Planting of trees part of a deeper commitment to environmental protection

Miri – 11 May, 2012 – The planting of trees during a tree planting ceremony held at Curtin University, Sarawak Malaysia (Curtin Sarawak) yesterday was not purely a symbolic gesture but part of a deeper commitment of the participants to environmental protection.

Curtin Sarawak Pro Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive Professor Ian Kerr said this when welcoming over 80 participants to the event held in conjunction with the Borneo Jazz Festival in Miri (11 – 12 May 2012).

The participants comprised the senior management and staff of Curtin Sarawak, Sarawak Tourism Board (STB) and Sarawak Forestry Corporation (SFC), as well as the jazz festival performers from various countries, travel agents from Indonesia and Australia, local tourism stakeholders, and local and international media. Among them were Deputy Pro Vice-Chancellor Professor Alistair Inglis, and Zulkifli Baba Noor and Abang Arabi Abang Aimran, Head of Corporate Communications and Miri Regional Manager of Sarawak Forestry Corporation.

Some 20 students of the university also took part in the event which was being held in collaboration with the Sarawak Tourism Board and Sarawak Forestry Corporation for the second consecutive year.

“We are planting 100 trees that will become living symbols of peace and hope, the international friendship, universal love of music, and unique Sarawakian hospitality, that the Borneo Jazz Festival brings each year,” said Professor Kerr.

He mentioned, however, that it was not purely symbolic, as in doing so, the participants were in fact joining a rapidly growing worldwide movement towards a deeper commitment to environmental protection through planting new trees and taking care of existing ones.

“At the global level, trees and forests are closely linked with weather patterns and also the maintenance of a crucial balance in nature. Hence, the task of environment protection is a universal responsibility of everyone,” he added.

According to Professor Kerr, it is extremely important for people to not only take a keen interest in the cause of environmental protection, but also to implement this ideal in action by planting new trees.

“In this way, we will be making a small but important gesture to the world in demonstrating our global concern, and at the same time, making our own little but significant contribution to the cause,” he said.

The chief executive officer of the Sarawak Tourism Board, Dato’ Rashid Khan, meanwhile, said the tree planting ceremony was an opportunity for everyone to come together as one and to cultivate, especially among the youth of Sarawak, an appreciation that Borneo’s greenery is one of its precious national treasures.

“Our activity today goes some way to balancing the carbon footprint from Borneo Jazz,” he said, adding that STB would also promote the use of green products and practices at both its annual music festivals, Borneo Jazz and the Rainforest World Music Festival.

STB is proud to be associated with esteemed institutions such as Curtin Sarawak, he said, as the university has been championing green initiatives for years.

He thanked Professor Kerr and all staff and students of the university for their support, and he also thanked SFC for supplying the saplings for the tree planting.

100 saplings of various indigenous tree species were planted by the participants on the lawn fronting the university’s Recreation and Event Centre and School of Business.

Curtin Sarawak is a proud exponent of environmental preservation with its own campus environmental sustainability committee, sound environmental policies and practices, and an environmental charter that commits its staff and students to protecting and enhancing the environment for future generations, as well as helping secure the long-term sustainability of the education industry in Malaysia.

Pro Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive Professor Ian Kerr welcoming the participants.

STB Chief Executive Officer Dato’ Rashid Khan giving his speech.

Professor presenting a souvenir to SFC Head of Corporate Communications, Zulkifli Baba Noor.

(L-R) Zulkifli Baba Noor, Dato’ Rashid Khan, Professor Ian Kerr and Professor Alistair Inglis.

Members of SLIX from Germany planting a sapling.

The participants posing for a group photo.