The Malaysia Organising Committee (MASOC) has launched the KL2017 Green Initiative for the 29th SEA Games and the 9th ASEAN Para Games (Kuala Lumpur 2017 or KL2017) in a ceremony held at Taman Tasik Perdana, Kuala Lumpur yesterday.
The launch marks another milestone for KL2017, which is going to take place in less than 80 days. The event was officiated by the Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports Datuk M. Saravanan. Also present were the Chief Executive Officer of MASOC Secretariat, Dauk Seri Zolkples Embong; the Chief Operating Officer of MASOC Secretariat, Shaiful Subhan bin Zahrin and the Managing Director of SCGM Berhad, Datuk Seri Lee Hock Seng.
SCGM Berhad, KL2017’s Silver Sponsor and the “Official Green Games Partner” sponsored as well as participated in the event yesterday. The launch of the Green Initiative was held to announce the campaign plan, introduce the Green Partners and showcase several Green activation programs for KL2017.
As a symbolic gesture of the KL2017 Green Initiative, Saravanan also planted a seedling provided by the Kuala Lumpur City Council.
Speaking at the event, Saravanan said, “We want to take the opportunity to inculcate the culture of caring for the environment amongst the Southeast Asia communities through KL2017. This is a great platform for us to implement many initiatives to achieve this target.”
“The Green Initiative is a legacy that we would like to leave behind in the history of the SEA Games and the ASEAN Para Games and as the host country, we hope that it will be continued in the future editions of the Games,” he added.
With the implementation of the Green Initiative, KL2017 will be the first edition in the history of the Games to adopt a sustainable concept in its organization. In ensuring its successful implementation and to make KL2017 an environmental-friendly Games, MASOC also collaborates with the Ministry of Energy, Green Technology and Water and other related government agencies.
At yesteray’s launch event, among the ‘green’ activities that were showcased was the “Bin It Right” program by Biji-Biji Initiative. The program aims to create awareness among the public on the importance of separating waste at source.
In addition, Biji-Biji Initiative also set up an “Energy Playground” which is a playground with equipment that generates electricity. Other activities include free bicycle rides for all invited guests and public by oBike and a cooking demonstration using food waste by Grub Cycle.
There were also exhibitions on “Food Waste Composting Machine” by MAEKO, “Recycling Used Cooking Oil” by Green Yards, furniture made from industrial wood pallets by Kayubesi, “Soilless Planting” by Spritzer as well as a showcase on the Tropical Rainforest Conservation and Research Centre’s (TRCRC) conservation initiatives on the state forest reserves in the Central Forest Spine (CFS) area.
KL2017 will take place on 19 to 30 August 2017 for the SEA Games and 17 to 23 September 2017 for the ASEAN Para Games.