Minimising their carbon footprint

Doing their part: Pereira’s community garden has grown with many neighbours coming forward to take part in the green initiative and learning how their actions contribute towards environmental sustainability.

PETALING JAYA: Members of the public have taken it upon themselves to tackle climate change in their own little ways.

EcoGarage Enterprise co-founder Sharmaine XinHui Kaur, 24, who has been minimising waste since young, said there were several simple actions she would do daily to minimise her environmental footprint.

“I strive to implement sustainability efforts on a personal scale by practising the 7Rs, which are rethinking my purchasing choices, refusing the purchase of items that may contribute to waste, reducing the waste I may produce, reusing materials, repurposing items at home, recycling necessary items as well as composting or burying relevant items,” she said.

Sharmaine added that apart from her personal initiatives, her enterprise also advocates circularity and sustainable behaviours through education.

“Apart from being advocates of sustainability practices, we teach young children, youths and even corporates on the terrifying circumstances of our environmental conditions today.

“We also educate others on the actions we can all take to create a more sound future by practising the 5Rs, zero waste, circularity and encouraging innovativeness as sustainability mediums to combat climate change,” said Sharmaine.

Separately, Melissa Pereira, who is the co-founder of the Seri Hartamas Community Garden, said the initiative, which began with the aim of educating children, has slowly evolved to educating local communities on the importance of the environment.

“We began in 2019 with the purpose of educating our children on how food is produced, along with the importance of the environment.

“Since then, we have seen the community grow, with many coming forth to take part and contribute towards our green initiative upon seeing the positive growth the garden has on its surroundings,” said the 42-year-old.

Pereira added that ever since the setting up of composting bins in the garden, many residents started to drop their compostable waste there.

“This is a good sign as it shows the local communities are becoming more aware of how they can contribute towards the environment and subsequently play their part against climate change.

“We also got in touch with local eateries and supermarkets which were interested in practising zero waste initiatives and advised them to drop their waste with us.

“We are grateful that our initiative has begun influencing the local community, and we are also looking to connect with local schools in an effort to educate and involve the schoolchildren on little steps towards a more sustainable future,” she said.

In Kota Kinabalu, fresh graduate Emilly Christal Carol Tony said she embraces sustainability through her daily actions.

“I know that it’s hard to fight climate change as an individual, so I try my best to minimise my own carbon footprint whenever possible.

“This includes bringing my own container whenever I pack food, and using a refillable water container for drinks I purchase.

“My friends and I also use recycled bags instead of plastic bags whenever we go grocery shopping,” she said.