MNS Selangor awarded Small Environmental Grant
SHAH ALAM, July 8 - MNS Selangor Branch was one of the recipients of the Selangor government's small environmental grant for its Climate Action Kids Engagement (CAKE) field trip to discover mangroves.
Of the 212 submissions received on various themes ranging from river cleaning and tree planting to solar technology applications, community gardens, and awareness programmes including education, only 119 recipients were selected.
The Selangor government allocated RM250,000 for the environment grants and RM500,000 for the green technology grants.
State Environment, Green Technology, Science, Technology and Innovation, and Consumer Affairs Committee chairman, Hee Loy Sian said at the grant giving ceremony, "Through this programme, the allocation is channelled for the purpose of sponsoring innovative environmental and green technology projects and activities that involve the local community."
"Finally, we can realise eight months of preparation for this field trip to Kuala Selangor Nature Park (KSNP), although at a much smaller scale than initially proposed," said MNS Selangor Branch committee member HY Leong.
CAKE is the brainchild of Leong to create a programme for the children of MNS members to know nature through the introduction of a nature activity with the help of older "sister" and "brother" members of the Special Interest Groups (SIG); understand how climate change affects nature and wildlife; and little steps children and their parents can do to help. The programme also encouraged quality parent-and-child time together in the outdoors.
"We collaborated with habitat owners and the Bird, Nature Guides and Marine SIGs to mentor the 7 to 19-year-old children in the nature activity," said Leong, adding that survey results from parents, children and CAKE mentors from the habitat hosts, select branch committee members and SIGs further developed the CAKE programme during the trial phase.
The introductory level nature activity included bird-watching and exploring a rainforest garden. Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM), Rimba Ilmu Botanical Gardens, Universiti Malaya and Kuala Selangor Nature Park are the three habitats involved in the trial phase.
Leong has witnessed first-hand the inquisitiveness of the younger children, and seeing them and their parents continue their nature journey with the SIGs, makes months of preparation work worthwhile.
