LOCAL non-governmental organisations are looking to adopt the best green practices from other international and local environmentalists when Brunei plays host to the Asia-Pacific Rainforest Summit that starts tomorrow. Green Brunei President Khairunnisa Ash’ari said she would be interested to learn about other countries’ green initiatives. “(In particular) the challenges they are facing with development projects and other issues, policies they have introduced to tackle this as well as success stories in relation to adopting green economy practices. “From a non-government perspective, we would also want to know how different stakeholders play a role in other countries if there are things we can learn from their experiences,” she added in a recent interview. The three-day summit, organised by the Ministry of Primary Resources and Tourism with support from the Australian…

GREEN Brunei will be organising a Climate Camp for students on various sustainability issues and to highlight the reality of climate change. The non-governmental organisation’s president, Khairunnisa Ash’ari, said the camp will run from August 19-21 at the Sumbiling Eco Village in Temburong with students aged 14-18 from Yayasan Secondary School and Jerudong International School taking part. She said the students will participate in fun and exciting activities in local jungles and around rivers. “The Climate Camp offers an opportunity to gain a better understanding about the importance of addressing climate change issues and to learn more about environmental situations in Brunei,” she said. Khairunnisa said she hoped students will appreciate the value of the country’s natural resources and at the same time enjoy the serenity of Temburong and get…

A BRUNEIAN environment proponent earlier this month took part in the Young Southeast Asian Leadership Initiative (YSEALI) Sea and Earth Advocates (SEA) Camp in the Philippines. The US Embassy here had nominated Firdaus Ismail to attend the international environmental camp at Aklan, Boracay Island. During the camp from June 6-12, Firdaus joined 25 other youth leaders from the Philippines for an intensive environmental education and leadership training programme that saw participants engaging in panel discussions, outdoor activities and workshops. The participants also learned about mass tourism and unsustainable development that could threaten the oceans. “The region produces 55 tonnes of waste per day and that’s not much different in Brunei with 1.4kg per capita and other parts of ASEAN”, Firdaus was quoted as saying in a press release. “During a…

GREEN Brunei is looking into the possibility of getting alternative sources of funding, such as securing annual grants for more effective and worry-free activities. Green Brunei president Khairunnisa Ash’ari told The Brunei Times recently that the alternatives would replace their present efforts of sourcing for funds on a project to project basis. “We face financial challenges. Although our projects have mostly been funded by generous sponsors, we feel too much time had been spent on seeking sponsorship instead of focusing on the real issues,” she said. Discussions on suitable alternatives have already started among their core team members, said the environmental advocate. “It will take time given our respective responsibilities outside of Green Brunei but I’m looking at within two or three years before we can see significant changes. In…

LOCAL environmental organisation Green Brunei is calling on all relevant agencies to zero in on waste management issues in light of the growing population and housing areas in the country. Green Brunei President Khairunnisa Ash’ari told The Brunei Times it is imperative to look even more closely on managing waste which can be tied to recycling, so that the country’s waste management system will run more efficiently in the long run. “Waste management can potentially be a bigger problem in the future if not tackled effectively today. We often read about illegal dumping issues, water pollution and open burning in the media and these are all part and parcel of waste management,” she said. Khairunnisa said there are many success stories which Brunei can learn from with regards to tackling…