Carlsberg’s J.C. Jacobsen Foundation starts off with active first year

In June 2014 Carlsberg Malaysia set up the J. C. Jacobsen Foundation, as a community outreach and an extension of the robust Corporate Social Responsibility program of the international Danish brewery company. The Foundation was named after the founder of Carlsberg, J.C. Jacobsen, who was known for his deep passion for philanthropy. Its mission aims at enhancing and protecting the quality of life of Malaysians, committed to nurturing a better and greener future by making a difference and impact to three core pillars of education, sports and environment.

Up until March 2015, J. C. Jacobsen Foundation i had contributed more than RM400,000 towards different NGOs, which amongst others, to support various schools nationwide, rehabilitate a waterfall in Selangor and for the maintenance of two elephants in Zoo Negara.

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J.C. Jacobsen Foundation Chairman Dato’ Lim Say Chong standing next to Bob Chang (white t-shirt, standing on bridge), KAGUM representative, together with 60 volunteers all ready for the river cleaning outing.

In September the Foundation took 80 volunteers to the Sungai Liam waterfall in Ulu Yam to rejuvenate and refresh the area. Following in November, the charity outreach set out to contribute, hands-on, to a cleaner environment as well as to raise the awareness of river ecosystems at the Sungai Kanching of Templer’s Park.

Everyone has a role to play in preserving natural water resources as clean water is important to the livelihood of human kind, was the philosophy behind this advocacy work. 60 volunteers, comprised of Chairman of J.C. Jacobsen Foundation Dato’ Lim Say Chong, together with Carlsberg Malaysia employees and members from two non-government organisations (NGO), Kelah Association of Malaysia (KAGUM) and Rotary Club of Bangsar, rolled up their sleeves to clean up the riverbanks. Throughout the half-day community work, volunteers learned about the freshwater fishes and species, enjoyed the fresh air and beautiful scenery of the river steams and the importance of river ecosystem around Templer’s Park.

“The Foundation, since its launch in June this year, has been actively engaging with various NGOs on means to make our environment a better, cleaner and sustainable one. Focusing on water conservation, we’ve disbursed a total cash sponsorship of RM30,000 to few NGOs in support of the upgrading and cleaning of the Sungai Liam waterfall in Ulu Yam and Sungai Kanching river in Templer’s Park. We believe that it is important to build awareness and inculcate the mind-set of water conservation by experiencing the cause amongst our employees and volunteers of NGOs in order to deliver greater impact,” said Dato’ Lim.

The initiative also gave their volunteers the chance to deepen their knowledge of Malaysian rivers as a source of water and habitat.

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Volunteers picking up rubbish surrounding the Sungai Kanching of Templer’s Park.

According to KAGUM representative Bob Chang, rivers in Malaysia are an important natural habitat to many exotic and unique fishes, which can only be found in this part of the world. With increased urban development, many rivers have been either polluted or eroded, which in turn are affecting the ecosystem.

Michael Pua, Vice President of Rotary Club of Bangsar, said it was important that the younger generation learned to appreciate Mother Nature at an early stage in their lives, as this would instil a spirit of conservation and preservation.

According to volunteer Alex Leong, the cleaning day was meaningful as everyone played a part to make the river a cleaner place. “Each of us came back with a huge bag full of rubbish. One volunteer even found a lost handbag that has money and identity card in it, which he sent to the park’s official,” Leong said.

Sungai Kanching is located at the Templer’s Park, about 30 kilometres away from Petaling Jaya. The area is managed by Tourism Selangor and is a popular spot for picnic over the weekends. It has several waterfalls as well as facilities for visitors such as pavilions, toilets and walking paths.

Operating in Shah Alam Carlsberg Malaysia, through its foundation is is committed to do its part for the neighbourhood where it is operating in as to make its neighbourhood a greener environment. Therefore, in March 2015 the foundation pledged its support towards the Shah Alam Trees for Life programme by making a cash contribution of RM45,000.

In joint collaboration with the Shah Alam City Council (MBSA), some 300 volunteers, from the public and the Foundation planted approximately 15,000 trees along Jalan Monfort, Seksyen U1 & U2 in Shah Alam. At the trees planting event, volunteers were also briefed on the various specifies of trees by Dr. Jean Marc Roda from Universiti Putra Malaysia’s Institute of Tropical Forestry & Forest Products.

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Volunteer Alex Leong (standing far left) and other volunteers cleaning the riverbanks.

“We believe that through collaboration with others, we could make a greater impact. Planting more trees around Shah Alam not only accentuates the aesthetic of this beautiful city, it also contributes towards combating climate change,” said Henrik Juel Andersen, member of Board of Trustees of J.C. Jacobsen Foundation.

According to Mayor of Shah Alam, Dato’ Hj. Ahmad Zaharin b. Mohd Saad, the Trees for Life programme, which is now running in its 5th year, is an important activity on the city council’s yearly agenda, as it brings together various parties for a common goal, that is to value and protect the environment.

“We are pleased that J.C. Jacobsen Foundation could be the first partner this year for MBSA’s

Trees for Life and we hope other corporate entities would follow the Foundation’s footsteps, as it helps to ensure the success of this programme,” he said.

About Joakim Persson

Freelance business and lifestyle photojournalist

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