Zero Waste Malaysia launches Lesson Plan and virtual classrooms on sustainability for students

As the Whitney Houston song Greatest Love Of All goes, “...the children are our future” and raising awareness on protecting our environment should start with them.

In light of that, non-profit organisation Zero Waste Malaysia (ZWM) is launching a Lesson Plan and virtual classrooms from Aug to Nov, educating youths on sustainability and kick-starting their journey to achieving zero waste in the country.

Designed for youths aged 11 to 17, the ZWM Lesson Plan consists of five educational modules that focus on raising environmental awareness, and discuss value-driven development and sustainability management specifically related to waste.

Available in English, Malay, Chinese and Tamil, each lesson plan includes audio and video aids complete with activity sheets designed in alignment with the Malaysian Secondary School Curriculum Standard (KSSM).

The ZWM Lesson Plan breaks the concept of sustainability into easily comprehensible information, as the five modules explain what waste is, where it goes, the different types of waste, how much waste we produce, and what we can do about it.

Thanks to funding from the Korea Safety Health Environment Foundation, teachers and parents can download the educational modules for free to be taught in classrooms or at home.

To initiate the launch of the Lesson Plan, ZWM has also introduced the Wira Zero Waste (W0W) virtual classroom project where children and teenagers can sign up for free and be taught the modules in an online classroom setting.

“Aside from educating the young about the importance of sustainability, ZWM also hopes to develop problem-solving and critical thinking skills through the implementation of W0W and the Lesson Plan modules.

“Ultimately, ZWM hopes that with more comprehensive education, we can enrich the minds of the next generation and empower them to make better choices for the world they will inherit, ” says ZWM co-founder Khor Sue Yee.

There will be three sessions of the W0W virtual classrooms, each session lasting five weeks. Participants can choose to join either one of the three sessions.

The first session of W0W will be from Aug 3 - Sept 6, followed by a second session from Aug 31 - Oct 4, and a third from Sept 28 - Nov 1.

Students who enrol will be taught one module per week. At the end of the session, the participants will obtain virtual badges and certifications of completion.

Students who are interested can sign up via Google Forms by July 26,2020. Availability is on a first-come-first-serve basis, with priority given to pupils from public schools.

ZWM is also looking to recruit facilitators who have experience in education and are able to teach in English or Bahasa Malaysia in the virtual classroom project. If you’re interested in being part of the solution, submit your application via this link.

For more details, visit ZWM's website or Facebook page.