1 Utama’s green initiative
 In light of the pressing concerns plaguing the earth and our environment, it’s heartening to find that a Malaysian shopping centre has taken a decidedly eco-friendly stance. Indeed, 1 Utama in Bandar Utama has become a pioneering force behind environmental initiatives. Through their ‘Go Green’ community programme, they hope to create awareness amongst their shoppers on various environmental issues. The mall has already put several outreach programmes in motion under the ‘Go Green’ banner. Their ‘Feed-The-Fish charity campaign’, for example, teaches people, and especially children, to care about animals. Initiated in 2004, the ongoing campaign takes place in the award-winning Rainforest, a flourishing tropical habitat located in the middle of this busy shopping centre.
Over 3,000 koi fish live in the Rainforest and it takes a lot to keep them well fed. So, the mall sponsors, packages and sells fish food packets to shoppers for RM2.00 a packet on weekends, from 11.00 a.m. to 6.00 p.m. All proceeds of the sales are donated to Zoo Negara, in particular, the continued ‘adoption’ of Teriang, a 28 year old Malaysian elephant. On average, RM10,000.00 is collected and donated each year to the charity’s beneficiary. Due to the overwhelming response, a custom made Feed-The-Fish kiosk was built in 2008 for the convenience of shoppers. The attractive kiosk is cheerfully decorated with images of Teriang and koi fishes. Also available are Zoo Negara brochures for visitors to pick up and browse.
Another exciting campaign is the ‘Recycle-A-Bottle charity campaign’, which encourages shoppers to recycle plastic water bottles. In a corporate partnership with local recycler Wespack Waste Management, all proceeds of the recycling initiative go to Zoo Negara. The mall’s knack for combining shopping-related habits with eco-friendly practices continues with the ‘Go Green without Wrapping’ campaign, which discourages the use of wrapping paper in an effort to reduce paper wastage and save trees. In place of wrappers, shoppers are encouraged to use gift tags and stickers which are available for free at their Customer Service Centres. In another effort to reduce waste, this time of plastic bags, the mall has even given away foldable and reusable shopping bags during promotional periods. From time to time, they also organise interactive shopper events such as “Go Green – Get to Grips with Climate Change”, which was held during this year’s World Environment Day.
Let’s hope that more and more shopping centres and corporate bodies in Malaysia will take an active part in green initiatives, like those undertaken by 1 Utama, to help reduce their carbon footprint and educate customers on the importance of going green. One thing’s for sure though, 1 Utama will undoubtedly continue to set new standards in corporate responsibility, and we can expect many great things from them in the years to come. To find out more about this progressive mall, visit: http://www.1utama.com.my
* Adline A. Ghani is an assistant museum curator tandem mummy who resides in Petaling Jaya. This multi-tasker is also pursuing her Masters in Art and Design.
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