Students do their part to protect environment

Environment conservation: BIBD's Rafiuddin Ghazali (R) receiving a mock cheque from principal of Maktab Duli Hjh Saroja Hj Siau (C), while Dk Farah Amirah (L), member of the Environmentally Friendly Club, looks on.

A GROUP of environmentally concerned students from Duli Pengiran Muda Al-Muhtadee Billah College (Maktab Duli) made a contribution to protect the environment by participating in a tree planting project to restore the forests of Brunei.

The group of students, who call themselves the Environmentally Friendly Club (EFC), has been involved in running several projects on environment conservation, including recycling campaigns and alternative packaging.

Two days ago, The club contributed $890 to Bank Islam Brunei Darussalam (BIBD) in support of the drive to restore the trees in Badas which were lost a decade ago to forest fires.

"The Million Trees Project under BIBD is one of our latest project we are involved in right now and has been a great success," said Dk Farah Amirah Pg Hj Redzuan, one of the club members.

She said that from August 17 to September 9, the club has been going around the school asking for contributions and set up a booth in front of the library as a main collection point where students and teachers could contribute to save the environment. "Although the initial target was to collect $1,000, the club has collected a total of $890 within three weeks, which is a good start."

Dk Farah expressed her concerns towards the forests in Brunei which led to the club's aspiration to initiate the project.

"Brunei may have a lot of trees, but at the same time we should also be aware of the trees that have been lost by forest fires over the past decade. This can cause an impact in our survival."

She added: "The average person produces 9,000kg of carbon dioxide (CO2) per annum. The average rainforest tree absorbs 20kg of CO2 per annum, so we need 450 trees in order to convert CO2 into oxygen for us to breathe in everyday. That's 450 trees per head!"

"Hopefully, the club will continue to pursue such projects. The experiences throughout the whole drive have certainly contributed to the realisation of the need to save the environment," said Dk Farah.

"On behalf of the club, we would like to thank BIBD for giving us the opportunity to play a role in the project, to our teachers for their support and encouragement and to members of the club for the efforts they put in to the whole drive."

The restoration of the forests, known as the Badas 50,000 Trees Project, is an initiative by ISB's Million Trees Project in collaboration with the Ministry of Industry & Primary Resources to replant trees at the Badas Forest Reserve, Kuala Belait. The project is also in support of the Heart of Borneo initiative, where the target is to plant 50,000 Agathis Bornensis trees by October 31, 2009.

In cooperation with International School Brunei's Million Trees Project, BIBD is pledging to raise funds for the Badas Trees Project.

"BIBD is committed in raising awareness on the impact of climate change among Bruneians, and through this project, we welcome interested contributors to donate for the tree-planting cause," said BIBD's Corporate Social Responsibilities Treasury Rafiuddin Ghazali.

He added: "The cost of planting one tree at Badas is at $5, and our target is to plant 4,000 trees for this project. So far we have managed to garner a collection worth of 1,400 trees right now, and we look forward to the planting ceremony in October in Badas once we reach our mark."

Maktab Duli became the first school in Brunei to be involved in the project under BIBD.