Projects

Posted on, 23 Sept 2009

On the 17th of Sept, 2009, the Leos of the Leo Club of SMK Sultan Ahmad Shah organised a project to promote environmental awareness among Leos and Lions. The project was to compose an article entitled 'Go Green'. The top 3 articles have been chosen to be posted on our website. Here are the articles by the 3 finalists.

Go Green-Save Our Forests

By Leo Iqran Edzereie bin Kamarudin

The indigenous peoples of the forests make up less than four percent of the world population. But, about 95 percent of the cultural diversity is found in this part of the world. In addition, over 50 percent of the population in areas of high biodiversity is found. Wild animals had never hunted as a sport and forests have not cleared to make money.

Today, scientists want to preserve rainforests because the rainforests are rich in biogenetic resources. The market value for plant-based medicines in the year 2000 was a staggering RM 178.6 billion. But, in order to develop these medicinal plants efficiently, the scientists need one’s knowledge system. Without it, they would need to experiment with fewer the five plants before finding the right ones to use for producing medicine.

The world should recognize that the indigenous people’s knowledge of the rainforest has been passed down from one generation to the next. There is a special relationship between humans and nature.

Even though scientists recognize one’s contribution to the world of medicine, many states treat them as backward, unproductive and even destructive people. The do not acknowledge their brilliance. They deny their land rights, relocate them forcibly and take over their territories when they build dams.

Wider diversity has been created by cross-breeding medicinal and food plants. So, leave the forests, animals and rivers alone. Do not destroy them in order to build dams. Preserve and protect the landscape of this world. When the last tree has gone and the last wild animal has been hunted, will this be good news and contented? Please do think about it.

Go Green

By Vimmal Kumar S/O Vasantha Kumar (2 Bestari)

HERE ARE A FEW TIPS ON HOW TO GO GREEN:

1. COMBAT HABITAT LOST

START TURNING YOUR BACKYARD INTO AN OFFICIAL WILDLIFE HABITAT.EVEN THE SMALLEST URBAN GARDEN CAN SUSTAIN THE BASICS FOR LOCAL FAUNA SUCH AS FOOD WATER SHELTER AND SPACE.YOU CAN EVEN TRY SUSTAINABLE GARDENING METHODS FOR AN EVEN GREENER GREEN SPACE.

2.STAY ROOTED AGAINST DEFORESTATION

IT’S AN EARTH DAY TRADITION,PLANTING TREES TO BUILD FORESTS BACK UP,BUT ALSO TRY WORKING WITH A GROUP THAT COLLECTS TRASHED WOOD FROM BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION SITES FOR REUSE.

3.HELP PRESERVE BIODIVERSITY

FIND A LOCAL LAND TRUST TO VOLUNTEER FOR THIS ACTIVITY.THEY CAN FILL YOU IN ON WHATS GOING ON AROUND YOU,WHATS THREATENED AND WHATS CAUSING THOSE THREATS.

4.DIG IN TO FOOD PRODUCTION

VOLUNTEER TO GET YOUR HANDS DIRTY AT A PROGRAM THAT SUPPORTS AGRICULTURE BY PLANTING FRUITS,VEGETABLES,AND HERBS THAT YOU CAN ENJOY.

5.TRANSPORT TO A GREENER PLACE

IF YOU DID NOT TAKE THE DAY OFF FROM WORK,ORGANISE AN EARTH DAY CARPOOL WITH COWORKWRS WHO LIVE IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD,OR COORDINATE AN OFFICE WIDE WALK TO A NEARBY RETAURANT FOR LUNCH INSTEAD OF DELIVERY.THEN USE THE EXPERIENCE TO MAKE BOTH ACTIVITIES A PART OF YOUR REGULAR ROUTINE.

