A visit from Sarawak

Our school is truly blessed to be able to play host to a large number of visitors to our school, who come from many different countries, as well as numerous corners of our country. On the 29th of April, our school once again had the honour of playing host to the teachers and students from one of our sister schools, Kolej Datu Patinggi Abang Haji Abdillah, a prestigious school situated in Kuching, Sarawak. Needless to say, we were all extremely eager at the prospect of learning more from the numerous green initiatives their environment club has undertaken, as well as share ours with them.

The day began with the arrival of 80 students, who were mainly a part of the school's environment club or tourism club, as well 8 teachers, at around 8.30 am in the morning. A welcoming ceremony quickly ensued, during which a welcoming speech was given by representatives of our school's student council, followed by a speech given by our headmistress, Datin Noorul-Aini, before the final speech was given by a teacher representative of our guests. Farhanah and Atikah then gave a talk on the numerous green projects and initiatives that have been undertaken by our club and our school. Their talk, along with the aid of a video presentation, managed to achieve their aim of allowing the students from our sister school to get to know more about our green projects.

The president of Kolej Datu Patinggi Abang Haji Abdillah's environment club, which was otherwise known as PALS, then presented her slideshow presentation and talk on their school's environment club, allowing all of us to catch a glimpse of the numerous environmental initiatives that are being undertaken by other schools in our country. As the talks came to an end, so did the opening ceremony, which marked the beginning of the next item on our agenda- the tours.

The students of Kolej Datu Patinggi Abang Haji Abdillah were then divided into four groups, with each group being led by two of our members, who played the role of their 'tour guides' for the day. Meanwhile, the teachers were shown around the school by a few of our school administrators. The main feature of the tour was without a shadow of doubt, the numerous environmental initiatives we have undertaken. They managed to learn more about our green projects through the detailed, in-depth explanation their 'tour guides' provided, as well as through the exhibition booths that were set up by our club members. We were particularly pleased by the numerous suggestions their teachers made to us, which were helpful in many ways.

An short ice-breaking session was conducted before they were treated to lunch, during which we bonded with our guests through a series of entertaining conversations. We then exchanged contacts with them, before bidding a reluctant farewell, hoping to see them again.

A visit from Korea

The 26th of April was certainly an eventful day for our school. After all, how often do Korean school principals pay a visit to our school? With the presence of such esteemed guests at our school, there was little wonder as to why every teacher and student went all out to show these guests a great time at our school, to the extent where Monday morning found us all learning basic Korean greetings from Puan Ngau during the weekly assembly. In case anyone is curious,the aforementioned greetings included 'annyeong haseyo', which meant 'hello', and 'kamsahamnida', which meant 'thank you'. Armed with our superior linguistic skills, we, the Eco Rangers of Sri Aman, were more than prepared to undertake our task in handling the exhibition booths we set up to showcase all our green projects.

Our Korean guests' visit began with an opening ceremony, which included a stellar performance by our school orchestra, who successfully put on a good show, as per usual. They were then taken on a tour around our school by our school administrators, during which they managed to catch a glimpse of the way our classes and lessons are conducted. They also got to see for themselves all of the green projects our school has undertaken, which included the solar panel project, rainwater harvesting project, bio-enzyme project, composting project, as well as our numerous gardening initiatives. 

Booths were set up to detail the way we carry out our green projects. Our Korean guests were shown the way our Sri Aman Composter worked, which intrigued them to no end. They were also introduced to the numerous herbs available at our herbs garden, and were treated to drinks made out of our herbs. One would expect these drinks to taste awful, akin to the taste of traditional Chinese medicine, as they are, after all, herbs, but that was far from the case. Our drinks don't taste half-bad, even if we do say so ourselves. Last but not least, we introduced our Bio-Enzyme project to them, and even allowed them to get a whiff of our pleasantly-scented Bio-Enzyme. 

We exchanged farewells with our guests soon after, marking the end of yet another wonderful, eventful day for us.

