KUCHING: Youths are encouraged to engage in ecopreneurship, which is not only beneficial to the environment and community, but also has the potential to generate significant returns in the long run.

The call was made by the organisers as well as speakers at the recently concluded Youth Green X-Change (YGXC) Ecopreneurship Workshop held on on Nov 4 and 5.

The workshop was co-organised by Natural Resources and Environment Board (NREB) Sarawak and Sarawak Energy, with key collaborators Angkatan Zaman Mansang Sarawak (AZAM), Trienekens (Sarawak) Sdn Bhd, the Regional Centre of Expertise (RCE) Kuching and World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Malaysia.

“The event was part of an ongoing Youth Green X-Change (YGXC) programme, a multi-partner environmental education and youth engagement programme initiated by NREB and its partners.

“Its primary goal is to engage with local youth so that they, too, can play a more active role in protecting the environment in Sarawak, while also ensuring youth inclusion in the global agenda of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),” it said in a statement on Sunday (Nov 7).

According to NREB’s Controller of Environmental Quality Peggy Ronin Edin, in order for ecopreneurship or green enterprise to thrive, the industry must create a supportive ecosystem that includes not only young entrepreneurs but also young innovators and scientists, young creative talents, youth advocates, and young government executives.

Sector Head of Environment and Sustainability Development Economic Planning Unit (EPU) Sarawak Dr. Kho Lip Khoon, mentioned in his presentation that “in the Green Economy Policy for Sarawak, EPU are planning to be a fast-growing inclusive green economy by 2030, which includes three main components, namely Environment, Social, and Economy”.

Meanwhile, Founder of WormingUp Jeff Wee, a Kuching-based award-winning ecopreneur, shared that as an ecopreneur, various challenges such as credibility as a start-up, hiring the right people, financial, market problem, legal, and technology development must be faced with an open heart.

Workshop facilitator Nina Othman urged Sarawak youths to take advantage of the state government’s green economy plan in encouraging policy and supportive system by venturing into eco enterprise.

About 20 people, including representatives from local startups, community-based and youth non-profit organisations, undergraduates, government officers, and members of the corporate sector, took part in the online workshop.