The Consumer’s Association of Penang (CAP) joined 22 countries across the world to observe Green Action Week (GAW) 2021.
Their theme this year is “Sharing Community”.
Their aim is to promote the importance of sharing and collaboration within local communities to reduce unsustainable consumption globally.
GAW is a global campaign to promote sustainable consumption across the globe through awareness-raising, training and educational activities. GAW is an initiative by the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation (SSNC), starting in Sweden in 1990 and growing to become an international partnership from 2010, carried out in coordination with Consumers International (CI).
CAP is a member of CI. The GAW campaign by CAP started off with an online fair on 2 October 2021 where women shared their urban gardening ventures, youths shared tips on how to make herbal drinks and a teenager shared methods of making mung bean sprouts and flower-pot from coconut shells.
CAP also popularised seed saving and sharing, elaborating on seed preparation methods based on CAP’s seed saving pictorial guide.
CAP is currently running a series of interviews of urban dwellers who have successfully incorporated CAP gardening tips and advice in nurturing their backyards and gardens.
Others can learn from the experience shared by them on how growing plants increases their well-being in everyday life, builds community ties, and connects with the earth.
“Today we are sharing saplings of herbs and seeds and also demonstrating simple ways to include herbs in your daily life. An online session with the theme “From Garden to Plate” will be conducted tomorrow morning to reach out to more consumers,” said CAP president Mohideen Abdul Kader.
The GAW is now in the fourth year of the focus on ‘Sharing Community’. The culture of sharing which was part and parcel of our tradition had slowly eroded due to the rise in individualism, materialism and conspicuous consumption. We must revive the tradition of sharing, connect local communities and promote collaborative consumption.
One of the reflections in the collective review of the Global Green Action Week 2020 is that the pandemic proved that sharing community is not a luxury that can be put on hold to prioritise crisis response – it is part of the necessary response to that crisis.
“In Malaysia and globally we have seen how individuals, families and groups have come out to help those in need. They shared food, basic necessities, or donated money for the cause. In whatever small way you are sharing, it brings happiness to both you and the people you share with.
‘Sharing and giving should become second nature to us. Let’s reignite the culture of sharing and build a sustainable future for all, ‘ said Mohideen.
All guests and media members were also presented with various plants at the end of the gathering.