Search

A successful transition towards sustainability in the university context requires incorporation of three important aspects based on knowledge, beliefs, values and actions among all stakeholders, particularly students, through environmental education and literacy. Hence, this study aims to assess the level of environmental literacy, encompassing knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) of undergraduate students enrolled in the LMCP1522: Ecosystem Discovery Journey (EDJ) course in Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. A quantitative study was conducted, involving a survey and structured questionnaires completed by 108 students, also known as Eco-volunteers (Ekorelawan). The collected data were analysed by applying the descriptive and inferential statistics. The findings showed a high level of environmental knowledge (94.4%), positive environmental attitude (56.5%) and fair/moderate environmental practice (69.5%) among students. The study also found positive and significant relationships between environmental knowledge, attitude and practice among the students through Spearman correlation test. The analysis discovered that students acquired environmental knowledge through electronic media, particularly social media as their primary source. The findings of the study illustrated a general depiction of environmental literacy level among students and provided general direction for policy discussion with respect to environmental education in Malaysian higher education institutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2007, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia launched The UKM Sustainable Campus Programme as a commitment towards achieving sustainable campus status by 2020. Environment is one of the main components of sustainable development pillars. To enhance a better understanding on the environment towards sustainable livelihood, the Ecosystem Discovery Journey (EDJ) programme was developed. It is an initiative undertaken by the Sustainable Ecosystem Management Research Group under the UKM Sustainable Campus Framework. The EDJ Programme focuses on the provision of knowledge regarding environment and sustainable development among university students, school students and community at large and to promote the spirit of eco-volunteerism. To facilitate the programme a number of training modules was formulated to illustrate the concept, role and management of ecosystem in the context of human-environment interactions towards sustainability. The modules consist of Forest, Water, Soil, Energy and Waste Management which were formulated by experts and academics from multidisciplinary perspectives. The modules provide the opportunity to acquire knowledge through hands-on field experience of the various components of ecosystems and environment. In pursuit of encouraging volunteerism among students, the EDJ provides an important platform in motivating participants to actively engage in environmental volunteerism in the campus. Participants of the EDJ programme form the core group known as "UKM Eco-volunteers" (UKM Ekorelawan). The paper describes the various processes of knowledge transfer on ecosystem and environment, hands-on field activities and engagement programme with communities. The paper also illustrates the concept of EDJ in the context of Kolb Experiential Learning Theory (ELT) and Harmonising Knowledge, Attitude, Practice (KAP) Model into Changing Behaviour Framework. The EDJ programme was further strengthened through smart partnership collaboration and strong support of various stakeholders. Hence, EDJ programme is a novel and creative way for various target groups to explore and enjoy learning on selected field sites. It also aspires to nurture the interest and cultivate positive attitude on environmental conservation and management towards sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Akademika is the property of Akademika and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The generation of solid waste has been increase tremendously and it has been identified as one factor that contribute to the world's environmental problem. Waste pickers has been known for providing solid waste collection in various cities around the world and make an important economic contribution in reducing the burden of waste management. They are the informal workers in the solid waste sector that achieved higher recycling waste than the formal recycling system in many cities of the developing world. This paper aims to analyze the categories of waste pickers and their role in contributing to sustainable solid waste management and examine the challenges faced by these waste pickers. In this paper, a review was carried out to characterize and critically analyze the published literature on waste pickers in terms of their characteristics, contributions and challenges. The analysis of this paper proposed for re-thinking of solid waste management systems by integrating waste pickers into formal waste management program for more inclusive and sustainable solid waste management. Waste pickers have been fighting for their activities to be supported and recognized as an occupation as well as improving their working condition. The formation of waste picker cooperative might end their discrimination and exploitation. Therefore, it is about time for the local authorities, private sector, non-governmental organization as well as business operators to support and recognize the contributions made by these waste pickers which can result in sustainable development, poverty alleviation and environmental protection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Urban