Curtin Malaysia hosts Sustainability Event for students and public in collaboration with professional body

Miri – 22 September 2023 – With unprecedented environmental challenges due to deforestation being a major contributor to climate change, Curtin University Malaysia (Curtin Malaysia)’s Accounting Club and Leo Club, in collaboration with Chartered Accountants Australia New Zealand (CA ANZ), hosted a Sustainability Event at the university campus in Miri recently. Themed ‘From Seeding to Sustainability’, the event incorporated a tree planting event and Bokashi Talk.

The tree planting, initiated by the Accounting Club, was aimed at creating an awareness among students and staff of the campus that environmental conservation is a collective responsibility and everyone can join the fight against climate change and foster sustainable living.

The event had the support of a diverse range of sponsors, including local politicians Dato Sri Lee Kim Shin, Sarawak Transport Minister and Chair of Curtin Malaysia’s Management Committee, and Datuk Sebastian Ting, Deputy Minister for Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts I (Tourism); financial institutions United Overseas Bank (UOB) and Maybank, accounting firm Crowe Howarth, legal firm Thai Advocates, and the Lions Club of Miri Host.

Dato Sri Lee officiated the event, along with Curtin Malaysia’s Pro Vice-Chancellor, President and Chief Executive Professor Simon Leunig; Deputy Pro Vice-Chancellor Professor Vincent Lee Chieng Chen; Chief Operating Officer Sharon Chong Pau Fang; and Dean of Faculty of Business Professor Pauline Ho Poh Ling.

A Bokashi Talk by former Miri City councillor and Bokashi expert Mathew Benson Mounsey followed, during which he introduced the traditional Bokashi composting method from Japan.

According to Mathew, Bokashi composting is unlike conventional composting methods which rely on aerobic bacteria to break down organic matter. Bokashi utilises anaerobic fermentation to decompose food waste, and during his talk, he demonstrated a practical Bokashi composting method that the students and staff could easily do at home.

Curtin Malaysia is the earliest and largest global campus of Curtin University. It offers a range of undergraduate and postgraduate programmes across various disciplines, including engineering, business, health sciences, and humanities. With a diverse community of students from over 50 countries and a strong commitment to research and innovation, it provides a truly global learning experience in the heart of Borneo.

For more information about Curtin Malaysia, visit curtin.edu.my or search for Curtin Malaysia on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn, or TikTok.

Dato Sri Lee (seated centre) and Prof Leunig (seated 4th right) and others giving the thumbs up to the Sustainable Event.

Prof Leunig, flanked by Prof Lee and Sharon Chong and Accounting Club president, watering a newly-planted tree.

Mathew Benson Mounsey delivering his talk on bokashi composting.