OSK Property Cleans Up Balok Beach

OSK Property Cleans Up Balok Beach to help minimise impact on marine ecosystem and create awareness among the general public.

Balok Beach, Kuantan, October 23, 2016: More than 200 people took part in the Beach Clean-up event today, comprising of OSK Group staff, school children, university students, representatives from NGOs and the general public. The event which collected a massive 368kg of trash littering the stretch of 1km public beach fronting the TimurBay Sales Gallery and Swiss-Garden Resort Residences was jointly organised by OSK Property with OSK Foundation, Malaysian Nature Society (Pahang Branch) and Turtle Conservation Society of Malaysia.

Balok Beach located along the main coastal road from Kuantan to Terengganu is well known for its beautiful sea front and is one of the top destination for wind-surfing and kite-surfing in Asia. It is also home to numerous OSK properties including the latest project, TimurBay Seafront Residences.

“Over 5 trillion pieces of plastic currently litter the oceans of the world. This poses a great threat to sea turtles, seabirds and many other marine animals,” said Mr. Ong Ghee Bin, Chief Executive Officer of OSK Property. “Through this cleanup, we hope to clean our beachfront and educate the general public on the need to maintain a clean beach for the wellbeing of our seas, oceans and our food source and create a sense of ownership among the public in ensuring the beach environment remains clean for the continued enjoyment of everyone and conservation of our marine ecosystem,” he further said.   

Trash collected from this event were separated and sent to relevant recycling centers. OSK Property has been advocating recycling in order to reduce the amount of plastic going into our landfills. One such program called ‘Waste to Wear’ involved recycling plastic bottles in OSK Property’s staff uniforms was launched in July 2016. “Plastic bottles in landfill lasts for almost 700 years before it finally degrades. We at OSK Property want to emphasise on the great need to recycle plastic. To showcase how plastic bottles can be recycled into wearables, we took a step further in making uniforms from recycled bottles.  We wear our uniforms with great pride, knowing our move benefits Mother Earth. This clean up and recycling program is part of our continued effort to promote the recycling habit,” explained Mr. Ong Ghee Bin.

OSK Property and OSK Foundation also donated RM3,000.00 each to the Pahang Branch of Malaysian Nature Society and Turtle Conservation Society of Malaysia to support the work of Environmental Education and Turtle Conservation projects respectively.

Various other activities were held as well to heightened awareness on conservation. These include talks by Turtle Conservation Society of Malaysia which highlights about marine life conservation & ecosystem

OSK Property and OSK Foundation also donated RM3,000.00 each to the Pahang Branch of Malaysian Nature Society and Turtle Conservation Society of Malaysia to support the work of Environmental Education and Turtle Conservation projects respectively.

Various other activities were held as well to heightened awareness on conservation. These include talks by Turtle Conservation Society of Malaysia which highlights about marine life conservation & ecosystem.

Ready to clean-up Balok Beach: More than 200 volunteers came to support the movement for a better, cleaner beach and a healthy environment. From front left: Foo Wen Sze, Head, Group Corporate Communications, OSK Group and representative of the OSK Foundation; Noor Jehan, Vice Chairman, Malaysian Nature Society Pahang; Chan Wai Kee, Treasurer, Turtle Conservation Society of Malaysia; Ong Ghee Bin, Chief Executive Officer, OSK Propert

Maintaining a clean beach: Volunteers consisting of adults and students worked together to remove large debris trapped under the sand.

Joint forces during beach clean-up: Volunteers formed a group to work together in removing the nylon rope washed ashore. These ropes cause a great harm to the marine lives and birds when trapped.

Educating the importance of saving the marine life: Chen Pelf Nyok, Co-founder of Turtle Conservation Society of Malaysia gave an insightful knowledge on the endangered turtles in the Malaysian shore and how we can help to prevent extinction by as simple as – not consuming turtle eggs or meat.

Leave nothing but footprints: Representatives of OSK Foundation, OSK Property, Turtle Conservation Society of Malaysia & Malaysian Nature Society Pahang gathered in the effort to make a difference – stamping our commitment to a healthy beach and cleaner sea. From left: Nicole Lee, General Manager, Sales and Marketing OSK Property; Foo Wen Sze, Head, Group Corporate Communications, OSK Group and representative of the OSK Foundation; Noor Jehan, Vice Chairman, Malaysian Nature Society Pahang; Ong Ghee Bin, Chief Executive Officer, OSK Property; Dr. Chan Eng Heng, President, Turtle Conservation Society of Malaysia; Chen Pelf Nyok, Co-founder, Turtle Conservation Society of Malaysia; Lee Man Chong, Senior General Manager, Project Management, OSK Property; Chan Wai Kee, Treasurer, Turtle Conservation Society of Malaysia; Lai Kow Lian, representative of the Turtle Conservation Society of Malaysia