UBD Volunteering and Charity Club

STUDENTS of Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD) are keen to become role models and set an example for the next generation by taking the initiative to create a "greener Brunei".

Putting words into action, more than 60 students at the university yesterday planted trees around the campus as part of UBD's "green project workshop".

Faculty of Science student Linji Liaw, 21, was one of the volunteers. "There aren't many heath (kerangas) forests in our country anymore, so I want to contribute by rehabilitating the area by planting trees."

Liaw added that students such as herself understand and recognise that the Sultanate is currently putting emphasis on the "green factor".

"We want to set an example for our peers and locals to start planting trees in order to create a greener Brunei," she said.

Fellow student volunteer, 21-year-old Li Pei Fen from the Faculty of Science said she was very keen on rehabilitating the forests around the campus. "This is a good cause and I want to be a role model for our youths," she said.

A student from the Academy of Brunei Studies, Nursyazwani Roslan, who "adopted" a tree for $40, said she was very excited to plant it as the students were the first from UBD to undertake such an initiative.

"Nowadays, it is so important to plant trees because of global warming. We need to create a greener atmosphere so people can breathe fresh air," she said.

Adding that she was passionate about the environment, she said that it was important for others to realise and "wake up".

"By doing this today, I hope to be a role model for the next generation of students at UBD and at other schools because we have to start young if we want to save our environment," Nursyazwani said.

Pg Mohd Ali Pg Anak Rosledzana, 20, a student at the Institute of Medicine, said he took part in the initiative because he wanted to help restore the forests around UBD that were recently razed by wildfires.

"It just feels like the right thing to do because these forests surround us and now there are hardly any kerangas left," he said.

He hoped the initiative would become an annual event as it is for a good cause. "I also hope I can be a role model for our juniors and that they will follow our steps in the near future," he added.

The Brunei Times