Sri Lankan Officials Inspired By Malaysia's Green Efforts

BANGI (Selangor, Malaysia), Aug 29 (Bernama) -- Malaysia's efforts in promoting green technology industry has inspired a delegation of the Federation of Sri Lankan Local Governments (FSLGA), who were here on a study tour. In a statement, Malaysian Green Technology Corporation (GreenTech Malaysia) said a 44-member delegation of the FSLGA visited its Green Energy Office on Thursday to gain in-depth knowledge pertaining to the application of green technology and sustainable development in Malaysia. It said the visit, organised by the Green Purchasing Network Malaysia in its effort to promote green growth in the region, was part of the delegation's study tour of Malaysia to learn about effective and sustainable local governance practices. Mayor Emal Priyantha Herath representing the delegation said the visit to GreenTech Malaysia was indeed an eye-opening experience on how Malaysia was promoting the green technology sector towards becoming a green community by 2030. "The commitment shown by the Malaysian Government towards sustainability can clearly be seen via the establishment of a dedicated ministry and agency to focus on the development of green technology as the country's engine for socio-economic growth," he added. Meanwhile, Chief Executive Officer of GreenTech Malaysia Ahmad Hadri Haris said such visits would provide a good platform for the exchange of ideas on how to drive the growth of green technology in the respective countries. "This also presents a good opportunity for GreenTech Malaysia to share our green initiatives thus far with an international audience and promote Malaysia as an emerging market for green technology," he added. During the visit, GreenTech Malaysia also shared with the visitors its four flagship projects that aim to drive the nation's green economy, namely the Green Malaysia Plan, Green Procurement, Electric Mobility and Sustainable Living, which featured the Low Carbon Cities Framework. Besides that, GreenTech Malaysia also shared its other key initiatives including the Government-initiated Green Technology Financing Scheme facilitated by GreenTech Malaysia, which offers green projects and entrepreneurs a two per cebt rebate on interest or profit rates charged by financial institutions, while also providing a Government guarantee of up to 60 per cent of the amount financed. Besides the briefing, the visitors were taken on a tour of GreenTech Malaysia's Green Energy Office, one of South East Asia's most energy efficient buildings. --BERNAMA