Planting session on the 21st of April

On the 21st April 2011, we conducted our third vegetable garden planting session. As per usual, we enlisted the help of the extremely knowledgeable and experienced Miss Tan in conducting the session. We began the session by checking on the progress of our compost, which was fermenting very well. We were pleased as the composting frame was finally ready to be removed, a sizable milestone, in our eyes. The compost was then covered by a large plastic sheet to prevent it from being damaged by the forces of nature.

We then moved on to upgrading the vegetable beds. We plowed the soil of the vegetable bed to maximise aeration and ensure that it was fully fertile. The beds of soil were then raised by around 6 inches in ease the planting process, which will be carried out in the near future. Some compost was then added to the beds to enrich the soil with nutrients, before coconut leaves were added to prevent the beds from being exposed to direct sunlight and rain.

The satisfaction of being able to complete our agendas of the day was priceless as all our tasks seemed daunting and impossible, at first. Indeed, it was a day filled with much productivity.

Composting and Vegetable Planting on the 18th of April

It was, for all intents and purposes, a beautiful day graced by the presence of the ever-lovely sun, which had been absent for quite some time due to the storm clouds adorning our grey skies which have sadly, become part and parcel of life in our humid, tropical, piece of heaven. Though it was a Monday, a day so terrible in that it brings an end to our brief reprieve from the rigmarole of our weekday routines, that fact was overshadowed (out shined, rather, since we're talking about the sun) by the simple fact that there was no torrential downpour, no sudden thunderstorms, stopping us from achieving the motto of our day- to finish making a three-feet tall batch of compost, as well as clear all the grass from the area where we have decided to establish our vegetable garden.

Miss Tan arrived at our school bearing sacks containing materials such as wheat bran, on top of dried chicken and goat manure, which are some of the materials we would utilise in making our compost. Miss Tan has kindly sourced these materials which are more difficult to attain for us, while we worked hard at collecting all the materials we can. She also brought her trusty parang along, on top of two pitch forks, which we would require later on to mix the compost.

Our members were already hard at work by the time she arrived. Under the blazing hot afternoon sun, our members hoed at the ground, trying their very best to get rid of the grass growing on the surface of the plot of land we intended to use as our vegetable garden without removing too much of the soil, though the soil was clinging desperately onto the roots of the grass. As more of an onlooker than anything else, due to my clumsiness in performing this delicate task, I have to admit that they did a brilliant job.

Those incapable of performing the patience-stretching task of removing every inch of grass from a plot of land (such as myself), were assigned a chore that required less patience-composting. This composting session completely warped my perception towards composting, a task I previously associated with normal, clean things, such as fresh kitchen waste, soil, and maybe an adorable earthworm or two. I would never have associated composting with dried leaves, fresh grass (from the group of patient people hoeing away at the ground), rotten tofu, animal innards, manure, rice bran (the kind that's used to feed animals, not the expensive, beautifully packaged ones you see in the store), sugarcane residue, and practically everything that decomposes easily.

We had previously created a square frame for our compost, which measured around one and a half feet on each side. Using the frame a guide, we began inserting what would become the first few layers of our compost into the frame. Under the precise, detailed instructions of Miss Tan, we applied the layers in a specific order, so as to maximise the fermentation and mixing of every layer. The rough idea was that every wet layer of organic waste must be sandwiched in between a layer or two of dry layers, before yet another wet layer is applied. This is so that as the compost undergoes fermentation, the layers would naturally mix themselves up. As different types of organic waste contain different types of functions and nutrients, this would create a batch of compost that's rich is all sorts of nutrients.

In the meantime, the group of members who were assigned the task of removing all the grass from our future vegetable garden put up stakes around the plot of land, and joined every stake with long pieces of rafia strings, creating a barrier of sorts to prevent people from inadvertently stepping on our overturned soil, or newly-planted seeds, rendering all our hard labour fruitless. As for the composting group, we concluded our composting session after sandwiching the final layer of wet organic waste between dry layers. A canvas sheet was used to cover our compost and protect it from the rain. The meeting was dismissed after we cleaned our surroundings up and washed all the tools we used. After three hours of hard labour, our vision for the vegetable garden had finally begun to take shape.

