ONE hundred mangrove trees were planted along Sg Damuan, Bengkurong on Saturday by over 30 volunteers. The Mangrove Planting Project 2014 hopes to rehabilitate the area to restore the habitat for the wildlife at the river bank such as the proboscis monkeys. Aside from planting trees, the volunteers from Green Brunei, HSBC, educational institutions, the Forestry Department and general public, also collected trash on the river bank to be recycled. It was the second mangrove tree planting in Bengkurong organised by Green Brunei. “Last year, we planted 200 trees with the help of the Forestry Department together with participants of the ASEAN Young Professionals Volunteer Corps (AYPVC) Seminar. Both events were supported by HSBC Brunei. “Hopefully we will be able to engage more volunteers to take part in our future…

THE Green Brunei team was given the opportunity to visit the site of Brunei's first renewable energy project on Saturday. Located at the former Seria Power Station, the Tenaga Suria Brunei Photovoltaic Power Generation Demonstration Project (TSB Project), is a joint project between the local government and Mitsubitshi Corporation, and is part of Brunei's commitment towards developing sustainable energy sources. The seven-member team from Green Brunei, led by Lim Yong Chee, were hosted by TSB officers from the Energy Department Hj Jufri and Raymee. The visit began with an introduction to the history and milestones of Tenaga Suria. According to the presentation, the plant began operations in 2011. The TSB PV system has a nominal capacity of 1.2 MW and is able to generate 1,344 MWh of electricity per year,…

ENVIRONMENT groups have called for a ban on plastic bags in the sultanate. The non-governmental organisations (NGOs) said it was time for the No Plastic Weekend campaign in major supermarkets to be turned into a daily basis. Community Engagement Director at Green Brunei Khairunnisa Ash’ari said a much stronger move was needed to change habits among members of the public. “Although we see more people bringing green bags to supermarkets during the weekends, it is not the same case during the weekdays. “This clearly shows that most people only comply in bringing their own bags because supermarkets are taking part in the government initiative by not providing plastic bags,” she said in an interview. Khairunnisa said it takes time for habits to change, and banning plastic bags would encourage people…

HEWLETT-PACKARD (HP) in collaboration with local non-profit organisation, Green Brunei, will be introducing its Recycling Drive campaign in schools soon. The campaign is being organised in line with its vision to create a sustainable environment by encouraging the participation of local schools. The HP - Green Brunei Recycling Drive is jointly organised by HP through their distributor, Sulaiman Development Services Sdn Bhd, in collaboration with Green Brunei and also in partnership with Daikyo Environmental Recycling Sdn Bhd and supported by the Department of Schools under the Ministry of Education. According to the Sulaiman Hj Ahai, Managing Director of Sulaiman Development Services Sdn Bhd, the event will mark its first collaboration with Green Brunei to raise awareness of recycling amongst the public, especially students in schools. “This is the first project…

THIRTY youths took part in an Eco Race which was set around the capital last Friday, July 5 as part of Green Brunei's Nature's Avengers Project with the theme, "Green Nature's Camp". The programme involved a total of 30 youths between 14 and 20 years of age, coming together to be involved in a series of activities that focused on environment work and how they, as youth, can take leadership in advocating towards environmental susceptibility. The programme which is for youth and is run by youth provides a platform for young people to gather and learn about environmental awareness through interactive games and discussions. The Eco Race event saw participants search for clues in different parts of the capital such as the Water Village and the Language and Literature Bureau.…