Create a new normal with sustainability at its core

Waste collected by a log boom on a river in Klang, Kuala Lumpur. — Reuters

This month marks a time when the environment comes into focus, beginning with World Environment Day (WED) on June 5. Inaugurated in 1974, the day is the United Nations’ principal vehicle for encouraging worldwide awareness of and action for the protection of our environment.

World Environment Day has always had a special significance for the Environmental Protection Society Malaysia (EPSM), which was also inaugurated in 1974 by founder and then president Gurmit Singh. The society has regularly commemorated the day from its inception by organising events. One memorable activity in the mid-1980s had the society’s members cycle from SS2 in Petaling Jaya to Dataran Merdeka in Kuala Lumpur to show that cycling is a practical and environmentally-friendly way of commuting.