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On 12 December 2009, more than 150 Go Green volunteers from GSSC Malaysia and Standard Chartered Bank Malaysia and their family & friends toiled for 8 hours at the National
Zoo to make 25,000 Effective Micro-organism (EM) mud balls.
Developed by Japanese horticulturist Teruo Higa, ‘Effective Micro-organisms’(EM) are a potent combination of different types of micro-organisms which can positively affect decomposing
material derived from the settling of organic matter such as leaves, algae, pollen, seeds etc. Besides being used in agriculture, animal husbandry, compost and waste management,
EM has been found effective in improving the water quality of rivers and lakes.
Under the project, a total of 39,000 mudballs which are packed with EM, will be made and thrown into the National Zoo’s lake on 6 March 2010 to improve its water quality, thus
benefiting aquatic life, birds, plants and other animals depending on the lake for their survival. The lake will see increased levels of oxygen in the water and reduced sludge and turbidity.
The job of mixing soil, rice bran and EM liquid by a total of 17 teams throughout the day proved to be an “extreme workout” for most, but all were proud and happy to have contributed
to the start of an important process that will create cleaner and healthier conditions in and around the lake. Purification of the lake water is only one aspect of the program; the other
is creating awareness and educating people on the dangers of water pollution which threatens all life. It is hoped that the experience and the message from the program will lead to
positive attitudes toward conservation and preservation of one of the world’s most important natural resource, Water.
The near term goal is to have a beautiful, clearer and cleaner lake for both the animals and visitors. Best practices gained from this programme can be then shared with other
communities, organizations; locally and globally to inspire and encourage similar sustainability activities that will make a difference for future generations.
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