air pollution resulting from economic growth as well as urbanization impacts the health of inhabitants. This study aims to examine the spatial distribution of particulate matter (PM10) and the risk of exposure for the population in the Klang Valley, an urban conglomeration centred in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Methods: The inverse distance weighted (IDW) interpolation technique in the ArcGIS platform was used to map the air quality from five air monitoring stations. Spatial statistics of the Global Moran's I Spatial Autocorrelation and Optimized Hot Spot Analysis were used to estimate the spatial clustering of PM10. The population-weighted exposure level (PWEL) technique was used to calculate the population density susceptible to PM10 and the AirQ+ model was applied to estimate the proportion of the adult population at risk of chronic bronchitis due to long-term exposure to PM10 concentrations in the Klang Valley. Results: The highest annual mean PM10 concentrations at the Klang station ranged between 80 and 100 μg/m3 from 2000 to 2009 and exceeded the New Malaysia Ambient Air Quality Standard (NMAAQS) and the World Health Organization Air Quality Guidelines (WHOAQG) levels of 40 and 20 μg/m3, respectively. The Moran's I results indicated that the statistically significant clusters of high PM10 in Klang present a health risk to the local community. The PWEL results showed that levels of PM10 in Petaling Jaya exceeded the WHOAQG limits, potentially posing a health risk to the high-density population. The AirQ+ model found Klang to be a significantly high-risk area for chronic bronchitis among the adult population with 804,240 people (with a relative risk of 1.85) in 2009. Conclusion: These high-risk values are due to rapid urbanization and high motor vehicle usage in the Klang Valley and therefore the impact of PM10 on the population needs to be reduced. This situation should be taken seriously by the Department of Environment and Kuala Lumpur City Hall in addressing air pollution issues through stricter rules on emissions and implementing low-carbon policies to improve the well-being of residents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction Forest bathing or Shinrin-Yoku is a practice of being mindful of nature and it offers multiple health benefits in both physiological and psychological factors. This study aimed to determine the knowledge and attitude of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) medical students towards forest bathing and its relationship with the sociodemographic factors. Methods A total of 165 UKM medical students were recruited using proportionate stratified random sampling. The subjects were then categorized based on the academic year (Year 1 - Year 5) from May 2021 until September 2021. Exclusion criteria includes those who deferred their academic year and/or who were hospitalized. A questionnaire was given via a google form consisting of sociodemographic data details and 15 questions for each knowledge and attitude on forest bathing. Results The prevalence of good knowledge and good attitude of UKM medical students towards forest bathing were 64.2% (n=106) and 50.9% (n=84) respectively. Female medical students had a good knowledge (n=63, 73.3%) and good attitude (n=52, 60.5%) compared to male medical students' knowledge (n=43, 54.4%) and attitude (n=32, 10.5%), with a p-value of 0.012 and 0.010 respectively. Otherwise, other sociodemographic factors including race, medical year and level of lifestyle did not affect participants' knowledge and attitude on forest bathing. Conclusions Majority of UKM medical students have a higher prevalence of good knowledge compared to good attitude on forest bathing. Therefore, we recommend forest bathing to be integrated into the medical curriculum as part of awareness especially in male medical students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rapid urbanisation invariably affects the extent of natural resources and green spaces in the cities. Urban expansion to accommodate the increasing population and economic activities are constantly threatening the existing forest areas and green spaces. In this regard, it is estimated that by 2020, 75% of the Malaysian population will be residing in cities and major urban centres. The pressure on existing forest and green spaces will increase thus affecting the general well-being of city dwellers. This trend is evident in Kuala Lumpur. The Economic Transformation Programme launched in 2010 identified Greater Kuala Lumpur and Klang Valley Region a sub-region of Kuala Lumpur Extended Mega Urban Region as one of the key region to enhance and spearhead the economic growth towards a developed nation status in 2020. Currently the region is home to 10 million residents about 31% of the total population of Malaysia. This figure is expected to increase to 12 million people in 2030. The main aim is to transform Greater Kuala Lumpur and Klang Valley Region into a highly connected city where people can access many facilities, opportunities and services being liveable as a vibrant urban metropolis. It also aspires to be among the top 20 most liveable cities globally by 2030. For the past several decades Kuala Lumpur has greatly expanded and diffused through the connection of smaller towns and urban centres such as Putrajaya, Shah Alam, Petaling Jaya, Klang, Kajang, Selayang, Ampang Jaya and Sepang. This expansion process undoubtedly has encroached into forest areas and green spaces in Greater Kuala Lumpur and Klang Valley Region, consequently reducing the natural resources of the area. The diffused nature of urban expansion has also fragmented the available