Environment

It was good weather, bright and haze-free on a Sunday morning of 29 June 2014 when 79 volunteers from PPB Group participated in a Volunteer Trail Day at Kota Damansara Community Forest (KDCF) located in Section 10/1 of Kota Damansara.

All were punctual just after 8 am, a group picture was taken with all looking fresh and set for work! Justine Vaz, the president of KDCF, gave a short briefing and divided all the volunteers into 3 large groups - two were assigned to rake the Harmoni, Temuan and Sahabat trails whilst the 3rd group was given the opportunity to take on the toughest task to build the new forest trail sponsored by PPB.

The new forest trail sponsored by PPB is about 2 km long and is strategically important as it links the existing trails in KDCR making the total trail length in KDCF to 10 km fit for trekking and mountain biking. After working on the trail, everyone was treated to a good lunch at the meet point of KDCF. The trail work was tiring for some but to others, it was “easy-peasy”!

Ms Koh Mei Lee, Senior Manager (Corporate Affairs) of PPB, in her speech thanked all who came for the Volunteer Trail Day viz KDCR; Forestry Dept; Trail Association of Selangor and Kuala Lumpur (TRAKS); Image Clinic, the advertising agency who designed the t-shirts and banner; and not forgetting staff and family members from PPB, GSC Group, Chemquest group and FFM group.

On 17 March 2012, the staff of PPB Group Berhad (PPB) and their families together with staff of Majlis Daerah Kuala Selangor (MDKS) and Global Environment Centre (GEC), an NGO, gathered at Pantai Remis for a beach clean-up.

Pantai Remis which is situated approximately 20 km from Kuala Selangor town, is a fishing village popular with day trippers for picnics, kite-flying and leisure. The beach is been a favourite spot for locals who patronise the bazaars selling mostly shellfish at weekends. Sadly, litter especially plastic bags which are not biodegradable are commonly found at the beach.

As volunteers began the clean up, they discovered layers of plastic bags buried in the sand of Pantai Remis. It was heart warming to witness a total of 170 volunteers including children who worked tirelessly to pick up rubbish under the blazing sun. The GEC team led the volunteers for the clean-up in a fun way by organising a small competition for the most rubbish collected by individual teams. At the end of the day, more than half a tonne of rubbish was collected and separated into four (4) categories by the volunteers:

• Plastic/Aluminium
• Glass
• Paper/Cardboard
• Unrecyclable items

The event was organised as part of PPB's CSR activity for the environment as well as to bring together the staff of PPB Group and their families, to not only get close to nature but to work for nature. It was also aimed at creating awareness about the importance of the marine habitat and to keep the beach clean at all times. With this in mind, PPB contributed an "interpretative signboard" and two sets of recycling bins for the beach.

The Yang Dipertua MDKS, Puan Hajjah Noraini binti Roslan, was present to receive the contributions from PPB. A strong advocate of green living, Puan Hajjah Noraini in her speech, encouraged the volunteers to start separating and recycling the rubbish in their homes if they had not done so. She also encouraged composting kitchen waste as well as making garbage enzyme.

Reflecting the theme for the event "EVERDAY IS EARTH DAY", the Senior Manager (Corporate Affairs) of PPB, Ms Koh Mei Lee urged the volunteers to practice more green habits in their daily lives and by doing so, encourage others to do the same leading to a healthier, cleaner and a better Earth! Ms Koh reminded all that "caring for the environment is not the responsibility of the government alone but everyone's".

PPB organised for the first time a "Green Idea Contest" for head office staff on 2 December 2016 during the lunch hour to encourage the practice of "green living". There were 11 participants and each was given five minutes to share a practical green idea which can be used in the home, office or anywhere.

The first prize winner, Ms Tan Li Khim from the Enterprise Risk Management Department showed a slide presentation on how to make an eco-enzyme cleaner. Ms Lee Sook Ping from the Corporate Secretarial Department who expounded the use of handkerchiefs instead of tissue paper, received the second prize. The third prize went to Ms Kam Chin Hun from the Internal Audit Department. She shared with her colleagues on how to make eco-friendly toothpaste and recycling of soap bars collected from hotel stays as multi-purpose household cleaners.

The winners were judged on the creativity of their presentation, delivery of their ideas, and their practicality. All the winners and participants were given Tesco gift vouchers.