Restoring Mother Earth

One to call their own: Residents and families posing with a tree they just planted for the programme. The particular tree will remain as part of each family’s responsibility and heritage in USJ Heights, inherited by future generations.

A property developer continues to take the lead in sustainable development and environmental awareness by planting more trees in the Subang Jaya township.

Sime Darby Property Berhad through its “Together in Restoring the Earth’s Environment” programme planted 100 trees in collaboration with the Subang Jaya Municipal Council (MPSJ),

Sime Darby has been selecting indigenous trees from the Threatened Rainforest Trees list prepared by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) for the programme which began in 2012.

From the list, three species of trees were chosen, including the “Hopea Odorata” (chengal pasir), Agathis Borneensis (damar minyak), and Shorea Leprosula (meranti tembaga).

Sime Darby Property senior vice-president Mohd Salem Kailany said these trees were planted in seven of their townships to assist in the regrowth of trees suited to our low-lying forests.

“USJ Heights has about 700 housing units and we wanted to raise environmental awareness so we are looking at endangered, rare and threatened species of trees to plant.

“Some of our local species of plants are diminishing due to logging, so this is our effort to bring some of those species back into the township.

“It is also to inculcate sustainability and the love for nature among our youths. “We have also invited our staff and children to participate, alongside the residents because being sustainable certainly increases the value of a township,” he said.

USJ Heights Residents Association assistant treasurer May Ku said that they are hoping to expand on the programme by planting fruit trees as an educational programme for children.

“By planting local fruit trees in the area, we can also teach children where the seeds come from, while teaching them the ways to care and nurture the trees so that these skills will not be forgotten,” she said.

Other activities held at the event include educational activity booths and recycling competitions.

Prizes were also given to parents and children who participated in the green-loving campaign.

With the tree-planting efforts in USJ Heights, the initiative has achieved a total of 48,000 trees planted under the programme.

Like its other townships, USJ Heights was developed with quality control in mind, as well environmentally sustainable features.

Among the features are solar water heaters, rainwater harvesting devices, and direct views of the park, noting the importance of its visual and security aspects for parents to keep an eye on their young kids.

Also present at the event were MPSJ councillor Mohd Saifullah Mohd Zulkifli, USJ Heights head of township Noraliza Mohd Ali, and Sime Darby Sustainability and Quality Management head Mohd Pouzi Che Nik.