Author: interngb

Thrifting is now seen as budget-friendly, eco-friendly and trendy, said Syazwina Sara. “Thrifting was initially for the underprivileged communities and second-hand clothing was seen as dirty, old and undesirable. Now it has seen growing acceptance among the youth and increasingly de-stigmatised in popular culture,” she said at a virtual forum titled ‘Thrifting: Sustainable or Trendy?’ hosted by Green Brunei yesterday. “Thrifting has entered the mainstream because of social media influence where it is promoted as a fashion statement while informing people about the underbelly of the fast fashion industry from landfill waste to exploitative working conditions,” said Syazwina. The forum was aimed at promoting environmental awareness by discussing related topics with speakers ranging from experts to youth advocates. It highlighted the urgency to take care of the environment and enabled…

The whole-of-nation approach is needed to achieve a low carbon and climate-resilient Brunei Darussalam, which requires policy adoption across different sectors, and commitment by all stakeholders through careful planning and implementation. This was said by Minister of Development Dato Seri Setia Ir Awang Haji Suhaimi bin Haji Gafar during the launch of Environmental Education Tour Project yesterday. The programme included speeches by Mitsubishi Corporation (Brunei Liaison Office) Country Representative Tadashi Hara and Embassy of Japan in Brunei Darussalam Counsellor and Deputy Chief of Mission, Atsushi Suda. Hara said, “Currently, physical touring needs to be postponed to another date due to the unexpected pandemic situation. Therefore, all the stakeholders will keep discussing to find an alternative solution to carry out this project despite the current situation, in order to maintain our…

Despite the unpredictable weather condition, the Australian High Commission in Brunei Darussalam in collaboration with Green Brunei organised a beach clean-up at the Berakas Forest Recreational Park as part of its commitment to the environment yesterday. The beach clean-up was also in support of Brunei’s Vision 2035 goal of creating a clean and green environment and raising awareness on waste management in line with Brunei Darussalam’s National Climate Change Policy. Australian High Commissioner to Brunei Darussalam Tiffany McDonald and Legislative Council member and Green Brunei founder Yang Berhormat Khairunnisa binti Haji Ash’ari participated. McDonald said, “Its up to us individually and collectively to keep this planet beautiful and today we start here to collect waste on the beach.” On Australia’s climate change action, the high commissioner said Australia is taking…

PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) held a tree planting activity in collaboration with local non-governmental organisation (NGO) Green Brunei at the Muara Recreational Beach yesterday. It was held two weeks before PwC’s fifth anniversary celebration. Over 30 PwC employees planted 36 saplings in support of the organisation’s commitment made last year to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. The saplings planted were eight Bucida Molineti and 28 Tebebuia Yellow. According to a PwC statement, the organisation aims to build trust in society and solve important problems. With its corporate social responsibility (CSR) programme, PwC aims to fulfill its purpose by focussing on three themes: inclusivity, environmental sustainability, and systemic reform. The tree planting activity was one of the firm’s actions towards environmental sustainability. PwC is a network of firms in 157 countries, with over…

Over 30 participants comprising secondary and tertiary students, teachers and officials participated in the first Solar Energy Tour organised as part of the Mid-Year Conference and Exhibition (MYCE) 2021 Energy Theme Week yesterday. The tour, organised by the Ministry of Energy (ME) and supported by Mitsubishi Corporation Brunei, Brunei Shell Petroleum Sdn Bhd (BSP) and Green Brunei themed ‘Energy Transition: Towards a Sustainable Future’ was aimed at raising awareness and understanding of renewable energy technologies in the country. Legislative Council member and Green Brunei co-founder Yang Berhormat Khairunnisa binti Haji Ash’ari led the contingent. The group’s first stop was Brunei’s first solar plant Tenaga Suria Brunei (TSB). Mitsubishi Corporation Country Representative Tadashi Hara, who welcomed the contingent, highlighted the collaboration by Mitsubishi Corporation and agencies to promote renewable energy. As…

