KOTA KINABALU, JUNE 5: The Tanjung Aru Marine Ecosystem Center (TAME) is hosting a four-weekend series of events to educate the public about marine life.

The month-long event, which kicked off yesterday, was organised in collaboration with the Sabah Creative Economic and Innovation Centre (SCENIC) in honour of World Ocean Day and Coral Triangle Day.

On Saturdays and Sundays, from 2pm to 6pm, the centre will host upcycling workshops, exhibitions, treasure hunting, and a green market.

A few speakers have also been invited to share their expertise on coral restoration, seagrass conservation, seaweed and its importance, by-catch reduction in fisheries, community-based managed marine areas, marine law and policy, among other topics.

“The primary goal of this event is to educate the young generation about the value of the marine environment through play, creative work, hands-on workshops, and sharing from experts in the field.

“We anticipate that at least 1000 people, including children, students, and parents, will attend the event. We offer free admission to students who register early,” said TAME marine facilitator Michael Yap.

Speaking about marine issues, Yap said ocean plastic pollution is a problem that not only has a negative impact on marine animals but also humans.

When broken down into microplastics, toxic plastic particles can enter the food chain and eventually end up in the human body, he explained.

To mitigate the problems, he said: “The general public can begin daily by reducing plastic waste and reducing carbon footprint through a zero-waste or green lifestyle.

“Decline single-use plastic by using reusable alternatives, carry your reusable bag when shopping, bring your container for food takeout, adapt green energy like solar, recycling and upcycling to reduce solid waste, and even become volunteers in marine conservation works.”

SCENIC general manager Viviantie Sarjuni said it is an honour for the centre to collaborate with TAME by providing a small fund and publicity efforts for the artists and environmental enthusiasts to kickstart this public event.

“This is the type of partnership between the government and grassroots innovators that we hope will inspire more community leaders to come forward and propose noble initiatives on the ground that benefit the people while also promoting creativity and innovation,” she said.

Additionally, Viviantie stated that the centre wanted to promote Social Entrepreneurship (SE) as part of the Innovation-Driven Entrepreneurship pillar in Sabah.

“SE is also concerned with protecting the environment.

“We hope through SE businesses that strive to protect the environment and the planet, we will be able to create awareness and educate the public on how crucial it is to protect the environment and mitigate climate change.”