Volunteering with MareCet - Matang Dolphin Research

Nothing could have been more exciting than seeing an offer for a volunteering opportunity with MareCet on dolphin research in Matang during the dull exam weeks! I am not a person who crazy over dolphins that I want to swim with dolphins so so much (most people asked me whether I swam with dolphins when they knew that I went to this research), but I love animals in general. It could be a great opportunity for me to practise what I learnt so far in Environmental Science since we have limited opportunities to go for a real serious field trip due to limited budget and equipment in our faculty. After checking the dates (almost right after my exam weeks, for 5 days), I immediately sent an email to the contact provided in the picture posted by Langkawi Dolphin Research (this Facebook page is managed by MareCet) and a few days later, the email informing me that I got the offer greeted me in the morning which really made my day~

International Greentech & Eco Products Exhibition & Conference Malaysia 2015 (IGEM 2015)

The International Greentech & Eco Products Exhibition & Conference Malaysia (IGEM) is here again in Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC) from 9th to 12nd September 2015! For IGEM since year 2011,  Expomal International Sdn Bhd had been the host until this year, when this annual event was taken over by the Ministry of Energy, Green Technology and Water Malaysia (KeTTHA) (The first IGEM was held in 2010 by Green Purchasing Network Malaysia). The theme for IGEM 2015 is Powering The Green Economy which covers the following 5 key areas:

Compared to the previous two years which I attended, the theme this year looks more interesting but the number of exhibitors are much more lesser (I believe it was due to the economic crisis we are facing now where many companies pulled out), in which a lot of the exhibitors are from the solar energy section. I would like to feature one company from each of the key areas above.

MESYM Widget Is Here!

Yay MESYM with the new awesome interface comes with widget! Now you can embed any interesting content that you want on MESYM on your personal website or blog! An event calender to remind yourself or your website visitors on the latest event that came up? Or a project that you want to keep yourself updated? Here's the instruction on how to do it. Happy exploring the evolved version of MESYM website!

Shah Alam Trees for Life 2015 (April Edition) - Trailer

If you have been looking for a chance to be a tree hugger but you are not sure when and where, here's the trailer of Shah Alam Trees for Life 2015, the April edition! Eco Warriors Malaysia and Shah Alam City Council have been working together organizing tree planting events around Shah Alam area once a month since 2010 as one of the community programs by the city council. With the theme 'A Corporate Social Responsibility', corporations and the public are encouraged to be part of the simple yet meaningful environmental movement by planting tree-lings at various parks in Shah Alam. Over the years, improvement has been made that fruit trees are planted as well so that we get double benefits as the trees grow (if you get what I mean, hehe)!

Getting Back to the Main Purpose of Going Environmental

The title of today's post might sound weird, but it is what all of us should do because we often tend to accidentally miss out the point of going green when we are pushing for a sustainable cause. As an environmentalist (no matter you are studying or working in any field), we want the best for the environment and we also hope that people around us do the same as well. Besides showering our peers with 'environmental-friendly behaviour', we might involve ourselves as the organisers or volunteers for some green events and projects. We want to conserve water by avoiding wastage, we want to encourage the reduction of plastic bag usage, we want to stop the invasion of polystyrene containers to our garbage dump. It seems that the list is endless and we are working hard to attract people's attention on these issues. The problem is, do we miss the target?

(photo taken during my first fieldwork in UPM)
Just a pile of leaves to capture your attention for awhile, hahaha...

SIEPC 2015 - Ignite the Silver Lining

I have always believed in youth's potential to make a change towards the community and the environment. We search for our direction, we dream, we let our mind run wild and be so ambitious that people might scoff at us. However, most of the time we are not sure how to do it, or doubt that we can really make it happen the way we want. We have the ideas in our head, but we are afraid to voice it out. We have the time and energy if we really want to put the plan in front of the priority list, but sometimes we lack of the confidence and motivation to take the first step.

It's time to overcome the fear, my fellow UPM undergraduates!

What Is Wrong with Mega Dams? - The Baram Dam Project

When we talk about renewable energy, it is about the production of electricity using renewable resources such as sun light and wind, which won't be depleted. Some people might suggest hydroelectricity which is obtained through the turning of turbines using the gushing of water from a higher elevation (potential energy to mechanical energy to electrical energy) which does not use up any resource as well. The most renowned hydroelectrical dam in China - Three Gorges Dam at Yangtze River which covers an area of 632 square kilometres generates a total of 84 TeraWatts-hours of electricity each year (a typical light bulb requires only 60 Watts to light up).  

