A TOTAL of 350 volunteers from all walks of life participated in the Shah Alam River and Tree For Life 2012 by planting 2,500 trees along the Damansara River reserved land recently.
Held in conjunction with World Environment Day, the event was jointly organised by the Shah Alam City Council (MBSA), Drainage and Irrigation Department (DID), Forest Research Institute of Malaysia (FRIM) and Sathya Sai Organisation with the aim to promote awareness on the importance of preserving the environment.
“This year, we have targeted to plant 50,000 trees in Shah Alam alone. I urge everyone to join this cause,” said Shah Alam mayor Datuk Mohd Jaafar Mohd Atan who launched the event.
Visiber Sdn Bhd, which was also involved in the event, donated RM10,000 to MBSA. The funds were collected from an initiative by 57 Founda-tion, the Magic 42 Charity Drive.
Event coordinator K. Moorthy who shared tree-planting tips with the volunteers during the event, said that corporate sectors should do their part for the environment.
“MBSA has invested a lot in these events and the corporate sectors should look into this cause and take part,” he said.
“It is pleasant to see that 70% of the volunteers are students from colleges and higher learning institutions.
“We are spreading the importance of preserving the environment to them because they are the future leaders of the younger generation,” he said.
Volunteers from higher learning institutions such as Shah Alam Polytechnic, Management and Science University (MSU) and Taylors University were divided into a few groups and waded knee-deep through thick soil to plant the trees.
It was a second experience for Polytechnic lecturer Nazri Idris, 49, and he felt it was meaningful to be part of the team that helped preserve the environment.
“I think as rakyat, it is our responsibility to maintain the balance of the ecosystem,” he said.
For MSU management diploma students P. Annithaa, 20, and S. Tanuswary, 22, the experience was a knowledgeable journey as they learnt to plant a tree the right way.
