APU’s ISUC Student Chapter hits the streets, partnering with Earth Warriors, KSNP and the Chrysalis Project to clear, plant, and educate.

Volunteering can provide students with valuable life experiences and skills that will benefit them in both their personal and professional lives. This engagement helped students develop leadership, communication, problem-solving, time management, and teamwork skills, all of which are beneficial to their personal growth.

In March, 27 students from Asia Pacific University of Technology & Innovation (APU) Integrated Sustainability & Urban Creativity Centre (ISUC) Student Chapter partnering with Earth Warriors, Kuala Selangor Nature Park (KSNP) and the Chrysalis Project engaged in clearing and preparing the ground for planting, as well as educating the next generation of environmentally aware citizens.

APU’s ISUC Student Chapter President Ethan Thong Ken Zen said “This is not our first time. As ISUC members, we have previously participated in programmes like these, and we have learned how fragile nature is, as well as the conservation efforts required to maintain our planet.”

Six of the ISUC Student Chapter members, Meeganathan Kalli Darss, Kashwene Anpalagan, Nashita Hussain, Nassyrzhan Mukhamejanov, Kuptsov Kirill, and Ethan, joined with Earth Warriors to clean up the area around Kota Kemuning Lake in Shah Alam, Selangor, as they had done the previous year. They gathered nearly 20 large plastic bags, which they then recycled.

For the tree planting, nine members: Khant Nandar Naing, Howard Young, Nashita Hussain, Dharshini Ramesh Kumar, Tan Jiun Yuan, Gulfam Bakieva, Nilyufar Bakieva, Goh Jia Lin and Ethan joined the KSNP Volunteer Day programme which is held on the third or fourth Saturday of every month.

In this program, they have the chance to learn about Mangrove tree planting while also supporting the Malaysian government’s initiative to plant 100 million trees.

Lastly, Khant Nandar Naing, Nashita Hussain, Dharshini Ramesh Kumar, Meeganathan Kalli Darss, Kashwene Anpalagan, Khinsha Fakhar, Goh Jia Lin, Yeo Jia Qi, Kamil Hassan, Liow Hoi Chuen, Sai Hlaing Han Le, and Ethan also joined the Chrysalis Project as volunteers to help release 1,500 butterflies and educate the youngsters on the importance of butterflies in the ecosystem.

All volunteers agreed that participating in these activities makes them feel as if they have added to something bigger than themselves. For example, the trees they plant will remain as a reminder of their good acts long after they have passed away.

“It is critical to remember that we have the power to make a positive change for the future, no matter how small. As Robert Swan stated, the greatest danger to our world is the belief that someone else will save it.

“We cannot leave it up to others if we have the power to do it ourselves,” Ethan added, “We also very much enjoyed participating in these activities and we definitely grew closer as a group going through mud and mosquitoes together.”

All ISUC Student Chapter members at APU want to leave a legacy at APU and beyond after they graduate. Engaging in these activities will ensure we can all look forward to a brighter future, ecologically sound with a society more aware of the environment which surrounds them.