KUCHING, Nov 7: The youth should capitalise on ecopreneurship which is not only sustainable for the environment and community, but also has the potential to generate substantial returns in the long run.
This call was made by the organisers as well as speakers at the recently concluded Youth Green X-Change (YGXC) Ecopreneurship Workshop jointly organised by the Natural Resources and Environment Board Sarawak (NREB), Sarawak Energy Berhad, together with YGXC strategic partners namely Angkatan Zaman Mansang Sarawak (Azam), Trienekens (Sarawak) Sdn Bhd, the Regional Centre of Expertise (RCE) Kuching and WWF-Malaysia.
NREB Controller of Environmental Quality Peggy Ronin Edin, in her opening speech said, a supportive ecosystem is important in developing ecopreneurship or green enterprise.
”For ecopreneurship or green enterprise to flourish, we need to build a supportive ecosystem that comprises not only young entrepreneurs but also, young innovators and scientists, young creative talents, youth advocates, and young government executives,” she said.
About 20 participants comprising representatives of local startups, community-based and, youth non-profit organisations, undergraduates, government officers, and members of the corporate sector attended the online workshop held from Nov 4 to 5
Guest speaker Sarawak Economic Planning Unit (EPU) Head of Environment and Sustainability Development Dr Kho Lip Khoon in his presentation said: “In the Green Economy Policy for Sarawak, we are planning to be a fast growing inclusive green economy by 2030 which includes three main components namely Environment, Social and Economy.”
Kuching-based award-winning ecopreneur Jeff Wee of WormingUp shared: “As an ecopreneur, various challenges with regard to credibility as a startup (such as) hiring the right people, financial (matters), market problem, legal and technology development need to be faced with an open heart.”
Meanwhile, Azam director Dr Margaret Chan Kit Yok said in the multi-stakeholder effort to promote the green economy, Azam hoped to work together with the government, business community, non-profit or civil society sector, grassroots communities, the media as well as technology providers, to communicate and propagate current policies and initiatives.
”By being well informed and highly motivated, these relevant key players could be mobilised towards achieving our common green goals,” he said.
On the other hand, workshop facilitator Nina Othman urged Sarawakian youths to take advantage of the encouraging policy and supportive system outlined in the State government’s green economy plan, by venturing into eco-enterprise.
The event was part of the ongoing YGXC programme, a multi-partnered environmental education and youth engagement programme initiated by NREB and its partners.
Its core objective is to engage with local youth so that they too would play a more active role in protecting the environment in Sarawak, while ensuring youth inclusivity in the current Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) global agenda. – DayakDaily
