Equitable efforts: Loo (left) during the bamboo harvesting training with the Orang Asli community.
PETALING JAYA: SEAD, an organisation dedicated to sustainable development that started as a small initiative, has built a 4,000ha bamboo social forestry asset in collaboration with the Orang Asli communities.
SEAD Industries executive director and founder Lucas Loo said the project, which began years ago, is on track to becoming Malaysia’s first-ever FSC-certified (Forest Stewardship Council) bamboo forestry asset.
“We have had our ups and downs but overall, we have grown in ways we had never imagined when we first started.
“We never thought that we would be building a 4,000ha bamboo social forestry asset with the Orang Asli communities so soon but now, we are on track,” he said in an interview.
The community-based organisation specialises in the use of bamboo as a sustainable solution for built environments, land restoration and community empowerment.
In 2022, SEAD was named as one of the 10 winners of the Star Golden Hearts Award (SGHA) under the organisation (environment and wildlife) category.
Loo said the recognition opened up various opportunities and avenues for the organisation to grow even further.
He added that several parties reached out to SEAD for partnerships and knowledge sharing in sustainable construction – these include well-established property developers and firms.
“The media attention we received definitely paved the way for SEAD in the design and construction industry.
“We have valuable inquiries and projects to work on and companies are beginning to understand the carbon offset value of building with bamboo versus mainstream concrete, wood and steel.
“Well-known property developers, architectural firms and industrial designers have recognised our contributions and efforts, and some have reached out to us to start long-term partnerships on significant projects.
“Besides aesthetic reasons, bamboo, as a rapidly renewable material, has a tensile strength comparable with steel,” Loo said.
Through its volunteering programme, SEAD’s ecosystem regeneration initiative has captured the hearts of public volunteers and institutional participants over the past year.
“That helped us create better awareness of the importance of bamboo as nature’s solution in repairing and transforming heavily degraded lands into robust and useful plots,” he added.
Running for the 10th year since 2015, the SGHA is an annual award by The Star that celebrates everyday Malaysians who leave a positive impact on society while promoting unity among the people.
This year, the accolades will be presented to 10 winners, with each receiving a cash award of RM15,000 on top of exclusive media publicity across Star Media Group’s various platforms to amplify their selfless efforts for society.
For more details, visit www.sgha.com.my.
