2020 Benefitting Society Finalist: Quest International University Perak (QIUP) - Malaysia

Quest International University Perak (QIUP) - Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) through Leadership: The Eco-Rangers student movement at Quest International University Perak (QIUP) 

In April 2019, a research-oriented student workgroup (Eco-Rangers) Quest International University Perak (QIUP), Malaysia was established to design, develop and implement environmentally friendly activities for the campus and QIUP communities through a student-led initiative following the Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) approaches at QIUP.  

The Eco-Rangers workgroup consists of pre-university, undergraduate and postgraduate students as well as academic and administrative staff from QIUP in handling both on- and off-campus projects with the other Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) like WWF-Malaysia and Axiata Foundation. A strong emphasis of self-volunteerism, self-motivation and leadership are observed among the participation of Eco-Rangers in a myriad of environmental related activities, e.g. Zero Straw, Waste Recycling and Upcycling, Environmental Documentary Screening and Environmental Poetry.  

All of the QIUP Eco-Rangers activities are conceived and implemented following the methodical 7-step guideline from the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) Eco-campus framework where it involves from setting-up an eco-committee, conducting environmental reviews to developing action plans to integrate with curriculum that aligns with United Nations Agenda 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Online social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, QIUP website and e-surveys are primarily used as the pivotal tools to gauge and continuously review the effectiveness as well as sustainability of the conducted environmental linked activities in QIUP. 

Top three learnings: 

1. Many hands make light work in making the environment clean for everyone. 
2. A small contribution will never be negligible as it adds to make a big difference to the environment. 
3. It starts from you and it will influence others like a chain reaction.