KUALA LUMPUR, June 29 ― Providing electricity may be its core business but Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) is equally concerned about the environment.
The country’s largest electricity utility company recently exceeded its 10,000-benchmark, planting over 11,000 trees in its Tree for a Tree programme.
Working alongside several NGOs, local authorities and communities, TNB has been planting trees in various locations across the country since 2015.
“The idea behind the Tree for a Tree programme is not only to rejuvenate forests but to ‘re-green and reenergise’ urban public areas. The species of trees were carefully selected to suit each location,” said TNB’s senior general manager of corporate affairs, group corporate communications, Datuk Mohd Aminuddin Mohd Amin.
“Each species has a variety of properties that include filtering pollutants from waterways and anti-erosion.
“In addition to improving the environment, providing shade and lowering the temperature of the surrounding areas, these efforts will restore and balance ecosystems for animals to return to their habitats. This will in turn drive eco-tourism.”
Among the 75 species of trees that have been planted are the karas, merawan siput jantan, bintangor laut, bakau minyak and berembang.
They were planted in public parks and forest areas in 13 locations across Peninsular Malaysia, namely Kuala Lumpur, Setia Alam, Permas Jaya, Kangar, Nibong Tebal, Pendang, Kuala Selangor, Port Dickson, Klebang, Kuantan, Lumut, Kuala Berang and Hulu Terengganu.
“The Tree for a Tree programme underlines TNB’s commitment towards stimulating and restoring the environment. We hope this will encourage more corporations as well as individuals to do the same,” said Pertubuhan Pelindung Khazanah Alam Malaysia (Peka) president Puan Sri Shariffa Sabrina Syed Akil.
Apart from giving back to Mother Nature, the programme inculcates teamwork as well as a love for the environment among those involved.
“The first few weeks I returned frequently to water the young trees. Watching them grow gave me a sense of achievement and satisfaction, knowing that I had made a long-lasting positive contribution,” said TNB employee Saiful Ameen Harun, who lent a helping hand during one of the tree planting sessions in Setia Alam in Shah Alam, Selangor.
Universiti Tenaga Nasional (Uniten)student Mohamad Azfar Jaffar, who took time off to take part in the programme with his friends, explained: “We had great fun planting trees together but it was also an eye-opening experience for us.”
Through the programme, he discovered that not all the trees will survive and that the respective local councils might need to continue replanting them. Which is why he noted that it’s important to keep up the momentum.
“In addition to providing shade and creating a cooler climate, each species of tree attracts a diverse ecosystem of flora, fauna, birds and bugs,” added the 21-year-old.
On seeing the encouraging outcome of the programme Mohd Aminuddin said the company is considering Janda Baik in Bentong, Pahang, to benefit from the Tree for a Tree project.
“It’s an area that has sadly been ravaged by logging, pollution and industrial activities upstream. Needless to say, TNB is not responsible for any of these activities and we want to do what we can to help the communities clean up the waterways by selecting trees that can naturally help balance man’s impact on the environment. We hope this will also have the added benefit of revitalising eco-tourism in Janda Baik.”
The Tree for a Tree programme represents TNB’s corporate social responsibility investment of RM1.23 million to date.
