CIMB employees to champion organic food recycling and urban farming through the Foundation’s longstanding Community Link programme

KUALA LUMPUR, July 14 (Bernama) -- CIMB Foundation today took the sustainability concept a few notches higher by supporting its employees’ green initiative through the Zero Waste & Urban Farm Community project, aimed at recycling organic food waste into usable compost for farming. It was launched at Sekolah Kebangsaan Taman Tun Dr. Ismail (“SKTTDI”) 1, and is very timely given that Malaysians produce 15,000 tonnes^[1] of food waste daily. From that amount, an estimated 8,000 tonnes could have been redistributed while 3,000 tonnes eventually end up in landfills. The project is financed by the Foundation’s Community Link programme, which aims to encourage as many CIMB employees as possible to undertake meaningful CSR projects in their local communities.
 
The project is executed in collaboration with AXILE Consulting Sdn. Bhd., a consulting company who ideated the Zero Waste & Urban Farm Community project as part of their CSR efforts. It was officiated by Dato’ Hamidah Naziadin, CEO of CIMB Foundation, together with Ahmad Shazli Kamarulzaman, Deputy CEO of CIMB Group Commercial Banking, Ramnah Darus, Principal of SKTTDI (1), and Azlan Yaacob, Managing Director of AXILE Consulting Sdn. Bhd.  
 
Through this model, SKTTDI (1) will be able to compost their food waste using the composting machines which will be permanently stationed at the school and could produce compost within just 24 hours. The initiative was earlier  piloted at the Masjid At-Taqwa and the local police station in Taman Tun Dr. Ismail, during which 15 kilograms of compost was produced for local residents to freely use. In the next few months, CIMB Foundation will install five composting machines permanently at strategic places in TTDI while volunteers from CIMB and AXILE Consulting Sdn. Bhd. will train the local communities on using the machine, and on establishing urban farms.
 
Dato’ Hamidah Naziadin said, “We are pleased to support this zero-waste and urban farming project, which fits in well with the Foundation’s bigger sustainability goals. Through our Community Link programme, we are truly encouraged by highly practical staff-proposed initiatives that empower local communities to resolve basic issues with meaningful outcomes. Over the years, our staff have championed many small causes which are easily scalable, which have been the driving success of our Community Link programme nationwide since its inception in 2007.”   
 
This year, CIMB Foundation’s Community Link environmental sustainability efforts also include the construction of “micro hydro” system to provide 30 families in Long Resingan, Sarawak, with a lifetime supply of electricity and water, the provision of portable solar systems to 120 families in Bentong, Pahang and Lawas, Sarawak and a full-scale solar power system for a kindergarten in Long Lamam, Ulu Baram Sarawak.

About CIMB Foundation
 
CIMB Foundation is a non-profit organisation set up to implement CIMB Group’s corporate social responsibility and philanthropic initiatives. Established in November 2007, CIMB Foundation is tasked with strategising and implementing corporate responsibility initiatives, disbursing millions to various programmes related to community development, sports and education. 
 
The Foundation believes in long-term sustainable growth and giving back to society. Its initiatives are aimed at empowering communities in a transparent, measurable and accountable way to enable them to be independent and enhance development. The Foundation focuses on three specific areas: Community Development, Sports and Education.
 
In the past 10 years, CIMB Foundation has disbursed about RM120 million through 962 projects benefiting 700,000 people in the communities served by CIMB Group, making CIMB Foundation one of ASEAN's leading CSR champions.

[1] Data by Solid Waste Management & Public Cleansing Corporation
  
Source : CIMB Group

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT: 
Name : Suria Zainal
Group Corporate Communications 
Group CEO’s Office
CIMB Group Holdings Berhad
Tel : +603 - 2261 0638 
Email : suriawati.zainal@cimb.com

--BERNAMA