1. “Think . Eat . Save”
World Environment Day Celebration, and
MOU Signing Ceremony between DOE, and Higher Learning Institutions, Government Link
Companies, Multinational Companies, Private Companies and Non-Government
Organisations.
in Awana Longhouse, Genting Highland
5 June, 2013.
By Oliver Ling Hoon Leh (oliver3979@salam.uitm.edu.my; Face Book: Oliver Ling)
Human beings and other organisms are sharing the only one “Mother Earth” for the past, present and
future. It is our common responsibility to protect, manage and enjoy the resources of the earth.
However, not everyone really appreciates the importance of healthy and sustainable environment for
us. Thus, World Environment Day (WED) celebration has become one of the events to call for public
attention on the issue of environmental protection.
This year, the theme of WED is “Think.Eat.Save”. “Think.Eat.Save” is an anti-food waste and food loss
campaign that encourages us to reduce our footprint. According to the United Nations Environment
Programme (2013), every year 1.3 billion tonnes of food is wasted. This is equivalent to the same
amount produced in the whole of sub-Saharan Africa. At the same time, one in every seven people in
the world go to bed hungry and more than 20,000 children under the age of five die daily from hunger
(UNEP, 2013).
Thus, we should “think” first before making any decision on “what to eat?”, “how to eat?”, “where to
eat”, and “how much of food is necessary?” for the purpose to “save” our resources and food for others,
and future generations. The action of saving food is not only can preserve more food to feed more
people, but also can save our environment. It is because, the global food production sector occupies
25% of all habitable land and it is responsible for 70% of fresh water consumption, 80% of deforestation,
and 30% of greenhouse gas emissions (UNEP, 2013). It is the largest single driver of biodiversity loss and
land-use change (UNEP, 2013).
Besides the individual role in saving the earth through “Think.Eat.Save”, planning profession should also
play an aggressive role in preserving productive food production land, water catchment area, and the
environmental quality. The individual effort on reducing food wastage is equally important as the effort
of planner and decision maker to maintain the sustainability of our habitat.
Besides the issue of quantity, the quality and safety of food should not be compromised. Food should be
free from pollution from industrial and domestic waste, as well as residual of pesticide and chemical

2. fertiliser. Every human being should put the green agenda as our common agenda regardless our
differences in term of nationality, racial, political and religious believes.
MOU Signing Ceremony between DOE and NGOs,
including MIP (Presiden, Tn Hj Md Nazri Mohd Noordin).
MOU Signing Ceremony between DOE and Higher Learning Institutions.
With the Department of Environment’s effort to initiate the signing of Memorandum of Understanding
(MOU) between the department and various parties including Higher Learning Institutions, Government
Link Companies, Multinational Companies, Private Companies and Non-Government Organisations,
hopefully more parties will put their effort in preserving the sustainability of our habitat. However, the
common understanding on what should be and should not be done, and to what extent the

3. environment should be preserved, are not being clearly defined. There are few questions from the
author which can be the topics of discussion among members, who love the earth, i.e.:
i. What is the percentage of food, oxygen, and clear water demand that shall origin from the
individual ecosystem itself (within the city/district/state boundary)?
ii. What is the percentage of waste can be allowed to be disposed outside from the individual
ecosystem (beyond the city/district/state boundary)?
iii. What is the percentage of recycled or reused materials shall be used in producing a new
product?
iv. What is the type of diet which contributes to lower carbon emission/ecological footprint, and
healthier body? Vegetarian, vegan, or meat eating?
“Farmed livestock eat large quantities of grain, they belch methane, and they use land that might
otherwise be forest. To get a kilo of beef, the animal typically eats about eight kilos of grain. That corn or
wheat took energy to grow, required a lot of artificial fertilisers and then needed to be processed into a
cake for cattle. Some of the fertilisers applied to fields break down into nitrous oxide, a far more
powerful global warming gas than carbon dioxide. Cows and sheep emit methane as bacteria in their
digestive tracts digest the cellulose in plants. Worldwide, the gradual increase in the consumption of
meat creates pressure to cut down forests to create new pastureland and cropland for grains to help
feed the livestock.” (Goodall, 2009)
“A 10-acre piece of land can feed 60 people when used for the production of soybeans, 24 people when
used for wheat, 10 people when used for corn, and only a mere 2 people when used for cattle.
Meanwhile, one pound of wheat uses approximately 60 pounds of water while one pound of meat
requires about 2,500 to 6,000 pounds of water.” ( EPA , 2010)
Let it start from “me” to save our habitat, our lives, next generation … It is “my” responsibility!
References:
Goodall, C. (2009). Go Green, Go Vegan. TheGuardian. (http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cif-
green/2009/oct/27/vegan-vegetarian-stern-climate-change)
United Nations Environment Programme (2013). Think.Eat.Save - World Environment Day 5 June.
(http://www.unep.org/wed/theme/)
EPA (2010). Living without Meat. It’s Our Environment – EPA’s Blog about Our World.
(http://blog.epa.gov/blog/2010/04/living-without-meat/comment-page-8/)