It was a productive day, indeed.

The composting frame, surrounded by bags of waste :)

Performance at SJK(C) Bukit Beruntung

On the 16th of April, our school's extremely fortunate Eco Music Band once again received an invitation for them to perform in SJK (C) Bukit Beruntung, in conjunction with their Eco Carnival, which was already in full swing by the time they arrived at the school, around seven-thirty in the morning. Upon their arrival, the band members immediately did what they could to assist the students of the school in setting up their exhibition booths at the canteen. The band members then registered themselves at the registration booth, and were each given a t-shirt.

The event began with an opening speech by the school's principal, which was followed by a video presentation, during which the band members rehearsed backstage to ensure that they would be able to perform without a hitch. Thankfully, they did manage to achieve just that, and earned the massive support of their audience.

After their performance, the VIPs who attended the carnival were taken on a tour around the exhibition area. They were very much impressed by the arts and crafts booth in particular, due to the fact that it was entirely made out of reused materials. Our band members, along with the rest of the visitors who attended the carnival, then took their time in visiting every booth available, which were not only informative, but interesting, to boot. Every band member agreed without a doubt that they had managed to learn something from the exhibition, which was great.

To end the day on a high note, our band members were then treated to gastronomic refreshments, before they  finally bid a pleasant farewell to the organisers of the event and headed home, each of them pleased with the fact that even primary schoolchildren were doing their part in spreading awareness on the critical importance of saving the environment from further destruction.

Meeting (11th April)

On the 11th of April, we held our usual weekly meetings, which was chaired by Farhanah, as per usual. As is the case with the usual weekly meetings which have been weaved seamlessly into our Monday routine, the meeting was chaired by Farhanah, who told members about the annual Anugerah Hijau competition, and urged every member to partake in it. She explained the two categories the organisers have included in this year's competition, and asked those who are interested in taking part in this truly interesting competition to log on to http://www.anugerahhijau.my/anugerah-hijau-2011/the-competition-anugerah-hijau-2011.html for more information.

Farhanah then notified members that there would be a Vegetable Garden planting activity held on the 16th of April, and informed those who would be able to make it to submit their names to Atikah prior, and bring some items. She then touched a bit on the Zero Styrofoam campaign, informing members that every member would have to be on duty during recess, not just the members of the campaign committee as that wouldn't be fair. Siti Sarah, Elsa, and Angela were assigned some tasks which had to be completed by Friday.

Vegetable Garden Talk by CETDEM on the 31st of March

As part of our collaboration with CETDEM to establish an organic vegetable garden in our school, Miss Tan, the head of CETDEM came to our school to give an interesting and informative talk on organic farming, which would serve as sneak preview to what awaits us in our endeavour to establish our vegetable garden. She started her presentation off by giving a brief introduction about CETDEM. The objective of CETDEM is to promote sustainable development on climate change. This NGO also carries out a lot of community initiatives, such as holding seminars and carrying out exhibitions. They even organized a fundraiser for the Slow Food Dinner and Organic Farming Community Centre.

After the brief introduction, Miss Tan moved on to the topic of composting, a topic we thought we were moderately knowledgeable on. We were proved wrong as the presentation progressed, as there was much we still did not know about composting. Miss Tan explained that a large variety of organic waste was important in making fertile compost. On top of the usual kitchen waste we utilise in making compost, we also needed sugar cane fibre and soya bean residue. A good compost fertiliser improves soil structure and increases soil fertility. Miss Tan also mentioned that a compost frame was required for us to begin our efforts in producing compost for our vegetable garden.

