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ALTHOUGH Brunei is a small country, the forest-rich nation can be a leading example in environmental protection efforts in the region as part of the initiative to address climate change. Khairunnisa Ash’ari (pictured), co-founder and the community engagement director of Green Brunei, stated this in an exclusive interview with The Brunei Times, sharing that the world is seeing dramatic effects of climate change in various parts of the world, including rising sea levels, extreme weather shifts and severe flooding. “With disasters hitting Myanmar and the Middle East last month, climate change is becoming a pressing reality… Our recent trip to Singapore to attend the ASEAN Power Shift last July has shown us how serious the issue has become and how little action has been taken to combat this issue,” she…

YOUTH who are inspired, motivated and filled with passion can become individuals who can accomplish just about anything. Here in the Sultanate, there are quite a number who can prove just that and The Brunei Times had the privileged of retelling some of their journey to greatness.   Inspirational youth   Ambitious, determined and passionate would be some words that come to mind upon meeting Khairunnisa Ash’ari, an advocate for youth development and climate change action and the co-founder of Green Brunei, who has won the Youth Service Award in 2013, ASEAN Youth Day Award in 2014 and the Queen’s Young Leaders Award in June this year. Based on its website, the prestigious UK-based award recognises and celebrates youth from the Commonwealth, aged 18 t0 29, who are examples in…

SOME 20 youths from various environmental organisations and different educational backgrounds, including pre-university students, participated in a national consultation on issues pertaining to climate change and its effects on the country. The event, which was organised by Green Brunei with support from the Department of Environment, Parks and Recreation (JASTRe) and held at the Ministry of Development’s Bertabur Hall, was aimed at coming up with a plan for a position paper on climate change by collating ideas and opinions that in turn will be forwarded to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) Power Shift, scheduled for July 24-26 in Singapore. A student, Abdul Muqsit bin Haji Jafari, from Sayyidina Ali Secondary School (SMSA) in Kuala Belait, said, “It was an interesting discussion with youth representatives from various environmental groups.…

FOUR students from Sayyidina Ali Secondary School (SMSA) participated in a national consultation to discuss climate change issues within the country with other youths from various environmental organisations. It was the first time the pre-university students - Abdul Muqsit Hj Jafari, Asila Hanum Hj Ahad, Muhd Zulqarnain Hj Zulaihi and Nur Hanis Nazihah Ideris - participated in such discussion, where they shared their insights and ideas on the matter. According to Abdul Muqsit, it was an interesting discussion with 16 other youth representatives from different environmental groups in Brunei, which gave them a valuable learning experience and golden opportunity for those unfamiliar with the issue. “We hope what has been discussed will help solve the issue, not only locally but internationally,” he said. As the `other participants are on a…

GREEN Brunei is hoping to become a full-time social enterprise so that their efforts will be more sustainable in the long run. The non-profit organisation – established in August 2012 – promotes environmental education and conservation. It currently operates as a volunteer organisation that is dependant on sponsorships but it is now looking towards generating revenue by becoming a social enterprise. Khairunnisa Ash’ari, President of Green Brunei, said profits made will be used to support more environmental initiatives and help them be more sustainable. She told The Brunei Times that she believed community-led initiatives are important and Green Brunei hopes to be the platform to initiate that while contributing to the sustainable development of the country. Khairunnisa is currently in London and is one of the recipients who will be…

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, 8 Jun – Penduduk di Negara Brunei Darussalam menghasilkan jumlah sampah domestik yang tinggi namun begitu mereka harus peka bahawa setiap jenis sampah yang dihasilkan boleh dikitar semula dan mempunyai nilainya tersendiri. Dalam hubungan itu, masyarakat Brunei harus memahami dan menanamkan dalam diri mereka sikap untuk tidak membazir dan mendidik diri mereka dalam kaedah serta jenis-jenis sampah yang boleh dikitar semula. Melalui usaha itu, bukan sahaja jumlah sampah yang dihasilkan dan pembaziran dapat dikurangkan tetapi mampu untuk meningkatkan kesedaran mengenai pemuliharaan alam sekitar, jelas Menteri Pembangunan, Yang Berhormat Pehin Orang Kaya Indera Pahlawan Dato Seri Setia Haji Suyoi bin Haji Osman. Usaha untuk mengitar semula merupakan salah satu usaha yang giat dilaksanakan dan dipromosikan oleh Kementerian Pembangunan sebagai inisiatif pemuliharaan alam sekitar bagi masyarakat kerana mereka harus…

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, 8 Jun – Sebagai kesinambungan kepada kegiatan penghijauan yang menjurus kepada keindahan alam sekitar, Jabatan Alam Sekitar, Taman dan Rekreasi (JASTRE) dengan kerjasama Persatuan Green Brunei mengadakan kegiatan penanaman pokok sempena Hari Alam Sekitar Sedunia dan Green Brunei: Eco Drive yang berlangsung di Pantai Muara, hari ini. Pelancarannya disempurnakan oleh Menteri Pembangunan, Yang Berhormat Pehin Orang Kaya Indera Pahlawan Dato Seri Setia Haji Suyoi bin Haji Osman yang turut menanam pokok jenis, African Tulip. Turut hadir ialah Setiausaha Tetap (Pentadbiran & Kewangan), Kementerian Pembangunan, Haji Muhammad Lutfi bin Abdullah, pegawai-pegawai kanan, pegawai dan kakitangan Kementerian Pembangunan dan lebih 200 peserta yang terdiri daripada belia dan penuntut yang menyertai acara berkenaan. Selepas perasmian Green Brunei: Eco Drive, Yang Berhormat Pehin turut menyaksikan peserta-peserta yang menyertai Eco-Race 3.0. Kegiatan…

ALIGNED with Brunei Darussalam’s continuous efforts to promote and preserve its rich tropical environment, the Ministry of Development’s (MoD) Department of Environment, Parks and Recreation in collaboration with Green Brunei yesterday commemorated World Environment Day with tree-planting activities and a Green Brunei: Eco Drive programme at Muara Beach. The ceremony was officiated by Minister of Development Pehin Orang Kaya Indera Pahlawan Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Suyoi bin Haji Osman. The eco drive programme was participated by over 50 members of the Environment Youth Envoys (EYE) who aim to build awareness among youths regarding the importance of the environment. Meanwhile, the minister presented prizes to the three winning teams of the Eco Race 3.0, in which the ‘Green Phoenix’ team won first place, ‘Eco On’ team coming in second, and…

THE Minister of Development (MOD) yesterday encouraged the public to start practicing recycling lifestyle and also to get hold of the copy of the recently-launched “Recycle 123 Handbook” for tips. “The information in the handbook is meant to provide the public first-hand information and tips on what to do with their domestic rubbish,” said Yang Berhormat Pehin Orang Kaya Indera Pahlawan Dato Seri Setia Hj Suyoi Hj Osman on the sidelines of the planting of 150 tree saplings at Muara Beach yesterday to mark World Environment Day. The “Recycle 123 Handbook” launched by the Department of Environment, Parks and Recreation (JASTRe) last week is in support of the department’s initiative to promote recycling in the country. The handbook can be downloaded from JASTRe’s website at http://www.env.gov.bn . It contains simple…