Local environmental group's zero-waste quest goes global
The handbook presented by co-founder and director Khor Sue Yee, marketing communications executive Tasha Sabapathy and lead designer Ho Kae Jing is an all-encompassing manual for leading a sustainable life in Malaysia.
A guidebook by local environment group Zero Waste Malaysia (ZWM), “MY Zero Waste Life Handbook”, was taken to new heights when it was displayed at the Creative Bureaucracy Festival in Berlin, Germany.
The handbook presented by co-founder and director Khor Sue Yee, marketing communications executive Tasha Sabapathy and lead designer Ho Kae Jing is an all-encompassing manual for leading a sustainable life in Malaysia.
Speaking at the festival, Ho, who was trained as an architect, said that the group had set out to ensure that the handbook was accessible to Malaysians of all backgrounds.
“Each topic needed to be designed in its own unique way,” she said.
“We had to go through a lot of brainstorming sessions and rewrite the narration,” she continued.
They noted that in the era of fast digitisation, more people suffer from shorter attention spans.
During the presentation, Khor was seen addressing an issue the community faced: the overwhelming information about the zero-waste lifestyle that is being provided in the world.
“That’s why we produced the My Zero Waste Life Summarised Handbook to cover the 101 to live a zero-waste lifestyle,” she said, noting the intention behind the handbook.
The group questioned what could be done to encourage others to practice zero-waste actions.
“How do we get people to actually practice zero waste actions? How do we entice them to actually take action and start doing something in their daily lives?” asked the group before revealing a call for Malaysians to attempt a 30-day zero-waste challenge inspired by themes in the handbook.
They said the 30-day challenge is a nationwide challenge in Malaysia that encourages Malaysians to start taking action as a community together for one month.
“This is the message that we want to spread with the whole handbook that one person has not only the power to change your own experience, your own life, your own projects, your own behaviour but (you) can also influence the people around you and what goes on in the wider economy.
“We believe that one person can create a ripple effect. To make Malaysia a little better with a little less,” added the trio.
Second-largest plastic waste generator
Advocating for sustainable development, ZWM is a community group aiming to raise the local community’s understanding of sustainable living.
In alignment with the festival’s values of highlighting contributions that lead to a sustainable world, the handbook provided information through engaging graphics appropriate for all ages, as well as discussions about implementing change through simple, actionable steps that can be done as a community.
Workshops on topics such as expediting climate action and decolonising international development, rethinking organisational structures and cross-sector interactions, developing for scale, and cultivating strategic leadership were held throughout the festival.
Malaysia is currently the second-largest generator of plastic waste in Asia. It is ranked eighth in the world for poor plastic management.
In 2021, the ZWM conducted a survey on recycling, revealing that over 55 percent of respondents were unaware of recycling methods.
With this lack of awareness in mind, ZWM was determined to attend the festival to present strategies for combating the alarming issue of plastic pollution.
Thirty countries participated in the nomination process beginning January this year on projects to be showcased live at the festival.
Out of almost 200 nominations, ZWM, the only team representing Malaysia, made it into the top three based on community voting and won a trip to Berlin for the live stage.
To continue their quest for a greener world, ZWM is currently looking out for sponsors and partners for the Zero Waste Festival in Dublin this September and the second 30-Day Zero-Waste Challenge in October.
Those interested can email info@zerowastemalaysia.org for more information.
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