Local Action For Global Goals 2023
Sunway University held a week-long festival dedicated to sustainable development, in line with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). Local Action for Global Goals 2023 saw students and brands come together to host various booths promoting sustainability. These brands included Blueshark, Uniqlo, The Body Shop, and Aquaria. The booths featured fun and educational activities such as sewing lessons, animal handling, donation drives and more!
The event was honoured by the presence of several distinguished guests. This included HE Dr Peter Blomeyer (German Ambassador to Malaysia), HE Ailsa Terry (UK High Commissioner to Malaysia), HE Mr Sami Leino (Finnish Ambassador to Malaysia), and Ms Karima El Korri (United Nations Resident Coordinator for Malaysia, Singapore, and Brunei Darussalam). The Raja Muda of Selangor, Tengku Amir Shah ibni Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, also graced the campus with his presence and even participated in a coral-planting session with Aquaria.
An essential measure of the event’s success is its impact on the students themselves. And the best way to gauge that is to speak to the students! Teoh Khai Xian volunteered at the clothes donation booth and was glad he did. “You see people donating, which shows the mindset of, maybe we shouldn’t be so wasteful, and donate the stuff we don’t need.” Over at the book donation booth, volunteers felt that many people would have gained some insight from the festival. “I think people who come in not knowing much about sustainability will leave knowing much more.”
Besides donation drives for books and clothes, the event also sought to promote sustainability by showing students exactly what parts of nature they are trying to save. A booth featuring rare plants and live animals piqued students' interests, as many lined up to handle tarantulas, geckos, skinks, bearded dragons and more. On the other hand, Uniqlo’s booth encouraged students to take part in a simple sewing workshop to patch up damaged clothes, which many people would normally throw away. The response to this was encouraging, as many students were seen participating.
A Wishing Wall featured the wishes of 280 children from local orphanages. Sunwayians were able to grant these wishes via the use of a charity vending machine. This machine is the first of its kind in Malaysia, and it was sponsored by Advanced Food Technologies (AFT). Other event highlights included an exhibition of Malaysia's first sustainable ambulance and a visit by members of Malaysia's Special Olympics team.
The Local Action for Global Goals 2023 festival was a shining example of what can be achieved when people come together to work towards a common goal. The event's focus on sustainability was timely and important, and it is hoped that it will inspire others to follow suit and take steps to create a more sustainable future for all.
