21-22 September 2013-Skudai. UTM students were chosen to be engaged in a Malaysia Marine and Heavy Engineering (MHHE) flagship environmental Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programme, in collaboration with EcoKnights, an NGO. The programme, called ‘MHB Knights of Nature’ Sustainability Camp was aimed to heighten the level of environmental awareness, enhance understanding of a sustainable lifestyle in a fun and creative ambience, develop qualities like teamwork, leadership, problem solving and time management. During the camp, students were challenged to address sustainable solutions to reduce water consumption on campus. The students also learnt to implement sustainable actions in daily life.
The Director of Office of Corporate Affairs, Prof Azlan Abdul Rahman in his welcoming speech highlighted the importance of strengthening and building partnerships with the corporate industries and NGOs through CSR initiatives while creating strong university-community-industry partnership in conservation issues. He also informed that UTM students should take up the opportunity to learn and engage in skill building on conservation and creating a sense of responsibility to the world they live in.
The Knights of Nature Sustainability Camp at UTM gathered a crowd of 59 enthusiasted students from third and final year across various fields of studies such as Human Resource Development, Built Environment, Architecture, and Engineering. The students were first introduced to the concept of sustainability by Encik Amlir Ayat, upon which, they also watched an international award-winning film on water, “Lost Rivers”. A thorough presentation and briefing of the structure of the camp was also provided which resulted in the students designing prototypes exemplifying workable solutions from a bottom-up approach.
The ‘MHB Knights of Nature’ helped undergraduate students understand sustainable lifestyle decisions that can contribute to addressing environmental degradation in their communities. The goal is to nurture an eco-conscious youth nation by preparing them with responsibilities to manage environmental conservation.