The Bakun Dam.
(photo taken from the Sarawak Report website)

Malaysian Environmental Sustainability Youth Movement (MESYM)

Every time when people first heard about MESYM (pronounced as 'me-sym'), they will be like, 'what is that?' or 'huh?', including almost all of my friends, haha. Yeah, MESYM or Malaysian Environmental Sustainability Youth Movement is a grassroot green non-governmental organisation originally founded in 2011 by Japheth Lim as a personal project. Now MESYM is being developed and run by Leo and Jun-E as leaders with a bunch of dedicated volunteers of different backgrounds. Besides, we are also on our way to establish this organisation officially!

Let us get into the main topic: What is MESYM about?

MESYM is basically a medium which gathers all the information on various environmental movements run by many green organisations in Malaysia so that the information is easily accessible by everyone just by clicking the link to this website. It is all about the sharing of information and to make green movements more reachable. The involvement in green events or movements becomes easier because the details we need to know (what, where, when, how) are at our finger tip. Everyone can be environmentalist and we need to expand our view in order to get updated on what's happening now regarding environmentalism and sustainability in our country. We encourage networking and collaboration on MESYM no matter it's among individuals or organisations to build stronger environmental force to fight for a better future.

This is how it works:

The first element on the menu bar from the left is Profiles. Creating a profile means creating an account on MESYM so that you can post or comment on articles on MESYM (you do not need a profile to browse through the articles). Under the profile section, it is divided into the individual section and organisation section. Individual section is for normal people like you and me who registered as our own identity while organisation section is for various green organisations which have been playing a part in environmentalism and sustainability.

The second element is Events. It shows the upcoming green events that will be going on soon with important details such as the date, time and location and also the organiser. If you are interested in that particular event, you can click on it to see the description about the event and how you are going to participate in it. To participate, all you need to do is to click on a green button stated 'volunteer' on the right hand side of the page to send an email to the organiser. There is an event calender too which gives us an overview about events that will be going on in the whole month.

The third element is Projects. A project is an ongoing environmental effort which is run either by an organisation or individuals (yes you can always create your own personal environmental projects such as beach cleaning for example, and invite others to join on MESYM!), unlike event which is only held for one or a few days. Each project works on respective causes and if you see the word 'volunteer' on the top right corner of the poster, you can join in the effort as a volunteer to contribute as well!

The fourth element is Stories. This section is specifically arranged for volunteers to share their experiences during their volunteering work to give people a picture how does volunteering look like. Reviews written by past or current volunteers posted in this section can be a motivation and inspiration to many many people out there who need a little more push in determination to get started in green volunteerism.

The fifth element is Announcements. Announcement provides a channel for green organisations to make announcements to call for internships, exhibitors, petitions, proposals and so on. It is neither event nor project but other forms of support towards green movements.

The sixth element is Discussions. This is the place where people discuss about environmental related issues such as pollutions, policies, green technologies, renewable energy etc. People are encouraged to share environmental knowledge here to equip ourselves to face environmental challenges. Discussion is important to gain new information or to clear any misunderstanding towards the concept of sustainability.

The seventh element is Featured. This is the section where MESYM interviews people who have made contributions towards the environmental field. It is really an eye-opener as we can see what others have done and sacrificed to save the environment. What they have been doing inspire others to care more for the environment.

The eighth element is Resources. Resources is a collection of videos or documents with precious environmental information in them. If you come across something you find would be useful and informative to others, please share it here! It can be helpful!

For all the elements above, there is a filter for each element. In case you couldn't find the topic you want, you can just use the filter and it is really convenient. Map is also provided for most of the elements to mark the location of each happening or individuals. Location does matter when it comes to direct involvement in green movement.

Last but not least, the About. You can see everything about MESYM, from the story of how MESYM grows since three years ago to ways to work with us. You will know who are the people behind this MESYM team and if you are interested to join us, contact us via email! We also call for sponsorship for this organisation because we do not earn profits in things we are doing. Sponsor us if you support our project!

So what can you do?

1. Log on to http://www.mesym.com.
2. Get started by creating a profile.
3. Join in discussions or comment on articles you find interesting.
4. Look for a suitable volunteering activity and just do it!
5. AND if you are an organiser of green event, share it there!
6. ALSO if you are someone related in the environmental field, share you knowledge!

There are a lot more you can do to be part of the environmental efforts. SHARE this awesome website to your friends! The more the merrier! 

P/S: In 2013, I found MESYM on internet while looking for volunteering opportunity where I can really get started. So I became a volunteer and started sharing my blog posts on MESYM regarding environmental events or things we learnt as an environmental student. I am really obsessed in writing sometimes, haha. I became really active starting year 2014 in it and now I am one of the outreaches for MESYM (together with Mathi) trying to get more institutions and organisations and also individuals to join us!