Some 25,317 kilogrammes (kg) of recyclable materials were collected in the Virtual Recycling Competition: School Edition organised by Green Depot to inspire and encourage students to reduce, reuse, and recycle (3Rs). The competition which ended on June 19 was held in conjunction with World Environment Day and was split into two categories – Category A for primary schools and Category B for secondary schools. The collection of paper, boxes, aluminium cans, scrap metals and electronic waste (e-waste) was picked up by Daikyo Environmental Recycling Sdn Bhd for processing and recycling. Seri Mulia Sarjana International School won Category A with 6,121kg haul and Rimba III Primary School and Lambak Kanan Primary School with 1,490.8kg and 1477kg were in second and third place. Sultan Sharif Ali Secondary School won Category B with…

Over 150 volunteers comprising Telugu Association members and other NGOs in Belait District participating in a beach cleaning campaign at Silver Jubilee Recreational Park yesterday, collected over 300 bags of trash. It was co-organised by the association and High Commission of India in Brunei Darussalam as part of Swatchhta Abhiyan or cleanliness drive to mark India’s 75th independence Day celebration. Members from Malayali Association, Indian Association of Belait, the Marathi community, Borneo Systematic Sdn Bhd, Oil Town Safety Committee, Rotary Club of Belait, Meer Sdn Bhd and Green Depot also participated. Second Secretary and Head of Chancery at the High Commission of India in Brunei Darussalam Alok Verma officiated the event by releasing the tri-colour balloons. The campaign aimed to raise awareness, especially among the community in the district, on the importance of…

Baiduri Bank is hosting a zero waste Earth Day Market at One Riverside, today and tomorrow at 2pm-6pm. The market features local vendors supporting low-impact living from vegan products, organic local produce, thrift shopping, wild yeast breads and products to assist people to start their journey to zero waste living. Vendors taking part are Aras Soap, Jungalow bn, Wilderness.bn, Abang Shish, El Jumana, Kabunku Aquaponics, Leaves n Loaves.bn, KilangReRoot, The Bohemian Bakers, Agrome Market, The Vegan Otters, TheMenstrualCup.bn, ChubbyPhatKisses Co, NOTJUSTPINK, Burnt, Veganbond, Tapak Thrift, Paperpetals.bn, Kitchen Undone, Seedbox, Kaimana Living and Nookplants. Visitors are encouraged to bring their own bags, container and other packaging in support of the #zerowastebrunei campaign. Baiduri Bank also launched #zerowastesungkai campaign to promote low impact living with the aim of raising awareness on living…

The Brunei Darussalam Meteorological Department (BDMD) held a forum and exhibition on the sidelines of the main celebration of the World Meteorological Day (WMD) 2021 on Thursday, at the Ministry of Transport and Infocommunications (MTIC) building. The forum panel members comprised invited experts from both local and international agencies, while the one-day exhibition involved other related agencies. Among the participating agencies were the National Disaster Management Centre (NDMC), the National Seismic Centre (NSC), Survey Department, Fisheries Department and the Brunei Climate Change Secretariat (BCCS), as well as non-governmental organisations such as the Muara Port Company (MPC), Green Brunei, Poni Divers, Beach Bunch and Progresif Sdn Bhd. The forum discussed topics related to the theme of the celebration, while the exhibition showcased educational information related to the World Meteorological Day 2021’s…

Hengyi Industries Sdn Bhd organised its fifth reforestation project at Berakas Forest Reserve Recreational Park as part of its corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative to protect and preserve Brunei Darussalam’s biodiversity and natural environment, and to support Brunei Darussalam National Climate Change Policy’s (BNCCP) Strategy 2 on Forest Cover, which aims to increase the natural carbon sink through afforestation and reforestation with the target of planting 500,000 new trees by 2035. Over 65 people comprising Hengyi officials, representatives from the Brunei Climate Change Secretariat (BCCS), the Forestry Department and Green Brunei, as well as volunteers, rolled up their sleeves to help plant 510 saplings across 0.5 hectares of land. Five species of trees – Sepetir, Ru Runang, Selungsur, Resak, and Tulong – were planted in view of the soil condition and dry environment at…