Announcement: MoU Signed Between Midori Climate Partner and MITSUSHO for Biochar Project Development in Malaysia

  

It has been announced that Midori Climate Partner has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with MITSUSHO to co-develop biochar carbon removal projects in Malaysia.

About the Partnership

This strategic partnership unites Midori Climate Partner, a Singapore-based leader in carbon credit development and ecosystem restoration, with MITSUSHO, a leading provider of GHG consultation and ESG services in Malaysia. The collaboration will provide comprehensive project structuring support to biomass suppliers—including food processing factories, forest management companies, and farmers' cooperatives—who will act as project owners.

Benefits for Project Owners

Project owners, who will supply biomass waste such as coconut shells, durian seeds, and wood chips, will benefit from several key advantages. The financial support from carbon credit sales enables the development of high-quality projects, providing opportunities to generate profits, supply biochar-based organic fertilizer to community farmers at affordable prices, implement advanced waste management through a circular economy model, and produce green energy.

Call for Biomass Suppliers

We are actively seeking biomass suppliers who can provide substantial quantities of biomass waste for our initiative. In Malaysia, we are particularly interested in coconut shells, fruit seeds, wood chips, and pulp sludge, though we are open to other suitable materials as well.

Contact Information

For more information and to explore partnership opportunities, please contact info@midori-partner.com. This collaboration represents a significant advancement in environmental sustainability and sustainable waste management in Malaysia.

About MITSUSHO Sdn. Bhd.

MITSUSHO is the first carbon desk in Malaysia offering full suites of decarbonization products and services such as:

(1) Corporate Training on Carbon Market and GHG Measurement

(2) Access to Malaysia and Global Environment Products

(3) Consultancy

(4)Access to Sustainable Agricultural products

Representatives: CHAI Yihn Chan, CEO

Website: https://www.mitsushogreen.com/

About Midori Climate Partner Pte. Ltd.

Midori Climate Partner is a carbon credit developer specializing in ecosystem restoration, with a focus on addressing climate change, food sustainability, soil degradation, and biodiversity. By offering both technical and financial support to drive impactful change and generate high-quality carbon credits,

We are actively structuring projects across Southeast Asia, including Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam, and Malaysia. We seek collaboration partners interested in decarbonizing their assets and offer both technical and financial support to drive impactful change and generate high-quality carbon credits.

Representative: Ririko Takano, CEO

Website: https://midori-partner.com/

Address: 111 North Bridge Road #21-01 Peninsula Plaza 179098 Singapore

This Press Release has also been published on VRITIMES

The Philippine Media and Information Literacy Landscape: An Overview

 

This is the second installment of the State of the Media and Information Literacy in the Philippines series. This article explores the strengths and weaknesses of Media and Information Literacy (MIL) in the Philippines. It highlights the integration of MIL as a subject into the Senior High School curriculum and the challenges in implementation.

Start Them Young

The Philippines recognizes Media and Information Literacy (MIL) as crucial in developing an active and well-informed citizenry in the modern world. Hence, the Department of Education (DepED) integrated this into its Senior High School (SHS) curriculum.

As a good initiative, this article will examine the policies and the subject content. It will also disect the progress made and the challenges that remain.

The Evolution of MIL in the Philippines

Media and Information Literacy  in the Philippines is a response to both global trends and local needs for enhanced media literacy. With the advent of social media and the proliferation of fake news, the national adoption of MIL as a course demonstrates a commitment to equipping students with the critical skills needed to navigate the complex media landscape of the 21st century.

MIL in the SHS Curriculum

The inclusion of MIL as a core subject in the SHS curriculum is a significant step forward. It aims to guide students to become responsible media consumers and producers. This covers topics like media evolution, information literacy, media sources, and ethical media practices.

Key Components and Teacher Training

The said curriculum is comprehensive since it encompasses both traditional and digital media. To effectively deliver this curriculum, teacher training programs like the "Understanding and Utilizing Media in Teaching" seminar-workshops have been implemented.

However, challenges in teacher preparation and aligning training with curriculum requirements persist. These include the lack of relevant materials aligned with the curriculum and the lack of the competency of the teacher to teach the subjects and limited resources as well.

The Role of Teachers and Community Engagement

Despite the challenges teachers face in teaching MIL education to their students, they are willing to take the challenge because they recognize the importance of a well-informed citizenry in shaping the future of the Philippines. On the other hand, there are community engagement initiatives like the #FactsFirstPH of Rappler that plays a critical role in extending MIL education beyond formal settings. These programs promote critical thinking skills and digital hygiene to combating disinformation.

Localized Efforts and Strengths

There are localized efforts to widen the reach of MIL education in the country. An example would be the likes of those in Isla Culion in Palawan. This shows the strengths of the Philippine MIL landscape. First, the Philippines prioritized the inclusion of MIL in the national curriculum. Second, it is inclusive to all Filipinos especially in remote areas because these initiatives addressed such problems through community-based approaches by going to far-flung places.

Weaknesses and Challenges

Despite these strengths, weaknesses remain. These include the lack of teacher preparedness, limited resources, time constraints within the curriculum, and disparities in regional implementation. To address these disparities, the Philippine government must target efforts to ensure equitable access to resources and training across the country.

