tharani Alagapan

Hi, my name is Tharani Alagapan from Mersing, Johor. I’m a forestry student from Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM). EcoKnights have been an unexpected turning point in my life which taught so many things. My internship experience in EcoKnights is the most valuable experience for me. To be honest, the four month duration of this internship is an eye open journey. I had learn so many things especially in making own decisions, being independent and handling (planning and execution) of events. I had a comfortable office environment and a very flexible team who work 24/7 together. Although we are from different races and educational background, we bonded really well and worked well as a team. Moreover, I really want to thank Mrs.Yasmin Rasyid and Mr.Fadly Bakhtiar for being inspiring people and motivating us during the internship period. Work organization and management, as well as the need to be a multi-tasker are some of the best skills I have learnt. I know more now than I did before I started. Furthermore, I realised that organising environmental events is not an easy job. Participating in a radio interview, assisting with the organization of the Kuala Lumpur Eco Film Festival awards ceremony, assisting in financial matters in the office, as well as being in charge of managing environmental workshops were all new experiences for me. These new experiences also helped develop and improve my skills in communication and writing. Sometimes situations do get stressful for me but the good thing is, I think I can work better under pressure now. I will miss all the memorable moments and our good times with the EcoKnights. EcoKnights I’m really blessed to be a part of your organization’s team. Thanks for the opportunity and all the best for future projects. Cheers.

CALL FOR DONATIONS, PARTNERSHIPS AND SPONSORSHIPS

Call For Donations, Partnerships And Sponsorships

We are calling out to all our friends and volunteers to come forth to support our efforts for 2016. We have loads of programs lined up and we are looking for donations, partnerships and sponsorships. Up for 2016 are the following programs which we hope you would be interested to help out:

• 8th Anugerah Hijau (Green Awards) 2016 – a national youth competition endorsed by the Ministry of Education to engage youths to compete in environment-themed categories like sustainable architecture, environmental film making, energy efficiency and more. Log on to www.anugerahhijau.my for more information.
• 9th Kuala Lumpur Eco Film Festival 2016 – Malaysia’s first and biggest environment-themed film festival will showcase award-winning environmental films, dialogues and workshops on sustainability and film making, Green Market featuring more than 100 green enterprises and NGOs, and loads of fun and engaging performances and workshops!. Log on to www.ecofilmfest.my for more information.
• The Knights of Nature Sustainability Camp – an action-packed camp for juniors, seniors in high school and university students on sustainability. It’s Sustainability 101 and this camp engages the participants with real-life approaches and solutions to address a specific environmental issue. Log on to www.knightsofnature.my for more information.
• National Composting Program 2016 – We will be embarking on a national composting program next year to get Malaysians to start reducing their food waste, and even better, upcycle their food waste to healthy compost. Compost bins and workshops are lined up but we need your help to fund this program, and also to bring us to your nearest community so that we can share knowledge and empower them to start composting for a greener Malaysia. If you’re interested to contribute to this program, send us an email at info@ecoknights.org.my addressing it to Fadly Bakhtiar.

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