Kiehl’s 4th Save Our Rare Earth Eco Camp

Fiona and I 'Go Green In Pink'....

About Kiehl’s
Since 1851, Kiehl's New York apothecary has been dedicated to serving discerning customers fine formulations for skin and hair made with uniquely efficacious, natural ingredients.At Kiehl’s, their unique formulations are made with the finest, naturally-derived ingredients to assure the high quality of skin and hair care that the customers have come to expect from them. Natural ingredients have been an important part of their formulas since they began as a New York City pharmacy more than 150 years ago. 

For many decades, they have sourced proven and effective botanical extracts from all parts of the world and are committed to choosing ingredients that are selected for their true benefits to the skin and hair, not for their aesthetics. They utilize simple, efficient, and recyclable packaging so that they may concentrate the efforts and costs on the substance and quality of the product. Earlier this October, Kiehl’s released a limited edition “green” label for one of Kiehl’s most iconic skincare products –the Ultra Facial Cream. To get update for their latest products and promotions, check out their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/myKIEHLS 
  

The Mudballs making by Khoon Hooi, YB Elizabeth, Encik Zaki & Amir Luqman & the group are ready to cleanse the river with mudballs.

More than 35 years ago, Kiehl’s founding family declared the “Mission of Kiehl’s,” committing the staff to improve in some way the quality of the community."At Kiehl’s Malaysia, we are proud to carry on this legacy today with the Save Our Rare Earth Eco Camp, to help equip the future caretakers of the planet with the knowledge and awareness they need to make a positive difference. This complements the company’s core philosophy centered on providing efficacious products for skin and hair made from naturally-derived formulas, in-store recycling programs and use of renewable energy sources."

This year 2012, Kiehl’s worked with three ultra-stylish and eco-conscious fashion designers - Khoon Hooi, Amir Luqman and Ung Yiu Lin to depict their vision of social responsibility and to send a message out to customers about the importance of minimizing impact on the environment. The net proceeds from the sale of the limited edition product benefited the YAWA foundation. Kiehl’s& YAWA were pleased to have the support of Khoon Hooi and Amir Luqman who participated for a day at the camp.

The activities involved on that day with youths, celebrities and politician YB Elizabeth.

Kiehl’s Malaysia organized its 4^th Save Our Rare Earth Eco-Camp in continued partnership with Yayasan Anak Warisan Alam(YAWA), an NGO dedicated to raise environmental awareness at Sungai Panjang, Sabak Bernam. The 3-day camp, held from the 4^th to the 6^th of November was aimed at educating 80 young eco-explorers, aged between 10 and 17 about preserving the environment.

The “Save Our Rare Earth” project is a local initiative started by Kiehl’s Malaysia 4 years ago with the initiative to equip our youth with a deeper environmental responsibility and awareness, to ensure that many of these young people return to their communities ready to become agents of positive change - in their schools, on their campuses, in their future workplaces - in sustainability.

We're getting to the boat and off we go, I'm on the first boat to go wrapping the fruits.

Themed “Green Care for Our Communities” and backed by the Forest Research Institute of Malaysia (FRIM), the aim of this year’scamp was to develop Sabak Bernam as an attractive community-based and eco-tourism site in Selangor which would help provide new job opportunities and sustainable revenue generation for the local community at Sungai Panjang.

Among the activities we're engaged in during the camp were wrapping “Berembang” fruits along Sungai Panjang to ensure a higher chance of  survival for the trees by planting the fruits in fertile soil once they fall into the river, erecting a new jetty for Sungai Panjang to support future eco-tourism activities.Constructing mud balls to be used as natural river cleansing agents. Mudballs are made of dried mud into which EM™ Bokashi and Activated EM•1® that have been kneaded. They are used to clean up bodies of water such as rivers, lakes, and oceans where there are concentrated deposits of sludge and slime.

Jolynn is wrapping the Berembang Fruit in the right way & that's how it looks like after been wrapped.

“It is nice to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city occasionally, to stop and appreciate Mother Nature in all its glory. It also makes us realize how detrimental our daily actions can be if we are not socially responsible. We hope this camp has provided you with the opportunity to get up close and personal with nature, changing completely the way you view and care for the environment,” said Jolynn Tee De Mello, Public Relations Executive of Kiehl’s Malaysia.“Saving the earth does not happen overnight, it is a constant effort which involves all of us. Our hope is for you to go home and become agents of positive change,” added Yvonne Liew, Brand Manager of Kiehl’s.  

I managed to wrap one Berembang Fruit despite the heavy rain during my boat ride sitting the same row with Yvonne and Khoon Hooi. Everyone get their fair share of completing our Eco duties that day.Haha...we need to walk back quite far back to rest for awhile before the Nasi Ambang/Ambeng Dinner from Jawa tradition. Yummy food I have never heard or taste before but all of us kinda enjoyed the dinner before we head back home sweet home.We were all so tired but kinda  satisfied that we have did our part in contributing the eco duties for that day. 

Nasi Ambang/Ambeng from Jawa & we're all enjoying the dinner with the sharing of '4 in a tray'.

The Save Our Rare Earth Eco Camp however, was not only about caring for the environment but a cultural learning experience for the youth as half of the camp participants were represented by the local community this year, enabling a rare opportunity for both urban and rural youths to mingle together and to embrace their cultural differences. Tuk Sidang, the Head of the Village going as far as opening up his home to be used as the official accommodation site for the camp. The same generous spirit was also present amongst the local youth who willingly shared their bedrooms, food and performed the famous ‘Kuda Kepang’ for their urban friends.

“We received overwhelming response for the camp this year, reflecting a growing interest in the environment amongst our urban youth. The local orang kampung were very happy to know that an organisation such as Kiehl's is willing to lend a hand in developing their village. This was the first time we adopted a home stay-style accommodation and it was truly an enriching experience for us all.” said Encik Mohd Fikri, Environmental Education Director of YAWA.