6. GET CREATIVE

TURN LEFT-OVER HOUSEHOLDS ITEMS THAT MIGHT OTHERWISE BE TRASH INTO USEABLE CRAFT MATERIALS, SUCH AS A PLASTIC JUG THAT COULD BE A WATERING CAN, A CEREAL BOX WITH WITH SCRAPBOOK PAPER HOLDS MAGAZINES AND MANY MORE.

7. SEE THE WORLD

HELP KIDS UNDERSTAND THE BIG PICTURE WITH A PAPER MACHE GLOBE. FIRST, MIX FLOUR AND WATER UNTIL RUNNY, AND SIMMER ABOUT THREE TIMES TO MAKE A SIMPLE GLUE. DIP STRIPS OF PAPER INTO THE GLUE AND DRAPE IT AROUND AN INFLATED BALLOON TO MAKE A SPHERE. THEN, DECORATE WITH CONTINENTS, WATER OR PRE-PRINTED MAPS.

AS YOU’VE SEEN, SUPPORTING THE GREEN ENVIRONMENT IN YOUR OWN COMMUNITY OFFERS US PLENTY OF FUN. AND DON’T FORGET, CHOOSE ECO-FRIENDLY PRODUCTS AND IF YOU NEED NEW LIGGAGE, CHOOSE GREEN.

Go Green

By Leo Navin Kumar S/O Vasantha Kumar (4 Bestari)

Wanna 'Go Green'

But how???

Like most of you have seen on television, many people are switching from petrol consuming vehicles into hybrid vehicles. Some even fix solar panels onto their roofs to rely on a renewable and non-polluting source. As effective as they are, these actions simply cost too much. Just because you don't own a hybrid car or have solar panels, it does not mean that you are not Eco-friendly. There are a lot of simpler yet effective ways on how you can make a difference.

Here are a few easy yet effective ways to do so:

1) Showers

Let us start with the most simple thing we all do every day, taking a shower. Most of us enjoy taking baths instead of showers. Baths are wonderful but what we usually forget about taking baths is that it wastes a large amount of water over a short period of time. However, taking a shower is a lot more energy efficient than baths. We should start taking shorter showers and baths. 3 to 4 minutes is optimal.

2) Water systems

Next, we can making a huge difference by making sure that all our faucets are turned off and not dripping when not in use. Imagine how much water you can save by doing something this simple. You should also ensure that all pipes are in good shape and not leaking.

3) Dishwasher/ washing machines

You can also save water by ensuring that your washing machine or dishwasher is always full before running it.

But why???

1) Air polution

As humans, most of us tend to be selfish and in considered. We focus on ‘now’ but not ‘the future’. Many of us still think of global warming and pollution as a myth but do not realize the dangers we face in 10 or 20 years. Humans have this character since the dawn of time. But it really began to take effect during the industrial revolution in the late 18^th and early 19^th centuries where major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, and transport. The development of steam power to run engines whether in ships or cars triggered the speeding up of global warming. The percentage of pollutants in the air increased rapidly. Since then, more and more people are infected with diseases.

2) Water pollution

Water is the most precious resource to living things. There is no resource that is misused, abused, misallocated, and misunderstood the way water is. Factories contaminate water by releasing chemical substances into rivers or oceans. As a result, our drinking water becomes a mixture of all sorts of chemicals. Other than that, water pollution can also affect aquatic wildlife terribly. Mutation of animals and plants can be caused by our irresponsible behavior.

We should all be a part of this change to ensure a safer and cleaner future. You can be someone who uses paper and drive an ordinary car but you can still make a difference in other areas by using energy efficient light bulbs or recycle. Small actions can lead to huge changes.

Imagine this, if one person can save a whole bucket of water by turning off his/her faucets while brushing their teeth, imagine the amount of water a hundred or a thousand people can safe by doing the same thing. Think about it.

Posted on, 23 Sept 2009

On the 17th of Sept, 2009, the Leos of the Leo Club of Smk Sultan Ahmad Shah organized a project to celebrate our 52nd National Day. The project was a poster competition. All posters must be related to the topic '1 Malaysia'. The posters below are by our top 4 finalists.