BALIK PULAU, PULAU PINANG, 13 December 2025 – In a powerful demonstration of climate action, student volunteers from the Green Ambassadors, EPEHub@CGSS, and Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) transformed the muddy shoreline of Sungai Burung, Balik Pulau into a fledgling forest, planting 6,490 mangrove saplings in a single day.

The project is a strategic collaboration between the Environmental Protection and Education Hub, Centre for Global Sustainability Studies (EPEHub@CGSS, USM), JKS Voltsvan, the Penang Island City Council (MBPP), and the Penang State Forestry Department.

The initiative was driven by the leadership of Associate Professor Dr. Ng Theam Foo, coordinator of EPEHub@CGSS, alongside co-leader Dr. Mohd. Sukri Shafie, advisor of Green Ambassadors, with the diligent coordination of CGSS student intern, Khoo Jia Jie.

The planting session is a core component of JKS Voltsvan’s "Trip for Trees" programme.

This initiative seeks to offset the carbon footprint of an upcoming 27,000km overland journey from Malaysia to the United Kingdom across 18 countries in classic Volkswagen vans in 2026.

While the campaign has a local goal of planting 15,000 mangroves, the USM-led team successfully met their ambitious quota of 6,490 saplings well ahead of schedule.

The programme was participated by around 80 USM students as part of a larger group of approximately 260 volunteers that assemble at the Petak Arboretum, Balik Pulau planting site.

MBPP’s Landscape Department and the State Forestry Department played a crucial role by sponsoring the seedlings and providing a support crew to assist in the logistics of the massive operation.

The programme had been postponed a few times due to bad weather, but luckily, the weather was perfect on 13 December 2025.

Equipped with boots and gloves, student volunteers navigated the challenging terrain to reach bare patches in the forest.

For many students, the experience was as educational as it was impactful.

According to Zhang Xinyue, a final-year communication student, she noted that while the muddy terrain was initially exhausting, the teamwork made the achievement possible.

Another final-year mathematical sciences student, Alya Mohd Razula shared that the experience gave her a deeper appreciation for the ecosystem, saying "Seeing so many crabs everywhere up close made me realise how important mangroves are to marine ecology."

Meanwhile, K. Kavishene, an architecture student, highlighted the physical effort involved, explaining that locating bare patches and navigating safely through the mud made the task more meaningful than merely planting.

As for Ng, he hoped that this programme would have a long-term ecological impact through blue carbon, rather than merely being a planting activity.

He emphasized that “beyond carbon sequestration, the newly planted mangroves will serve as a vital natural barrier against coastal erosion, protecting biodiversity and preserving the Balik Pulau coastline for decades to come.”

To celebrate the milestone, JKS Voltsvan presented tokens of appreciation to the volunteers during a post-planting lunch, acknowledging the students as the driving force behind this successful climate initiative.

Overall, this meaningful initiative aligns with USM, national, and global sustainability goals.

Text & Photos: Khoo Jia Jie & Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ng Theam Foo, Centre for Global Sustainability Studies (CGSS), USM