IGEM 2017 Empowers Malaysia's Youth

PR Newswire

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, Oct. 13, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The 8th International Greentech & Eco Products Exhibition & Conference Malaysia (IGEM 2017) concluded today bringing to a close the most youth-centric exhibition over its eight-year history. Close to 1,000 students from around 50 universities and 106 schools attended the three-day event, participating in a range of activities and programmes that equipped them with greater understanding and appreciation of green technology and sustainable practices.

Symbolising this increased emphasis on youth, for the first time ever; IGEM featured a University Pavilion featuring representatives from Universiti Malaya (UM), Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), Universiti Teknologi Petronas (UTP) and Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) showcasing their innovations on a global platform to leading businesses and decision makers. Beyond this, IGEM collaborated with Yayasan Hijau (YaHijau) to organise several in-depth and exciting activities for visiting students.

"Youth are the future of our country and the lessons we instil in them today will forge the foundations for a cleaner and greener Malaysia tomorrow. This is why IGEM continues to expand its focus and emphasis within the youth community through interactive and engaging programmes that empower students to become future leaders," said Ministry of Energy, Green Technology and Water (KeTTHA), Secretary General, Dr. Ir. Zaini bin Ujang.

"Over the course of IGEM 2017, we have successfully brought together students and teachers from all across Malaysia to witness and experience innovative eco-friendly technologies alongside hundreds of international leaders and subject matter experts," he added.

A key initiative carried out during IGEM 2017 was the Karnival Inovasi Teknologi Hijau 2017 organised by the Ministry of Education Malaysia, YaHijau and Centre for Education and Research in Renewable Energy (CETREE). The three-day programme saw 320 secondary school students from across Malaysia gain a first-hand experience of sustainable technology concepts and practices through competitions, challenges and quizzes.

"I am proud to say that the Karnival Inovasi Teknologi Hijau has been a tremendous success. We set out with the aim to inspire a new generation of green enthusiasts and from the feedback we have received from the teachers and students involved, I am happy to report that we have certainly met those goals," said YaHijau, Chief Executive Officer, Amin Abdullah.

"Across the three-days, we have successfully imparted knowledge on the invaluable benefits of green technology among secondary school students in an interactive manner with specialised challenges and activities, pushing them to think of out-of-the-box and discover creative greener approaches to carrying out daily activities," he added.

The programme featured seven specially developed activities designed to familiarise the participants with the diversity of green technology. Among the activities carried out were the Green Cooker Challenge, Inovasi Tenaga Biojisim, Green Technology Show, Reka Cipta Inovasi Teknologi Hijau, Reka Bentuk Bandar Hijau, Solar Vehicle Challenge, Green Technology Quiz and Xplorace.

"I am grateful to have participated in the Karnival and I am proud to have been part of the winning team. As an aspiring architect, the competition helped me take the first steps towards realising my ambitions, teaching me how important incorporating green technology, such as solar panels, rainwater harvesting and waste management systems, can be in creating a truly green and low carbon city," said Muhammad Iman bin Azhar from a school in Melaka, member of the winning team in the Reka Bentuk Bandar Hijau competition.

Aiming to utilise IGEM 2017 as a platform to further spread green awareness among young Malaysians, Malaysian Green Technology Corporation (GreenTech Malaysia) and YaHijau collaborated to organise UnivTour @ IGEM 2017. The three-day initiative reached out to close to 50 higher education institutions, convening over 450 students from the fields of Engineering, Architecture, Automotive, Built Environment, Sustainable Energy Management and more.

The UnivTour @ IGEM 2017 consisted of two separate programmes, the first being the Journey to Astana Symposium which provided a platform for the students and lecturers to share their learnings and experiences from participating in the EXPO 2017 Astana, Kazakhstan, where they showcased their end-staged commercialised products and university programmes. The second programme was the IGEM 2017 exhibition University Tour where students were taken on guided tours of the show floor allowing them to explore the latest sustainable solutions from some of the world's leading green innovators.

IGEM is organised by the Ministry of Energy, Green Technology and Water and co-organised by GreenTech Malaysia. It has been held annually for eight consecutive years since 2010, generating an estimated RM10 billion in business leads, featuring 2,300 exhibitors and attracting more than 383,000 visitors from over 50 countries including delegates, dignitaries and companies from China, Germany, Japan, the Netherlands, Korea, Sweden and the United States of America.

For further details on IGEM 2017, please visit www.igem.my.

About the Ministry of Energy, Green Technology and Water

The Ministry of Energy, Green Technology and Water (MEGTW) (Kementerian Tenaga, Teknologi Hijau dan Air – KeTTHA) was established on 9 April 2009. KeTTHA is responsible for formulating policies, establishing legal frameworks and regulating development project in the Energy, Green Technology and Water sectors which are under the purview of the Ministry.

About GreenTech Malaysia

Malaysian Green Technology Corporation or GreenTech Malaysia is an organisation under the purview of the Ministry of Energy, Green Technology and Water Malaysia (KeTTHA), charged with the development and promotion of green technology as a strategic engine for socio-economic growth in Malaysia.

Photo - https://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20171013/1965613-1

SOURCE Malaysian Green Technology Corporation (GreenTech Malaysia)