Ramadan. Ramadhan. Ramzan. They’re three words for the ninth month in the Islamic calendar – a month when Muslims around the world focus on charity, prayer and fasting. Calm contemplation and fasting are a big part of this time, but at the end of the day when it comes time…
A business installing free solar panels for community benefit, a group building temperature-efficient, earthquake-proof structures entirely out of recycled material and a series of moving environmental documentaries shown around Malaysia and accompanied by expert-led discussions. What do these green projects have in common? One word (well, one acronym really): MESYM….
Malaysia’s business world doesn’t have the brightest history when it comes to sustainability. The entire country is famous for profit-driven and explosive growth at the cost of environment, the people are notorious for a “so what” attitude towards their environment, and the land has been heavily polluted and exploited to…
A strain of rice that produces higher yields with less fertilizer will help Malaysian farmers provide food security and sustainability for their country in a single stroke. Rice is the most common grain for both production and consumption in Malaysia. It generates important revenues for Malaysia from exports and has…
Malaysia’s environment is in a fix. Its ancient jungles, teeming seas and varied tropical landscapes make it the world’s twelfth-most biodiverse region on the planet, but the nation’s economy has grown from the destruction of these ecosystems. This hungry economy has seen Malaysia’s beautiful trees, exotic animals and hills full…
Malaysia was singled out for its innovative achievements upon the release of this year’s Global Innovation Index rankings earlier this month. The honorable mention speaks to Malaysia’s social and economic growth, but leaves something to be explained considering the country’s troubled state. A worldwide rating system for innovation, the Global…
At present, Malaysia finds itself in dire straits. Prime Minister Najib Razak is at the center of an international scandal involving his alleged embezzlement of $700 million. Two enormous protests have resulted (one anti-government and one pro-Malaysian pride) which have divided the country and brought race politics into the foreground. …
According to popular vote, the ‘Greenest Person on the Planet’ lives in Malaysia. His name is Matthias Gelber, and he’s leading a sustainable revolution in the country. Gelber’s most recent project is the electricity-saving effort Negawatt Revolution, but he’s had his hand in about every kind of environmentalism there is. …
Early this year a ship loaded with bauxite suddenly capsized and disappeared beneath the waves, leaving just one of its 19 crew members alive and spilling its entire shipment into the ocean. Bauxite mining in Malaysia is intensely controversial for several reasons, and this capsizing raises yet another – the…
In order to teach sustainability and nature connection to the next generation in Malaysia, a grass roots environmental group is taking 30 urban youths in the bustling state of Pahang from their concrete jungle into the tropical rainforest surrounding it. The Eco Leadership Program, as the weekend-long event is called, will…
A grassroots, volunteer-based effort bent on saving electricity in Malaysia is shedding light on the country’s need to think about responsible energy consumption. Called The Negawatt Revolution, it is a movement to instill sustainable habits in the minds of Malaysian citizens. For a long time, ten-year Malaysian resident and Negawatt…