Conclusion

    In conclusion, everyone must play their part in acquiring the Sustainable Development Goals. Every institution and individual should not depend entirely on the government in building a more sustainable country. All institutions and individuals should also work together as a team so that it is easier for us to achieve global goals. I hope that Islamic International University Malaysia will keep on having good relationships with other institutions whether locally and even internationally like the Fukushima University. So, that we can all improve and achieve all of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals.

    We can also use the concept of Sejahtera to help us with attaining global goals. The concept of Sejahtera and SPICE should be shared worldwide as it can also help others in obtaining a holistic and harmonious world. I hope that everyone can be more aware of the existence of the Sejahtera concept and share it with other people so that everyone can work side by side in developing a sustainable world.  I can't wait to implement this concept when I have the opportunity to go to my new campus which is at Pagoh.

Roles of Institutions for Sustainable Development

    There is a lot of institutions and individuals that represent their country and nation in ensuring the success of the 2030 agenda by establishing the Sustainable Development Goals. 

    I do believe that the current institution I'm in which is IIUM puts great importance on acquiring Sustainable Development Goals. For my first semester here, I never thought that I need to take Sustainable Development as one of my courses. I learn a lot about Sustainable Development from many perspectives and its values. I'd be clueless about the 2030 agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted by the United Nations. I never knew that it was a worldwide objective to achieve the global goals for a better sustainable world. Making students aware of it by adding a course focusing entirely on Sustainable Development line up with the SDG 4 (Quality Education). I'm very blessed to be enlightened by this important knowledge as some of my friends are still clueless about it because their institution does not give importance to Sustainable Development.

    My institution also has open talks, forums, and discussions about Sustainable and Development. On March 4th, 2021, I join my university open sharing session about SDG 4: differences between Malaysian education and Japanese education in university for Sustainable Development. The sharing session was in collaboration with the Fukushima University from Japan through Youtube Live because of Covid-19. The lecturers and students from Fukushima University and my university shared their views on the particular topic. Everyone was open-minded about the sharing session and I was so surprised that International Islamic University Malaysia has a good relationship with the Fukushima University. I learn that the difference between my university and the Fukushima university in the education system for university-level is the Japanese university give importance to learning from experience, the students need to learn career-building subjects like Internship (work experience learning) and Internship Job Hunting (Preparation) for their first and third year but in my university, we will go through the Internship only in our last year. It can be said that my institution takes responsibility for improving our education by learning and sharing ideas with the Fukushima University. This is in sequence with SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions) and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals). I hope that there will be more collaborations in the future especially when the pandemic ends as it can open more opportunities for us to do greater activities in achieving the global goals.

 

Sejahtera as Local Concept of Sustainable Development

    I never knew that Sejahtera is a word that is so important until the day my lecturer showed me a video of Professor Tan Sri Dzulkifli Abdul Razak talking about Sejahtera on a deeper level. The word Sejahtera can ensure the sustainability of the world. This is because the word Sejahtera does not only mean peace, tranquility, and ease but it means to have prosperity in holistic, balanced, sustainable living. 

    Prosperity can be obtained by balancing the SPICE elements so that we can live holistically and sustainably. The SPICE elements are spiritually, physically, intellectually, culture, ecology, ethics, economy, and society.

    This idea has not only been implemented in Malaysia but also in Korea way before us. They use the concept for their campus, education, and environment. The word Sejahtera is already mainstream in other countries in other forms and concepts. The Japanese word for it is Ikigai which means encompassing joy. The Norwegian word for it is hygge which means a mood of coziness and comfortable with the feeling of wellness and contentment. The  Swedish word for it is lagom which means moderation and balance.

    The concept of Sejahtera has been implemented in my university which is CFS IIUM back when I was in foundation. They ban the usage of styrofoam and we only use kraft paper because it is more eco-friendly. Kraft paper can decompose within a few weeks and it is a non-hazardous waste. It can also be recycled for new packaging. We are also suggested to use our own tupperware or container in packaging the takeaway food. Styrofoams are rarely to be seen on campus. We can say that the university is promoting good action within the society and this is aligned with SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions). By not using styrofoam and use other sustainable alternatives for it, water, air, and land pollution can be avoided as dangerous chemicals like chlorofluorocarbons and hydrochlorofluorocarbons would not be released into the environment and affect the health of the people. The SDG 13 (Climate Action), 14 (Life Below Water), and 15 (Life on Land) are being achieved by the community in the university.

    In the same university, they also like to give out free food especially on Friday every week. At a certain time, they will give out free complete meals to the students. One time they even give out free tupperware just to support their sustainability action. There are also spots in the university for people to just donate snacks and food for other people. For instance, there will be a cabinet or table in some places with free food and snacks donated by the lecturers, staff, and students so that the students would stay healthy and focused by not being hungry. We just needed to write our names after we take the donated food. There is also a Sejahtera room on our campus where the room is filled with food, clothes, stationery, and other necessities for free as this can help the students who are in need. The students or lecturers who want to donate and take the items from the room will just need to write their names only and they do not have to pay for anything. This sustainable society and environment in the university create a harmonious surrounding between the students, lecturers, and other people in the university. I remember that I took a nap in the Surau and suddenly when I woke up, I got RM10 as it was attached with a letter written with "eat well". It was my lucky day as I got free RM10 from a generous anonymous person. The students also came up with an idea to put a donation box for food and snacks in the pantry just to ensure that all students were eating well. TIt can be seen that SDG 1(No Poverty), 2 (Zero Hunger), and 3 (Good Health and Well-being) are being achieved by the university. I believe that the university did a great job in creating a society and surrounding that gives importance to the Sustainable and Development Goals for the greater good of everyone in this world.

Introduction

    Hello, welcome back to my blog. I'm very happy to see you again. This is my second time writing a blog and I'm very excited to share the things that I have learned and experienced in my Sustainable and Development class.

    For this Journal 2, I will be talking about Sejahtera as a Local Concept of Sustainable Development and Roles of Institutions for Sustainable Development.