Promote sustainable living through donation drive

By Chai Xin Jie

MAIN CAMPUS, 29 March - In response to promote net zero living by reducing carbon footprints and practicing zero waste, Green Ambassadors of USM has successfully organised a donation program, ‘Program Menderma Pakaian dan Barangan Terpakai’ from 27 to 29 March 2024 at Building G27, USM. 

This program was in collaboration with Life Line Clothing Malaysia. USM students, USM staff, lecturers and outsiders were involved in this program.

Project director, Nur Sofia Ghazali explained their objective was to promote sustainable lifestyles among USM students. Through this program, people can reduce their consumption of fast fashion. The poor quality of fast fashion often ends up slowly decomposing into landfills or being incinerated.

“When organising this program, we are facing a shortage of volunteers and the location needed to be more strategic for outsiders. The solution is we are in the process of having another second batch by placing the clothes container at USM so people can simply drop off the donation items,” she continued.

Committee members help to sort and pack donated items at Building G27. Photo by Chai Xin Jie

Nur Aisyah Mohd Zaidi, Physics 3, acknowledged her gratitude for taking part in the program for the first time. She said that our culture of consumerism often leads to waste, which inspired her to donate things to cut down on trash and show support for being eco-friendly.

“I give away clothes and books that I no longer need because they can help other people a lot. Clothes keep the people feel warm and safe, and reading books educates, entertains, and inspires. Even though my efforts are small on their own, I think they can make a difference in the lives of those who need help,” she said.

“Everyone should join this program not only because it helps people in need, but also because it helps us do our part to reduce trash and promote sustainability. By taking part, we help those who are less fortunate and make society greener and more responsible. It’s a win-win situation because we help others and leave less of an impact on the earth,” Aisyah added.