Earth Matters

There are over 370 million Indigenous peoples from around the world, and they are among the most impoverished, marginalised and frequently victimized people in the world.

The UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, formed following years of discussion within the UN system with Indigenous representatives, provides a framework for addressing these issues.

Chief Wilton Littlechild, Commissioner of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada and Dr Ramy Bulan, Director of the Centre For Malaysian Indigenous Studies. explain how the adoption of this Declaration can result in significant improvements in the global situation of indigenous peoples.

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The Living Planet Report (LPR) is the world's leading science-based analysis that documents the changing state of biodiversity, ecosystems and humanity’s consumption of natural resources.

The basic result of the 2010 report doesn't look too good - humanity are apparently consuming 50% more natural resources than the earth can sustain.

Dato Dr. Dionysius Sharma, Executive Director and CEO of WWF-Malaysia demystifies the findings of this year's report, and tell us what needs to be done to reverse this alarming trend.

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The Mubin Sheppard Memorial Prize (MSMP) is a competition designed by Badan Warisan Malaysia, to raise awareness among our younger members of society, about the built heritage of Malaysia.

Badan Warisan member and former chaiperson of the MSMP, Kamariyah Kamsah explains this competition and grant scheme, and why it's so important to educate the young about our past to ensure its survival in the future.

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Putting worms to work is something Lim Kok Leong knows best.

He talks about the benefits of vermicomposting, a composting method that utilizes various species of worms to convert organic materials into nutrient-rich organic fertilizer and soil conditioners.

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Steve McCoy, founder and principal of Counterpoint, and Toh Su Mei, advisor of Wild Asia, advise on ways to adopt and sustain an eco-friendly lifestyle.

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Bukit Gasing is a quaint green lung which straddles the border of Petaling Jaya and Kuala Lumpur. Once a rubber plantation, it is now a secondary forest and is a favourite among nature lovers, hikers and anyone looking for a reprieve from the urban jungle.

Now, a large part of Bukit Gasing on the Kuala Lumpur side is set to be developed and made into luxury bungalows.

Joint Action Committee for Bukit Gasing members, Victor Oorjitham and Gary Yeoh, join us to talk about the safety issues that hill slope developments present, both in Bukit Gasing and around Peninsula Malaysia, while sharing with us their continuing efforts to save Bukit Gasing.

You can find out more about their work here: http://savebukitgasing.wordpress.com

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Environmentalist Gurmit Singh of the Centre for Environment, Technology and Development, Malaysia (CETDEM) talks about the benefits and viability of organic farming in the Malaysian environment.

Find out how you too can go organic and start your very own organic farm, and also about the 5th Malaysian Organic & Natural Products Exhibition, organised by CETDEM.

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Ecopreneur Joanne Lim resigned from her cushy career and embarked on her green passion by setting up Green Sentral (http://www.greensentral.com) to arm Malaysians with information and choices on how to adopt a more sustainable and environmentally-friendly lifestyle.

Find out how you too can jump on the Green Wagon and make some simple changes to save our environment.

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Aidah Mokhtar and Anas Zubedy talk about what Hari Raya means to them, comparing Aidilfitri celebrations of yesterday with those of today.

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As we celebrate the many things we've achieved and built as a nation these past 53 years, Andrew Sebastian of the Malaysian Nature Society encourages us to also reflect on the many natural wonders that Malaysia has to offer - those which have thus far been safe from the clearing tractor that is.

In this first of a two-part series, Andrew gives us his top picks of nature spots that every Malaysian should treasure and visit, in Peninsula Malaysia.

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