forests and green spaces. As a result the areas are small, isolated and scattered in the Greater Kuala Lumpur and Klang ValleyRegion. Even though the areas are small, they are significant in protecting and conserving urban flora and fauna. This paper explores the pattern and scale of fragmentation of forests and green spaces in connection with the urbanization processes. The paper also provides information on these urban and peri-urban forests, their characteristics and locations and their crucial roles for recreational and outdoors activities as well as ecosystem services provided to city residents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Home ownership is one key factor of the principles of livability towards achieving liveable city. In addition, there are also many factors affecting home ownership which includes income, location and accessibility factor. Various issues have been discussed by the Government of Malaysia in addressing the concern of home ownership, especially for the middle- and low-income groups in many cities in Malaysia. Using the case of Kajang city, this article aims to achieve the objective of identifying the major factors affecting home ownership for liveable city focusing the middle-income earners. Purposive sampling was used and in-depth interviews method were conducted with 41 potential homebuyer, 60 homeowners and 20 housing experts representing the Federal Government agencies, State Government agencies, Municipal Government, Developers, Banks and Real Estate-Related Consultant. The result of the study shows that the main factors affecting home ownership are income, housing loan scheme, location, government role, developer role, PR1MA affordable housing scheme, construction cost, Bumiputera quotas, lifestyle, quality of life, real estate investment and transfer, assessment/property tax, land ownership by foreigners and ownership title. The findings show that the Kajang City is an example of a city that can contribute to the affordable housing strategy requirements towards achieving liveable city. The findings also will help key stakeholder in addressing the main issues of housing affordability in the State of Selangor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dengue outbreak has proliferated around the developing countries, including Malaysia. Thus, understanding the distribution pattern is essential for urbanization livelihood. The objective of this study is to determine the trend of dengue cases reported from the year 2014 to 2018 and the spatial pattern for dengue spread concerning weather elements in Bangi town. Pearson's correlation analysis found that temperature element (r = -0.269) was negatively correlated with dengue cases for the year 2014 and 2018; however, rainfall amount (r = 0.286) and rain days (r = 0.250) were positively correlated with dengue cases in the year 2018. The rainfall element found to be a significant decisive factor-related for most study years compared to the temperature element. Therefore, climate change is the issue to the increase of dengue fever. Most tropical countries where dengue is more likely to spread have underdeveloped health care systems, meanwhile the primary disease prevention and control problems are growing. New efforts to prevent and monitor climate change and the occurrence of dengue, including new methods of vector control and dengue vaccine, are essential to address possible effects of climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are many ways children in Malaysia learn about the environment. They are thought about environment through subjects in school, co-curricular activities held at the school and other parties particularly parents and family members who are closest to them, the media, NGOs and government agencies. Hence, this study was conducted to identify the sources of the children's environmental knowledge and their perceptions about the environment. Data were collected in November 4-14, 2014, i.e. at the end of second term of school session. A total of 480 pupils from four primary schools in three states was selected as respondents. Two instruments were used in the study, first was using questionnaires to determine the sources of pupils' knowledge about environment; and second using visual technique, i.e. drawings about the environment drawn by respondents to determine their perceptions about the environment based on the knowledge they acquired from school and other sources. The results showed that pupils generate knowledge about the environment mostly from classroom (98.3%), most of the components drawn in their drawings are biotic (97.3%), and their perception of a clean environment (96.3%) dominates the number of drawings. Based on this study, it can be concluded that the majority of pupils obtained their knowledge about the environment from the classroom. Hence, the students' hold perception that the environment has clean and safe characteristics. This study showed that the importance for close engagement process especially with teachers are the important factors to ensure that the children knowledge about the environment is futher enhanced and have a significant impact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The seriousness of e-waste problem is down to three realities: exponential increase in total amount, environmental degradation and health complications. A call for sustainable e-waste management is no longer a utopian ambition but an absolute necessity. In accordance to that, this study aims to evaluate e-waste management practices in three Asian countries: Japan, Taiwan, and Malaysia, and consequently propose recommendations and insights for Malaysia on how