Highlights from the Inter-School Student Sustainability Conference at Charterhouse Malaysia
We kicked off our timeline of events this ESG Horizons for a riveting and inspiring Inter-School Sustainability Conference at Charterhouse Malaysia, an initiative by BMCC’s Education Committee.
This conference was an invaluable opportunity for students from different schools to come together, share ideas, and explore innovative approaches to sustainability. Students were assembled from various schools—many of them, like Charterhouse, in our network of members, such as Kolej Tuanku Ja’afar (KTJ), Sri KDU International Schools (Subang Jaya), Tenby Schools (Setia Eco Hill and Tropicana Aman), and Nexus International School. The Save School for Refugees were also among the participating schools.
After Deputy Headteacher Emma Rooney delivered the welcoming remarks, Y.A.M Tengku Zatashah binti Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah Alhaj—Royal Patron of Make-A-Wish Malaysia, Chairwoman of Yayasan Food Bank Malaysia, and Founder of #ZeroFoodWastage and #SayNoToPlastic social media campaigns—spoke to the students with her efforts in combating the climate crisis. Her inspirational presentation centred on initiatives in environmental clean-up and revolutionary internet campaigns to reduce single-use plastics and food wastage.
Tengku Zatashah’s speech was followed by Jasmine Low, Associate Professor at Heriot-Watt University, who showcased Heriot-Watt’s dedication to purpose-driven education. She emphasised the significance of training soft skills in students for holistic development. More on this Heriot-Watt’s approach to education can be viewed on their website here.
The students then manned exhibition booths on their sustainability projects that they would later share within their newly developed Student Sustainability Network. This initiative hopes to foster further collaboration between schools and build student ideas into innovative building blocks to better the future.
Two outstanding NGOs, Zero Waste and Sea Monkey Project, also participated in the event with engaging exhibitions and presentations that underscored their commitment to reducing pollution and promoting environmental responsibility.
The event concluded with closing remarks from Charterhouse’s Head Teacher Richard Davidson and Acting British High Commissioner David Wallace, who commended the students’ efforts and expressed their excitement for the potential of the Student Sustainability Network.
We extend our appreciation to Charterhouse Malaysia and all participating schools for their invaluable contributions to this successful event. We hope this conference serves as an inspiration for students and educators alike, motivating them to take further action in their commitment to sustainability.
