Small changes, big impact

“We need to create understanding and awareness among students on the importance of environmental sustainability as it is closely linked to all aspects of human life. My school is using Beneficial Indigeneous Microorganisms to replace cleaning detergent. There is also a One Student, One Tree campaign where all the students need to bring their own trees to be planted in school. We have also built our own rain harvesting system as a water reservoir and use it for cleaning, as well as watering the plants. The students have been taught how to make soap out of used cooking oil which we use in the school toilets.” — Fasya Abdull Hamid, SMK Datuk Onn Butterworth, Penang

“We educate the next generation not just through books, but also using hands-on experiences. This way, they have the skills and knowledge to practise what they’ve learnt outside of school. We teach them to plant so they can plant at home. I have students who never had plants at home come tell me that their vegetables are growing and their trees are fruiting. We teach students how to compost in school using food waste from the canteen. They then go home and tell their parents not to throw away the family’s food waste because they want to make compost. I can see the positive effects on our students. It may be small but I can see the impact in how they are trying to influence their families.” — Law Yee Chen, SMK Convent Pulau Tikus, Penang