WHEN it comes to creating sustainable, eco-friendly living spaces, EcoWorld is somewhat of a pioneer at the forefront of innovation and responsible development.
Beyond crafting beautiful homes, the developer goes the extra mile to ensure that the surrounding greenery are in perfect harmony with the principles of environmental, social and governance (ESG).
(From left) The scaly-breasted munia and blue pansy are some of the native species in Eco Grandeur’s site,whereas the Golden Malayan Banyan is one of many plant species used for sustainable landscaping.
In an interview with StarESG, EcoWorld delves into its commitment to green living through their landscaping.
How do you select and maintain landscaping elements to minimise their environmental impact?
Right from the onset during the planning stage, we categorise and identify native plants that are suited to our local climate and soil conditions.
Native plants are hardier and are also more resilient against pests and diseases.
Our planting design practice is to group plants with same water requirements, to not only optimise irrigation but also reduce water wastage during maintenance.
What plant species are used in landscaping designs and how they help?
There are a lot of native species that have been used throughout the entirety of EcoWorld projects. We generally plant and categorise them into trees and shrubs which include but aren’t limited to:
> Trees: Tembusu; Merawan Siput Jantan; and Kalumpang Burung
> Shrubs: Tsaang-Gubat; Laurel Fig; and Kelat Paya.
These native species are attractive for many reasons, mainly because of several factors such as being drought-resistant, having strong root systems and having natural defenses against local pests and diseases.
What strategies do you use to enhance biodiversity and promote wildlife habitat within your landscaping projects?
To identify the potential of our sites, we conduct thorough environmental field studies in collaboration with industry experts and professionals. We designed several landscaping zones throughout our development and waterways, each catering to specific animal species native to the site. For instance, the plant species selection and arrangement for Eco Grandeur’s urban park and wetland plains was crafted to attract grass bird species such as the scaly-breasted munia, red wattled lapwing and white-throated kingfishers.
These zones have gradually become a wildlife sanctuary for the corridor providing refuge for wild animals to live while also minimising the impact of urbanisation to the area.
How does EcoWorld involve local communities in the planning and maintenance of green spaces?
Meetings and workshops to share our ideas on township greenery and sustainability are among our approach to engage with our communities.
The feedback gleaned from these engagements will be studied for adoption in our projects.
We also established community gardens where residents can take up planting. Gardening classes and demonstrations also take place here to encourage healthy lifestyle and to foster social bonding within the neighbourhood.
We actively engage with local authorities, government agencies and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to assist in organising events, educational programmes and community engagement efforts.
What measures are in place to ensure sustainable landscaping practices across your projects?
Our team comprises knowledgeable and experienced personnel who are tasked to ensure that sustainability is at the core of every landscape design development and implementation.
In addition, we must be cost conscious with plant and material selection to ensure viability, ease of maintenance and durability. It’s also important for hard landscaping to be universal design friendly and safe to use.
For project implementation, we go digital with e-inspections to eliminate the use of paper.
Our contractors are encouraged to use recyclable formwork for walkway concreting work to replace natural timber formwork, which is the product of forest logging.
In landscape maintenance, we adhere to strict deadlines for work cycles – for example: timely grass cutting for a presentable, safe and conducive township.
We also harvest water from our natural detention pond to irrigate plants throughout our township.