to manage e-waste in a sustainable manner. The comparative analysis is conducted based on three central aspects comprising governance, infrastructure, and stakeholders' participation. The outcome of this study indicates that e-waste management needs to be initiated by comprehensive regulations that are focussed on proper e-waste handling and stakeholders' accountability. Besides, it has to be accompanied by robust infrastructure where appropriate mechanisms and effective enforcement are taking place. Finally, active participation from relevant stakeholders through involvement, support and compliance is crucial. On the whole, developing a sustainable e-waste management system is not an easy endeavour; it requires sufficient effort, capital, and time while complemented with continuous improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Life cycle assessment (LCA) was applied to evaluate the environmental performance of the cockle farming activity in Malaysia. The study was conducted by a mid-point approach following the ISO 14040 series of standard and CML-IA Baseline V3.01 method using SimaPro 8 software. A total often impact categories were selected namely abiotic depletion (ABD), global warming potential (GWP), ozone layer depletion (OLD), human toxicity (HT), freshwater ecotoxicity (FET), marine aquatic ecotoxicity (MET), terrestrial ecotoxicity (TET), photochemical oxidation (PO), acidification (ACD), and eutrophication (EUT). Capital goods dominate the impact of HT (82.20%), ABD (81.72%), EUT (81.36%), FET (79.3%), PO (79.02%), MET (75.06%), TET (59.8%), and GWP (53.15%). Operational goods dominate OLD at 80.24% and ACD at 53% Fiberglass material dominated almost the entire environmental impact except for the eutrophication which was dominated by polypropylene. Harvesting process was identified as the main process contributed to the potential environmental impact in cockle farming. LCA is potentially expanded not only to the entire chain of cockle production, but also to put into practice other aquaculture systems in Malaysia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reports on the management and regulation of hazardous and toxic substances in Malaysia. Impact of the national strategy of Vision 2020 on the manufacture and use of hazardous and toxic substances in the country; Dangerous materials that are considered hazardous; Chemicals management in Malaysia.

Reports on the impact of the rapid growth of manufacturing industries on the production of industrial waste in Malaysia. Development of the manufacturing industry in the country; Aspect of resource management; Effect of manufacturing industry development on the economic growth of the country.

Dengue fever disease increases alongside urbanization rate in tropical countries. Hence, the need to visualize the distribution pattern of increases is vital for the management of dengue cases, especially in Malaysia. Thus, the dengue surveillance system is proposed for the monitoring of dengue cases using computer-generated modeling for spatial distribution patterns, which is important for management and control. The present study performed distribution and spatial pattern analysis of dengue cases reported in the growing Seremban district in Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia in 2008 and 2009. The purpose of the study is to evaluate the pattern of distribution and determine whether it is clustered or dispersed. A total of 1401 and 1056 cases for dengue-related diseases were reported by the Ministry of Health Malaysia in Seremban district in the years 2008 and 2009, respectively. Three spatial statistical analysis were conducted: Spatial mean center, directional distribution, and standard distant on distribution of dengue cases reported. This study found that the distribution pattern for dengue cases is clustered. Spatial mean center and directional distribution for both sets of years have slight differences. Meanwhile, standard distance for dengue cases reported in the year 2008 is 22,085.82 m, which is bigger than dengue cases reported in 2009, showing a standard distance of 20,318.35 m. More sets of cases throughout years are required in further studies to identify factors that contribute to dengue epidemiology in the Seremban district undergoing urbanization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Malaysia is facing an increasing trend in industrial solid waste generation due to industrial development. Thus, there is a paramount need in taking practical actions and measurements to move toward sustainable industrial waste management. The main aim of this study is to assess practicing solid waste minimization by manufacturing firms. Analysis showed that majority of firms (92%) dispose of their wastes rather than utilize other sustainable waste management options. Also, waste minimization methods such as segregation of wastes, on-site recycle and reuse, improved housekeeping, and equipment modification were found to have significant contribution to waste reduction (p < 0.05). Lack of expertise (M = 3.50), lack of enough information (M = 3.54), lack of equipment modification (M = 3.16), and lack of specific waste minimization guidelines (M = 3.49) have higher mean score comparing with other barriers in different categories. These data were interpreted for elaborating on SWOT and TOWS (strengths, weaknesses, threats, and opportunities) matrix to highlight strengths, weaknesses, threats, and opportunities. Subsequently, ten policies were recommended for improvement of practicing waste minimization by manufacturing firms as the main objective of this research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]