Berjaya and Sony's Joint Effort to Protect the Environment - Supported by Project AWARE

Redang Island Clean-Up Day
Redang Island is located 45km off the coast of Terengganu, in the South China Sea. This tropical island is well known for its colourful underwater kingdom with more than 30 popular dive spots. It has been gazetted as Marine Park to protect its underwater heritage.

Terengganu, Malaysia - The annual ‘Redang Island Clean-Up Day’ held at Berjaya Redang Beach Resort recently attracted 100 volunteers from professional divers, dive enthusiasts, non-divers and media groups from Malaysia, Singapore, Japan, United States and Germany throughout the three-day event. Endorsed by Project AWARE Foundation, Malaysian Sport Diving Association (MSDA) and supported by Tourism Malaysia, the event aims to cultivate and promote the importance of preserving and protecting the environment and ecological systems of Redang Island for the benefits of the future generations.

Berjaya Redang Beach Resort - a PADI Gold Palm Instructor Development Centre - joined forces with Sony Malaysia Sdn. Bhd. exercising their roles as socially responsible corporate citizens of Malaysia by taking positive steps to nurture conservation efforts. Environmental talks on ‘Marine Turtles and Conservation Efforts in Redang Island’ were conducted by Professor Chan Eng Heng from University Terengganu Malaysia, a receiver of the United Nations Environment Award – Global 500 Laureate in year 2001. In addition, participants and media were given an insightful tour at the Turtles Sanctuary Site at Chagar Hutang.

The participating divers collected a total of 707 ‘crown-of-thorns’ starfish (Acanthaster planci), 31 fishing nets, 20 non-biodegradable plastic traps and 3 bags full of domestic waste from major dive sites at Mak Simpan, Chagar Hutang, Turtle Bay, Berjaya Redang House Reef and Bahagia Wreck. Non-diving participants cleared up the beach area at Chargar Hutang and collected over 75 beverage bottles, 45 food containers, 35 individual fishing lines, 15 shoes, 10 styrofoam crates and 2 buoys. The amount of trash collected sends an alarming message that there is more to be done to educate the society about the importance of conservation efforts and waste management.

“As a socially responsible corporate citizen, Berjaya Redang Beach Resort is fully aware of our role in preserving the nature and at the same time to educate the public in playing this role together. We are working towards a cleaner tomorrow, and we regard this annual clean-up as an opportunity to further demonstrate our commitment to the preservation. We hope that more participants will take part in this yearly event as it is a great effort to protect our marine creatures”, said Michael Tan, Resident Manager of Berjaya Redang Beach Resort.

“The protection of marine life today was essential to securing better ecological systems for the future. There are 6 millions tons of litter and garbage entering the world’s oceans yearly and it takes 10 to 20 years to decompose the plastic bags, 200 years for beverage cans and 1 million years for glass bottles. If everyone shares the responsibility, we could save our oceans and beaches. Help save the environment and together we can make a difference.” Tan further emphasized.

“Sony Malaysia commits towards an environmentally responsible manner when carrying out our sales and service activities by considering all the important environmental aspects. Redang Island Clean Up is one of the environmental programmes we participated with Berjaya Hotels & Resorts to increase staff awareness on fundamental environmental issues. It is also one of the simple yet effective programmes to educate the public on marine conservation,” said Mr. Naoi Sudo, Managing Director of Sony Malaysia.

International Cleanup Day - the world’s largest volunteer event on behalf of the marine environment, takes place in September each year. Project AWARE Foundation, the dive industry’s leading non-profit organization coordinates the underwater clean up in partnership with the Ocean Conservancy who collect vital data on the number and types of debris found. This is a crucial part of the international effort to campaign for change. Project AWARE encourages clean up campaigns throughout the year, for advice or assistance - http://www.projectaware.org/asiapac/english/activities/.

Visit www.projectaware.org to support your local office and participate in environmental activities to make a lasting difference.








Divers collecting ‘crown-of-thorns starfish during the Redang Island cleanup, a total of 707 in all were removed from dive sites in the area. Picture Courtesy of Terence Lee.










The Redang Island Clean-Up Day in Malaysia was an international event that attracted 100 volunteers from Japan, USA, Germany, Singapore as well as Malaysia.

About PADI
PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors) is the world’s largest recreational dive training, certification and membership organisation. PADI Members (dive centres, resorts, educational facilities, instructors, assistant instructors and divemasters) issue nearly 1,000,000 certifications worldwide each year, making underwater exploration and adventure accessible to the public, while maintaining the highest industry standards for dive training, safety and customer service.

For more information, visit padi.com.

For further information visit your PADI Dive Centre/Resort.
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About Berjaya Redang Beach Resort, Redang Island, Terengganu
Located off the coast of Terengganu in Peninsular Malaysia, the 266-rooom Berjaya Redang Beach Resort is famed for its powder-white beaches and pristine blue waters. Diving enthusiasts will be pleased to find the PADI 5-star Gold Palm Instructor Development Centre here, while spa enthusiasts can look forward to a host of rejuvenating treatments at Ayura Spa. Fun in the sun activities include scuba diving, snorkeling, banana boat rides, canoeing and parasailing. Direct flights are available via Berjaya Air from Kuala Lumpur and Singapore. Alternative daily flights to Kuala Terengganu are also available via Malaysia Airlines, Air Asia and Firefly. The journey continues with a 40-minute drive from Kuala Terengganu airport to Shahbandar Jetty. Ferry transfer services are available twice a day from Shahbandar Jetty (Terengganu) to Redang Island and vice-versa.

For media enquiries, please contact Berjaya Hotels & Resorts Corporate Office: Thang Han-Ni - Director of Marketing Communications (Tel: +603 2149 1828 or Email: hanni@hr.berjaya.com.my)

About Berjaya Hotels & Resorts
Founded in 1992, Berjaya Hotels & Resorts focuses on cultivating true Malaysian hospitality in leisure destination markets. Presently, the group operates over 16 local and international hotels and resorts under its growing wing. From the exotic island resorts of Tioman, Langkawi and Redang to the city centres of Kuala Lumpur and Penang to the castle-highlands of Berjaya Hills (formerly known as Bukit Tinggi Resort), Berjaya Hotels & Resorts’ prominence in Malaysia is further enhanced by the establishment of hotels and resorts in Singapore, Seychelles, Sri Lanka and London. As a premier hospitality group, Berjaya Hotels & Resorts also owns and operates service suites and exclusive golf & country clubs in Malaysia. Headquartered in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Berjaya Hotels & Resorts (a division of Berjaya Land Berhad) is a member of the Berjaya Corporation Group of Companies, a public listed Malaysian conglomerate. Visit online at www.berjayahotels-resorts.com for more information.

About SONY (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd
SONY (MALAYSIA) SDN BHD began operations in Malaysia on 31 October 1973. Today, its staff strength has grown to over 300 people and specialises in marketing, sales and services. With over 500 Sony authorized dealers, Sony currently has 4 direct stores known as Sony Style which are located at Suria KLCC and Bejaya Times Square in Kuala Lumpur, the Curve in Petaling Jaya and Terbrau City in Johor Bahru. The Sony Style at KLCC is the17th store in the world and it is the first Sony Style store in South East Asia, offering a closer communication channel with customers through its innovative products, solutions and services. On the global front, Sony has made environmental efforts directed at conserving the earth’s limited supply of natural resources, while reducing use of hazardous materials wherever possible. Steps were taken to lessen the environmental impact through product life cycle from manufacturing process to product recycling in some product categories. The Sony “eco info” mark is an example created to inform customers of the environmentally conscious features of Sony products. Visit online at www.sony.com.my for more information.