By Aneesha Melvina Sakayanthan – 5th October 2019 @ 10.15pm
PENANG: Kampus Sejahtera made its first step to make Convocation Expo (ConvEx) plastic-free. Two weeks ago, in conjunction with USM’s Convocation Expo, Kampus Sejahtera held a campaign called ‘Road to Be a Hero’. The purpose of this campaign is to encourage USM citizens to bring their own container while buying foods at ‘Tapak Convex’ and to reduce the usage of single use plastic such as straws and plastic bags.
The campaign’s card with mini tasks in it where distributed among students who came to shop at Tapak Convex. The challenge was to complete the mini tasks that was stated in the card and claim the stamp from Kampus Sejahtera members at their booth after showing the evidence. The tasks were including bringing their own tupperware to pack the food, not taking straws and plastic bags while buying food and to post their environmental actions in social media with '#USMgreen'. The students who managed to collect all the stamps were awarded with myCSD point.
Other than that, the whale statue built by Kampus Sejahtera team drew the crowds' attention too. After weeks of hardwork, the whale statue was finally placed at the entrance of Tapak Convex a few days before the campaign was started. It was fully made out of plastic to indicate the sufferings of aquatic life due to plastic dumping in the sea.
The campaign was a success as the number of students who managed to collect all the stamps was more than expected by the organizing team. Kampus Sejahtera also hope that this effort will encourage USM citizens to avoid plastic usage in their daily life and lead a sustainable lifestyle.