Miss Tan then moved on to other aspects of organic farming, such as water management, which can be carried out through mulching, a process that involves putting organic matter over the soil bed in order to stump the growth of weeds and protect the soil. Besides organic matter, lalang and sugar cane residue can also be used, depending on the type of plant that is being grown. She also briefly mentioned carbonized dry husk, which can be used as black soil before being burnt as by doing so, the soil acidity can be reduced.

On top of that, Miss Tan also stressed that we must avoid monoculture, which is practice of growing only one type of plant over and over again on the same plot of land, as the fertility of the soil will decrease. Instead, we should practice diverse cropping, which  not only does not reduce the acidity of the soil, but also reduces pests and diseases. Intercropping, which is the process of planting brightly-coloured flowers on a plot of land filled with dull-coloured plants, is also a measure we should take, as by doing so, insects would no longer be attracted to our vegetables, choosing instead to flock over to the brightly-coloured, attractive flower. Miss Tan also urged us to carry out crop rotation, which is the practice of planting different types of plants on the same plot of land after the previous batch of plants are harvested. This greatly reduces soil erosion and weed growth on top of loosening up the soil when it is compact.

She then concluded her talk, and briefly discussed how we should begin our vegetable garden project. She told us to begin by preparing the compost we would use on the plants in our vegetable garden. We would need to start collecting all the necessary materials we would require for our vegetable garden, which includes sugar cane and soya bean residue, kitchen waste, dried leaves, fresh grass and fresh leaves. We also fixed a date for us to meet up once again and begin our Vegetable Garden project.

YAWA visit on the 28th of March

On the 28th of March, we were treated to a visit by two representatives-one from YAWA, and one from Toyota, who came to our school to check on our progress thus far. It was to be the last time they would check on us-the next time they pay a visit to our school, it would be for the final judging.

They arrived at our school at approximately two-thirty, immediately after which they were treated to an Eco Music Drums performance put on by us, featuring every single song we have ever come up with. After being given a warm welcome, they were then ushered to the Bilik Kuliah Bakti to view our presentation on every single aspect of every single activity, plan, event, or even job we have ever carried out, which took around one hour. The representatives commented that although our presentation was very informative and nicely-done, it was a tad too long. They added that for the final judging, they would probably limit the amount of time we can spend on our presentation to around 20 minutes, and followed that comment up by giving us tips on how to shorten our presentation.

A Q&A session ensued, during which members seized the opportunity to ask the representatives for tips on how we can improve the numerous environmental initiatives we have undertaken, on top of asking them how we can overcome some of the problems we face in our endeavours to carry out the aforementioned initiatives. The representatives were then taken around the Bilik Kuliah Bakti, in which numerous booths exhibiting some of our environmental projects were set up, which included paper-recycling, composting, bio enzyme making, solar cooking, arts and crafts, games and to top it all off, a booth exhibiting some of the plants from our herbs garden encased in glass containers so that the representatives may get a whiff of the aroma of our herbs. That booth also featured three types of drinks made from our self-planted, edible herbs, which included our very refreshing bangun-bangun tea. Each booth was manned by our very knowledgeable members, who explained the activity or project a particular booth was exhibiting, on top of answering every question the representatives posed.

Each representative was then presented with a goodie bag as a small token of our appreciation for their invaluable tips and enthusiasm in learning about the numerous environmental initiatives we have undertaken. They were then taken on a tour around our school, so that they could take a look at the improvements and additions we have made to our existing gardens, as well as take their first peek at our newly-adopted gardens. We also took them to our 'Eco Workshop', which was essentially, the area where we make and store our bio enzyme. The judges were very helpful in giving us tips on how we can market some of produce from our gardens, on top of answering all of our questions. We are students after all, the fact that students are inquisitive is not something new. :)

They arrived at the end of their visit at around 5.15 pm. Before taking their leave, they heaped words of support and encouragement upon us, keeping our enthusiasm and determination in winning this competition blazing hot. It was, undoubtedly, a tiring and eventful day, but we wouldn't have had it any other way.