ECOLAWGY
Ecolawgy UM is a society established under the Faculty of Law, University of Malaya. Ecolawgy is a wordplay of Ecology, which means the study of organisms, the environment and how organisms interact with each other. The word ‘law’ in Ecolawgy is used to emphasise on the importance of environmental laws in tackling environmental issues, both domestically and globally. Essentially, Ecolawgy is a student-based platform that voices out environmental issues from the aspect of legal frameworks.
Ecolawgy was established in 2019 with the goal of encouraging youths to exchange their opinions and views on environmental issues, especially from the legal perspective.
We aspire to:
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Be the leading platform for students to voice and exchange views on matters concerning the environment and means to address those issues with pragmatic approaches
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Inculcate the spirit of altruism amongst youth to actively participate in environmental-related activities
Being part of the Faculty of Law, Ecolawgy UM remains committed to tackle environmental issues by reviewing policies, regulations and other legal frameworks as well as to organise academic discussions on issues relating to the environment in order to raise awareness on environmental issues among students and the general public.
Besides, Ecolawgy UM also hopes to inspire students to be agents of change in uncharted and unconventional areas for the benefit of the environment both domestically and globally.We aspire to be the leading platform for youths to channel and amplify their collective voices as well as a means to address those issues with pragmatic approaches as well as to inculcate the spirit of altruism amongst youth to actively participate in environmental-related activities.
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Past Events & Projects
2020
[Ecolawgy Webinar] The Law & The Environment
In conjunction with the IEMC 2021, Ecolawgy UM also took the initiative to equip the participants with more in-depth environmental law knowledge to better prepare for the competition. Thus, Ecolawgy's first ever virtual webinar, "The Law & The Environment" took place on 14th March, 2021, attracting over 80 participants.
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[Ecolawgy Sale] Eco-Loved 2020
Ecolawgy UM organises the Eco-sale annually. The Eco-sale is a fund-raising initiative while introducing eco-friendly practice among members of the faculty. Pre-loved and secondhand items such as books and clothes were donated and sold among the students. Eco-sale was rebranded as its virtual counterpart, Eco- loved, with the goal of inculcating the spirit of loving 3R (Reuse, Reduce, Recycle) habits in the era of fast fashion. For the past two years, we managed to attract over 50 participants.
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2021
[Panel Session] The Constitution & Our Environment: What does the Constitution say about preserving the Environment ?
In collaboration with UM Constitutional Team, Ecolawgy UM organised a panel session in December 2021 which successfully attracted over 60 participants.
In this session, Professor Dato’ Gurdial Singh Nijar and Mr Bryan Ng Yih Miin spoke on the role our constitution plays in protecting our environment. Although the constitution does not expressly provide for our rights to a clean and healthy environment, the prominent judgement in Tan Tek Seng v Suruhanjaya Perkhidmatan Pendidikan held that this is an implicit right found in Article 5 of the Federal Constitution, which guarantees the right to life.
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2022
[Green Initiative] Growth with Ecolawgy
This project has three main goals: firstly, to promote urban gardening and make it accessible to everyone. Not many know about the benefits of urban gardening. Through this programme, Ecolawgy aims to educate the public more on the benefits urban gardening brings, as well as where they should start since most people have a very hectic schedule now, it would be hard for them to research on the topic; secondly, to create a healthier lifestyle, since different plants have different benefits (filter indoor air, produce fruits and etc.). For example, aloe vera helps purifying the air by detoxing air and harmful chemicals around. Another example would be the Lavender plant which looks good and helps in reducing anxiety and providing a calm atmosphere through its floral smell; and lastly, Bring people closer to nature. By planting more plants, people will learn to appreciate nature more. Constantly seeing and being around plants help people feel calmer and more relaxed.
High Committee 2021/2022
Vice Secretary
Tharshini Santa Kumaran
Treasurer
Zulaika Zamaluddin
Director
Abby Si Xinyi
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Vice Director
Abdul Hafiz Nabil Mohd Abd Nasir
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Secretary
Nur Athirah binti Azli
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Annual Flagship Events
2019
[Ecolawgy Talk] Spilling the Tea on Treaties: Introduction to International Biodiversity Laws and Policies
Mr. Quek Yew Aun, an Administrative and Diplomatic Officer at the Ministry of Energy & Natural Resources gave a talk on centred around the Convention of Biological Diversity, which is a multilateral framework convention under the United Nations Environmental Programme. He elaborated on Malaysia's participation in the latter and the benefits that can be acquired through active participation.
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2020
[Moot Competition] Internal Environ-Moot Competition 2021
The University of Malaya Internal Moot Competition (IMC) is an annual tradition held to enhance students’ research and advocacy skills. In 2021, Ecolawgy UM and UM Moot Club joined forces in realising the success of Internal Environ-Moot Competition (IEMC) - a variant of the IMC which mainly focuses on domestic environmental issues.
The event took place on 10th and 11th April 2021. Amidst the COVID- 19 pandemic, IEMC became one of the leading virtual moot competitions held in the University of Malaya, with participation of more than 30 law students. We also had the honour of having a panel of judges consisting of knowledgeable legal practitioners recognised by the Malaysian Bar.
Ecolawgy UM also managed to secure 13,000 reach and 2,432 engagements on various social media platforms from passionate law students, legal practitioners as well as environment enthusiasts. WWF acted as the gold sponsor with supporting platinum sponsors including Abdullah Chan, Chong + Kheng Hoe and S Ravichandran & Annuar Advocates & Solicitors.
[E-Book Sale] Ecobook 2020/2021
The Ecobook Project by Ecolawgy UM is an online publication that encourages the consumption of environmental literature.
Contributed by faculty members and coordinated by the Ecolawgy team, the Ecobook Project supports and endorses the #MalaysiaMembaca campaign. More excitingly, this project is also paperless and utilises electronic platform entirely in an effort to be more environmentally friendly.
Essentially, the Ecobook is a collection of 25 multilingual poems, 9 intellectual academic pieces on environmental issues, self-help and other correlated topics.
2021
[Public Speaking Competition] Is the Future of Finance Green?
With the goal of exploring how environmental law intertwines with sustainability in the fincance sector as well as providing a platform for university students of all backgrounds to hone their advocacy skills, Ecolawgy UM organised a public speaking competition in collaboration with the Association of Malaysian Economic Undergraduate (AMEU) in November 2021. The competition which spanned over a month successfully received over 40 submissions in the preliminary round. Participants were made up of Malaysian undergraduates studying at universities from all over the globe - National University of Singapore (NUS), Nottingham University etc.
To better assist the participants in preparing for the competition, a panel session was also held. We had the honour of inviting Mr Anthonty Tan and Mr Aidil Iman as the keynote speakers.
Upcoming Initiatives
Berseni Dengan Ecolawgy
Berseni Dengan Ecolawgy is an internal initiative that aims to utilise creative media to further advocate for environmental literacy and discourse among youth. The usage of creative media makes discourse on environmental issues much more digestible and accessible.
Lex Aquatica
Lex Aquatica is a collaborative programme mainly directed by Mr Quek Yew Aun, a member of Ecolawgy UM. Mr Quek successfully secured the 7th Millennium Oceans Prize delivered by MCN and the Remmer Family Foundation.
Some initiatives under the Lex Aquatica include an infographic series, informative videos as well as academic forums centred around marine environmental issues based on international conventions such as UNCLOSE, BBNJ and CBD.
Contact Information