Moreover, MIL education is useless if there is no access to information among people in remote areas so it should be a priority of the government to make information as affordable and accessible as possible.

Impact on Students and Policy Recommendations

MIL education equips students with critical thinking, digital literacy, and responsible media consumption skills. These are essential to explore the media-saturated world. Hence, when these youth become eligible voters they can decipher the facts against propaganda among bad actors that aim to skew elections and tarnish public opinions on certain issues. This could make young students as informed citizens of the future.

With regards to policy recommendations, there should government support to ensure that the goals of MIL education are met. This includes funding, collaboration with NGO’s, and policy interventions.

The success of MIL in the Philippines depends on how the government address current weaknesses, the build up on existing strengths, and the continouous adaptability to meet the changing media landscape.

After all, the ultimate goal is to empower future generations with the skills to critically engage with media and information, ensuring a well-informed and discerning citizenry.

Conclusion

The Philippine MIL landscape has made remarkable progress, but there are still improvements to be done. Through strengthened teacher training, ensured resource availability, and proper curriculum implementation, the full potential of MIL education can be realized. This will benefit students across the nation and will foster a more media-literate society.

A Cornerstone: The Role of Media and Information Literacy

 

In the first installment of the State of the Media and Information Literacy in the Philippines series, discover how Media and Information Literacy (MIL) empowers citizens in a democracy, combating misinformation and fostering active participation in democratic processes.

Media and Information Literacy strengthens Democracy

Democracy relies on an informed and engaged citizenry. This makes or breaks a nation due to the policy choices of the said citizens. Media and Information Literacy (MIL) is crucial among voters. MIL is a skill that teaches individuals to filter out the vast information landscape. Such skill sets include the ability to discern facts from fiction, and the ability to make informed decisions that impact their lives and communities. 

Unfortunately, the modern digital society has enabled bad actors to spread misinformation that causes a rift among people. It is understood that a minority of people want to benefit from policy choices that might harm most people. This makes MIL more essential in shaping responsible citizens, protecting them from bad actors, and ensuring the integrity of democratic processes.

What is Media and Information Literacy (MIL)?

This encompasses the knowledge and skills needed to access, evaluate, and create information and media content effectively. It ensures that individuals make informed decisions, engage in critical thinking, and participate actively in society and democracy.

Why is MIL Important in a Democracy?

In democratic societies, citizens need to make decisions based on accurate information. Without this skill, people are vulnerable to misinformation. In effect, the actions caused by misinformation can distort democratic processes and erode public trust. Misinformation campaigns can lead to harmful outcomes, such as skewed elections and social divisions. For example, the United Kingdom had some remorse when the country left the European Union through Brexit. In the United States, people are more divided due to the polarization of their political climate.

These harmful effects are what MIL tries to prevent. So, to ensure that people are safe from harm due to the minimization of inaccurate information, MIL must be a bedrock of every decision-making process in our society.

How do we minimize misinformation? It is through determining that our information could be misleading and hold the government and businesses accountable for a more media and information-literate society.

The Challenges of Misinformation Across Democracies

The digital age has transformed how information is disseminated. Now, more people, especially the younger generations, consume information through social media than traditional news sources. Sadly, these pieces of information are sometimes not fact-checked. 

Most of the time, they are not even held accountable for spreading false information. 

As a result, the spread of misinformation increased rapidly posing significant threats to democracy. MIL aids individuals to critically evaluate pieces of information and to recognize media biases. As a result, this could lead to more balanced and informed opinions.

How MIL Fosters an Informed Citizenry?

The core of MIL is to develop critical thinking skills. This enables individuals to question the reliability of information and reduces the impact of misinformation. 

MIL also helps people to recognize media biases. This helps people to question their own beliefs and hold media companies accountable to demand better and more accurate information. 

Furthermore, this skill strengthens the democratic process because informed citizens are more likely to engage in discussions, vote responsibly, and advocate for transparency in governance.

The Impact of Misinformation in the Digital Age

Misinformation is the false or misleading pieces of information spread to other people. This can negatively skew public opinion and decision-making. For example, fake news and manipulated images can influence electoral outcomes to vote for a propaganda-reliant party. Furthermore, it can fuel social divisions because people cannot agree on facts. Moreover, undermines the trust in institutions. Lastly, it can incite violence and disrupt public order in extreme cases.

Preventing Misinformation Through MIL

The promotion of Media and Information Literacy is key to combat misinformation. It starts with educational institutions. They should develop critical thinking skills in their curricula to develop the ability of students to discern facts from fiction and acknowledge biases from the content they consume. Meanwhile, social media companies should be regulated. To accommodate MIL in their platforms for the benefit of their users, these companies should promote transparency, provide tools for users to report misinformation, and limit the spread of false content.

MIL as a Tool for Combating Misinformation

With the help of MIL, it equips individuals to identify credible sources, fact-check information, and share content responsibly. By fostering skepticism and critical thinking, this helps reduce the spread of misinformation which promotes a more informed and engaged citizenry.

Conclusion

In a digital world where misinformation proliferates, Media and Information Literacy is an indispensable tool to strengthen democracy. It empowers citizens to make informed decisions, hold leaders accountable, and participate actively in civic life. Prioritizing MIL initiatives is essential to allow a resilient democracy that can withstand the challenges of the digital age.