MIRI: Sarawak Tourism Board (STB) and Curtin University Sarawak held a tree planting ceremony at the university’s campus yesterday to mark the Borneo Jazz Festival 2012.
The two-day festival begins at the Parkcity Everly Hotel grounds today.
Borneo Jazz along with the Rainforest World Music Festival have become international sensations, garnering much global acclaim and showcasing the best of what Sarawak has to offer the world.
The two festivals attract an influx of visitors from around the world and result in lots of carbon emissions getting them here.
“The greening project we have undertaken with Curtin Sarawak today represents the opportunity for all of us to come together as one and to cultivate especially amongst the youth of Sarawak that Borneo’s greenery is one of its precious national treasures. Our activity today goes some way to balancing the carbon footprint from Borneo Jazz,” said STB chief executive officer (CEO) Datuk Rashid Khan.
He said STB would also promote the use of green products and practices at the festivals.
STB is proud to be associated with such esteemed institutions as Curtin University, he said, as the university has been championing green initiatives for years.
He thanked Curtin Sarawak chief executive officer Professor Ian Kerr and all staff and students for their support, as well as thanked Sarawak Forestry Corporation (SFC) for supplying the saplings.
“STB this year also continues to work with Curtin for universities locally and abroad to expand their industry internship programme. This year, apart from interns from universities in Malaysia, STB also has interns from Breda University in Holland to help in the organising of both festivals particularly in the marketing and operational aspects respectively,” he said.
Rashid added that this is part of the board’s contribution to society, by enabling students to experience what they are studying and prepare them for the working world.
Meanwhile, Kerr said the act of tree planting is part of a rapidly growing worldwide movement towards a deeper commitment to environmental protection.
“Our survival as human beings is dependent on how we treat our environment – how we relate with our natural resources like trees, grass and water.
“Humans must learn to recognise themselves as a conscious part of nature and live with the life that surrounds them. Our actions and inactions will determine the path we will take as a people and the kind of legacy we will leave for our children and their children,” he said. Limited festival tickets are still available at the reception of Parkcity Everly Hotel.
For more information, go to www.jazzborneo.com.