Experts contend about the cause and effects of various environmental issues; from ozone depletion, global warming, and destruction of natural habitat, to overpopulation and pollution. However, the one thing that is generally agreed upon is the importance of preserving the environment. Caring about the environment is not only the responsibility of rich nations and the government, but everybody's, and thus it is crucial to nurture this sense of duty and appreciation of the nature and environment from a young age.
   It is with this aim, as well as part of its corporate social responsibility to its community, that PPB Group Berhad (PPB) organized a visit to the Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM), Kepong for its staff and fifty-two (52) youngsters from the Yayasan Sunbeams Home of Kuala Lumpur on 1 December 2007.
   There were many visitors to the site that Saturday morning; joggers, cyclist, as well as some tourists; all enjoying the unpolluted air, cooler temperatures and quiet serenity offered by the forest reserve which was once a degraded land in the form of sterile mining pool, scrubby wasteland and barren vegetable farms.
   The youngsters and PPB staff visited the museum, and had a good time during the nature walk facilitated by volunteers from the Malaysian Nature Society (MNS) and guides from FRIM.
   After the nature walk, the youngsters were treated to a scrumptious buffet lunch at the picnic area, and played games with nature and environment-related themes. PPB Group contributed food and household items that it markets to the home, and presented each child with a Christmas present.
   The half day event, themed "Love and Protect Our Nature", was a fun filled occasion. For city dwellers like most of the youngsters and PPB staff, it is a rare opportunity to get away from the hustle and bustle of city life, and to really appreciate the importance and benefits of preserving the nature.
   PPB Group is a listed conglomerate engaged in a wide spectrum of businesses with core activities in sugar reefing, flour and feed milling and environmental engineering.
   Yayasan Sunbeams Home is a home for children who are orphaned, and helps out with children from lower income single parents and under-privileged families. It is a non-governmental, self supporting foundation, and depends on the contribution from individual and corporate well-wishers and donors. For more information regarding Yayasan Sunbeams Home, please contact Pastor Alvin Tan at 03 - 43962186, or visit its website at http://www.sunbeamshome.com/