10.3 - Practices in Environmental Sustainability

Sustainable Practices

• Sustainable practices ensure sufficient natural resources for all current and future life forms.
• Practices must prevent pollution, protect ecosystem capacity and avoid development that threatens human health or quality of life.
• Environment-friendly transport:
  • Use bicycles, hybrid vehicles or electric vehicles.
  • Carpool.
  • Use buses, commuters, monorails, Light Rail Transit (LRT), Electric Train Service (ETS) and KLIA Express/KLIA Transit.
• Energy saving:
  • Use electricity wisely because the main source of electrical energy is the burning of non-renewable fossil fuels such as petrol and diesel.
  • Reduces the release of pollutants such as carbon monoxide.
• 5R’s concept reduces waste disposal: Rethink, Repair, Reuse, Reduce, Recycle.
• Alternative renewable energy:
  • Generated from natural resources such as the sun, wind, waves, water, geothermal energy and biomass.
  • Cleaner, easier and safer.
• Management of domestic and toxic waste:
  • The Department of Environment coordinates waste-disposal activities, sets maximum waste-production limits, and controls licences according to the category, content, quantity and risks of waste.
  • Upcycling turns old materials into new, attractive and creative items and reduces waste sent to landfills.
• Biological control: Controls pest populations using their natural enemies and reduces pesticide use; owls control rats in oil-palm plantations.
• Water saving: Reuse water or collect rainwater to water plants and wash vehicles.
• Sustainability initiatives: Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Local Agenda 21 balance social, economic and environmental needs.

Food Security

• Food security: Assurance of food availability, sufficient access to food and safe food utilisation.
• Four components:
  1. Availability of food: Sufficient high-quality food from domestic markets or imports.
  2. Access to food: Food is easily obtained to meet nutritional dietary needs.
  3. Food utilisation: Ability to obtain sufficient nutrients through food, clean water, and proper food processing and preparation.
  4. Food stability: Every individual has access to sufficient nutritious food at all times.
• Halal is an important element: food must be produced in a clean environment using hygienic and orderly methods from the farm to the final product.
• Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) and Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) also emphasise high-quality, hygienic, healthy and safe food-production processes.
• Malaysia’s food-security measures include the National Agro-Food Policy (NAP) 2012 and the Dasar Jaminan Bekalan Makanan Negara, drafted after the 2008 world food crisis.