If getting down and dirty with nature is your thing, whether it’s growing your own edible garden or wildlife rehabilitation, or if you’re simply are looking for new eco-friendly hobby, here are some organisations that cen help you kickstart your green journey. Mother Nature thanks you in advance…

1. The Free Tree Society

The Free Tree Society is a non-profit organisation founded by six women in 2012. The six – namely Bettina, Baida, Aishah, Zai, Muni and Surinta – built their society based on the simple principles of  planting, nurturing and giving away plants to the public for free in efforts of encouraging them to work together to make our city greener.

You can lend a hand by donating time, seeds, plants, pots, kitchen scraps or even money to help grow the nursery. Catch their updates on plants, volunteer sessions and giveaway days on Facebook page or their website: freetreesociety.org

2. Eats, Shoots & Roots

This social enterprise believes in the power of food as a binding force between people – and what better place to have such a mindset than in Malaysia where everyone is a foodie. Founded in 2012, Eats, Shoots, & Roots aim to build and empower urban communities to sustain and grow their own food.

They host Garden Workshops, Garden Buils and provide Garden Supplies for interested individuals. For past projects and updates, visit their Facebook page or their website: eatsshootsandroots.org.

3. Cultivate Central

Cultivate Central aims to reach out to communities to work with nature, not against it. They bring food production closer to cities by designing and creating ‘shared urban edible spaces’ for neighbourhoods and companies and offers stories and tips on everything from seeding to composting.

Watch their space on Facebook for tips, see what they’re currently up to and perhaps call on them to help you get a garden going – they specialise in connecting urban food growers living in the tropics – or visit the website: cultivatecentral.com.

4. EcoKnights

EcoKnights is a non-profit NGO founded by Yasmin Rasyid and Mariam Osman in 2005. This initiative was to help grow their own efforts to helping the environment and from there has sprouted well into a foundation for development-led interventions from education and awareness programs to research; and public participation programs to consultation.

Not only do they have community workshops on environmentally sustainable living, but they are also involved in other social initiatives like delivering clean water to villages in Sabah through Project H20 and coral reef rehabilitation at Tioman Island. You can volunteer or help replicate some of the efforts done by EcoKnights in your own circle of friends, school, workplace or neighbourhoods.

Website: ecoknights.org.my

5. Global Environment Centre

Established in 1998, here’s another organisation that invites the public to join them in making our lands greener but the Global Environment Centre brings much more to the table.

Some of the current programmes are River Rehabilitation, Forest and Coastal Rehabilitation, Peatland Conservation and Community Empowerment. Join them in their next tree-planting initiative set to take place on the 19th November 2016. Here’s the website: gecnet.info.