Students and guests at the Closing Ceremony for the MPMA-DOW-GEC RIVER Ranger Program 2017. The RIVER Ranger Program is sponsored by Dow Packaging and Specialty Plastics (P&SP), a business unit of DowDuPont Materials Science and facilitated by MPMA in partnership with GEC. It was designed to provide the students with a hands-on experience to witness how their actions can impact the cleanliness of rivers and consequently, the ocean.Datuk Lim Kok Boon, President, MPMA said, “MPMA is a signatory to the Declaration of the Global Plastics Associations for Solutions on Marine Litter. We signed the declaration to show our commitment to manage waste from entering earth’s ocean. This begins with educating our youth not to throw litter into rivers, as rivers carry waste to oceans.”
Datuk Lim added that the program ultimately provides the tools for students to continue environmental activities to maintain the environment and lessen the waste impact on rivers. In this regard, he thanked GEC for sharing its River Ranger training content with the students.
Dr. Kalithasan Kailasam, River Care coordinator from GEC said, “The RIVER Ranger Program is a comprehensive curriculum that not only provides insights on the river ecosystem but every aspect of river pollution management including solid waste.” Dr. Kalithasan further added that through the training, school communities are empowered with knowledge and living skills on integrated waste management for use in the school’s environmental management. “These activities helped the participating students initiate best management practices like recycling, upcycling, pollution reduction and river monitoring in their schools,” elaborated Dr. Kalithasan.
Dr. Han Zhang, Asia Pacific Sustainability and Advocacy Leader for Dow Packaging & Specialty Plastics, stated, “Dow has a legacy in innovation and a strong focus on sustainability. We are happy to support this educational initiative again with MPMA to promote and instill a greater level of environmental and sustainability awareness among students. Protecting the environment is an important priority and that attitude needs to be imbedded in these young minds because they pave the way to a better future.”
Dr. Zhang added that the MPMA-DOW-GEC RIVER Ranger Program allows students to have a better understanding of waste management and its impact on rivers, and more importantly, to continue practicing what they have learned. Taking the students out of the classroom enhances the learning process through first-hand experience as opposed to classroom workshops.
The schools that participated in the MPMA-DOW-GEC RIVER Ranger Program were SMK Damansara Damai, SMK La Salle Petaling Jaya, SMK Taman Dato Harun, SMK Sultan Abdul Samad and Sri Bestari Private School.
As part of the two-month program, students were first provided information on the status of Malaysian rivers and the challenges posed by pollution issues; measures that students can take to protect rivers; river water observations and practical sessions which were conducted outdoors whereby students were required to do physical, chemical and biological testing of water quality. Subsequently students were required to undertake activities upon returning to school, and the resulting reports from these activities were presented at the closing ceremony.
About MPMA
The Malaysian Plastics Manufacturers Association (MPMA), established in 1967, is a progressive trade association providing leadership and quality service to its members and the plastics industry. Besides undertaking activities on the environment, safety and health, MPMA also promotes such activities under the umbrella of the Malaysian Plastics Forum (MPF) which is a joint collaboration between two industry associations, namely the Malaysian Petrochemicals Association-Plastic Resins Producers Group (MPA-PRPG) and MPMA.
MPF’s main objectives are to create awareness and education on plastics and to enhance awareness of the proper disposal of plastics waste through the 3Rs concept for plastics which is Reduce, Reuse and Recycle; as well as to enhance awareness on anti-littering to the Government, Industry, Media as well as the Public.
About Dow Packaging and Specialty Plastics
Packaging and Specialty Plastics, a business unit of DowDuPont’s Materials Science division, combines core strengths of R&D, worldwide reach, broad product lines and industry expertise to deliver innovative and sustainable solutions for plastics. The business is one of the largest polyethylene producers in the world, and a leading collaborator across the value chain on the development of new technologies and applications for high growth markets in packaging, health & hygiene, transportation, consumer, and infrastructure.
About DowDuPont Materials Science Division
DowDuPont Materials Science, a business division of DowDuPont (NYSE: DWDP), combines science and technology knowledge to develop premier materials science solutions that are essential to human progress. The division has one of the strongest and broadest toolkits in the industry, with robust technology, asset integration, scale and competitive capabilities that enable it to address complex global issues. DowDuPont Materials Science’s market-driven, industry-leading portfolio of advanced materials, industrial intermediates, and plastics businesses deliver a broad range of differentiated technology-based products and solutions for customers in high-growth markets such as packaging, infrastructure, and consumer care. DowDuPont intends to separate the Materials Science division into an independent, publicly traded company. More information can be found at www.dow-dupont.com.
About Global Environment Centre
Global Environment Centre was established in 1998 to work on environmental issues of global importance. The Centre is registered in Malaysia as a non-profit organisation but works regionally and internationally both directly and through many partners. GEC has been support river protection and rehabilitation throughout Malaysia for more than 15 years. For more information on the Global Environment Centre please visit www.gec.org.my
Photo – https://photos.prnasia.com/
SOURCE Dow Packaging and Specialty Plastics
