Johor is one of the states which was involved in promoting the “Earth Hour” – an annual environmental awareness event, which ask households and businesses to turn off their non-essential lights and other electrical appliances for one hour to raise awareness towards the need to take action on climate change. The State Government invited eight government departments and two non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to stage an exhibition in connection with the campaign from March 26 to March 27, 2010.

The government departments which took part in the exhibition were the Malaysian Society of Marine Sciences; the State Environment Department; the State Drainage and Irrigation Department; the State Wildlife and National Parks Department; the State Forestry Department; the Johor Biotechnology and Biodiversity Corporation; the Iskandar Development Authority and the Marine Department Southern Region. The two NGOs were the SGM Johor and the World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF-Malaysia)

SGM Johor put up an exhibition entitled “Seeds of Change: Earth Charter and Human Potential.” The message of the exhibition is to highlight the actions and potential change that can be initiated by ordinary people for creating a sustainable environment. The exhibition was held at the Menteri Besar Complex at Kota Iskandar, the new administrative centre for the Johor State government. It was the first ever public exhibition held there. The exhibition was launched by the State Exco member Tan Kok Hong on March 26, 2010.

Although the exhibition was held for only two days, the response from the public was good. A total of 2,500 people came to see the exhibition including 1,600 teachers and students from 20 primary and secondary schools in Nusajaya. The rest were government servants and the general public. The visitors toured the exhibition with the help of guides. Many of the visitors were impressed by the message and content of the exhibition. Some teachers suggested that such an exhibition should be extended to the schools to let young people know about the importance of protecting the natural environment.

There were altogether 24 exhibition guides from SGM Johor. They felt very privileged that they had the opportunity to share the Earth Charter and SGI President Ikeda’s ideals on peace and environment with those who came. Each of them received a certificate of appreciation from the State Government.

SGM Johor also held the same exhibition at the IOI Mall in Kulai in conjunction with the “Earth Hour” campaign from March 26 to 28, 2010. It attracted more than 1,000 visitors. The SGM Johor women members demonstrated handicraft made from recycled materials at the same venue and attracted many onlookers.