SUSTAINABLE LIVING AGENDA FOR MALAYSIA
Selangor aims to take lead in initiative to prevent exploitation of resources
THE Raja Muda of Selangor, Tengku Amir Shah Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, envisioned Malaysia to be a completely sustainable country that preserves the nature as it progresses under the National Transformation 2050 initiatives.
In an exclusive interview with NST Business, he said there had to be a strong support from the corporate sector to help push the green and sustainable living agenda forward and prevent the exploitation of the nature, forests and oceans.
“They (corporate sector) need to take steps to understand green technology. May be in the next couple of years, they could say ‘let’s cut our margins less and invest in being more green’,” he said.
The Raja Muda added that in the property sector for example, developers could deploy new technologies to build houses that use less energy by installing solar panels on roofs and build an efficient waste management system.
Corporations could also give subsi- dies or incentives to their employees who get to work using public transportation, said Tengku Amir Shah.
“We need an efficient connecting system between the busses and the train stations so that it is easier for people to travel. The idea is that it (the journey) has to be easy, efficient and painless,” he said.
It may take some time for Selangor, the wealthiest state in Malaysia, to become 100 per cent environment friendly, but the target is not impossible to achieve.
The state is targeting youth to raise the awareness on the environment and create a sustainable living lifestyle.
Tengku Amir Shah said he was working with various youth groups through his non-governmental organisation, the Selangor Youth Community (SAY), to educate and encourage the youth to be more conscious of the environment.
Tengku Amir Shah was in the capital of Kazakhstan last week to visit the Astana Expo 2017 exhibition and launch the #MyButterflyEffect and Youth Week at the Malaysian pavilion, here.
SAY was founded to catalyse youth engagement and development in sports and health, arts and culture, entertainment and entrepreneurship.
He had participated in various charity programmes to promote environmentally-friendly lifestyle in Selangor, such as the zero plastic campaign during the Ramadan month with his sister, Tengku Zatashah Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah.