Green Sustainability Project Proposal Sample: Single-Use Plastics on a Malaysian Campus

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For information and reference only – not to be submitted as your own work.

This extract shows how a group could build a green sustainability project proposal for a Malaysian community service course, using single-use plastics on a university campus as the worked topic. It follows the structure of the green sustainability project proposal question and the three marking criteria attached to it. For the method behind each section, read the companion guide on how to write a green sustainability project proposal.

Every survey figure, observation count and quotation from respondents below is illustrative. It shows you how to present evidence; it is not data you may reuse. Your group must collect and report its own.

What this sample covers

The brief asks for a proposal of up to 20 pages (excluding cover page, references and appendices) written by a group, with at least five credible APA 7 references. It is worth 15% and tests the ability to rewrite a community service project with social impact. The extract below covers sections 1 to 5 in depth and sections 6 to 12 in compact table form.

Brief task Marking criterion Where covered here
Explain green sustainability and two existing initiatives Understanding and research on green sustainability Sections 1 and 2
Identify one problem and support it with a small investigation Problem identification and preliminary research Sections 3 and 4
Propose a small-scale awareness activity with objectives, audience, plan, timeline, roles, outcomes and measurement Proposed activity and planning Sections 5 to 12
Conclusion, references, appendices Supports all three criteria Section 13 note and the reference list below

Each criterion is graded on a short scale (good, average, poor). Markers therefore reward the section where your evidence is visible, not the section with the most words.

Model-answer extract

1. Introduction to green sustainability

Green sustainability means meeting present needs through choices that protect ecosystems and keep resources available for later generations. The most quoted wording comes from the Brundtland Commission, which described sustainable development as development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs (World Commission on Environment and Development [WCED], 1987). A proposal should not stop at that sentence. Tie it to something a campus can actually change.

Plastic is a fair example. Geyer et al. (2017) estimated that about 8,300 million metric tonnes of virgin plastic had been produced by 2015, and that of the roughly 6,300 million tonnes that had become waste, about 9% was recycled, 12% was incinerated and 79% had accumulated in landfills or the natural environment. Single-use items, such as cups, cutlery, straws and food packaging, sit at the short-lived end of that chain. UNEP’s (2018) review of national and local measures concluded that well-planned and well-enforced levies and bans are among the most effective tools, and that no single measure suits every setting, which is a useful reminder that awareness works best alongside policy.

The topic also fits the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 12, which calls for sustainable consumption and production patterns, and its target 12.5 on substantially reducing waste generation through prevention, reduction, recycling and reuse by 2030 (United Nations, n.d.). Nationally, Malaysia’s Roadmap Towards Zero Single-Use Plastics 2018–2030, issued by the Ministry of Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate Change (MESTECC, 2018), sets a vision of zero single-use plastics by 2030 and relies on alternatives, better collection and recycling, public awareness and policy tools. A student awareness activity is exactly the kind of small contribution the roadmap’s awareness pillar invites.

2. Two existing green sustainability initiatives and what they teach

Pick two initiatives you can source properly, and compare them against the same questions. A table keeps the comparison tight.

Aspect Plastic Free July Monash University Malaysia, “Taste the Change”
What it is A global charity-run movement encouraging people to refuse single-use plastics through everyday choices (Plastic Free Foundation, n.d.) A campus initiative launched on 6 August 2024 in which vendors stopped using single-use plastic packaging, cutlery and straws, backed by a 2019 plan to phase out single-use plastic (Monash University Malaysia, 2024)
Main lever Individual behaviour change and public pledges Vendor policy plus a material substitution
Scale International; the organisation reports participants in 190 countries One campus community
Limitation Participation is voluntary and the effect on each person is hard to verify The university’s launch article reports the intent and design, not measured results
Lesson for our proposal Short, visible challenges with a shared label are easy to join Awareness works best when the campus offers a workable alternative at the point of purchase

The lesson is the part markers read closely. Our group draws two: a pledge costs nothing but needs a prompt at the moment of choice, and a campus-level change is stronger when students understand why it happened. Our activity therefore targets understanding and habit, and does not claim to replace vendor policy.

3. Problem statement

Students on our campus buy a high volume of takeaway drinks and food, and the packaging is used once, for a few minutes. Bins are present but sorting is inconsistent, and many students are unaware of the national zero single-use plastics target. The gap is awareness at the point of purchase, not a lack of bins. The problem statement should be one specific, testable sentence, for example: “Most students at our campus use single-use plastic packaging daily but do not know the alternatives available on campus or why reducing them matters.”

4. Preliminary research and findings

The brief wants a small investigation instead of assumptions. We combined three methods: a 10-question online survey, a one-hour observation at the main cafeteria, and two short interviews. The numbers below are illustrative only.

Method Sample (illustrative) Illustrative finding
Online survey n = 120 students 78% buy at least one takeaway item with plastic packaging per day; 35% know of the national roadmap; 64% would bring a reusable container if reminded
Observation 1 hour, lunch peak, 150 purchases counted 118 purchases used single-use cups, lids or bags; 9 customers brought their own container
Interviews 2 vendors Vendors said customers rarely ask for alternatives; reusable discounts were not advertised

Report three things about this evidence. State the sample size and when and where it was collected. Name its limits: a convenience sample, one cafeteria and one time slot. Then link each finding back to the problem statement, so the reader sees why the activity follows. Place the questionnaire, photographs and observation tally sheet in the appendices and refer to them by number.

5. Proposed awareness activity

We propose a two-week “Bring Your Own” campaign combining a poster and infographic series at the cafeteria, a short student-made video for social media, and a booth at the campus sustainability week. The booth offers a pledge board and a live demonstration of reusable alternatives. Posters carry a simple message and a link to the pledge form.

Why this format? The findings show awareness is the gap, and each channel reaches the audience where the purchase happens. Keep the activity small enough to complete within the course timetable. A markers’ favourite phrase in feedback is “feasible”, and an ambitious plan that cannot be delivered by ten students in eight weeks loses marks under the planning criterion.

Sections 6 to 12 in compact form

6. Objectives (SMART). By week 8: reach at least 300 students through the campaign; collect at least 100 pledges; raise the proportion of surveyed students who can name one on-campus alternative by 20 percentage points (illustrative targets).

7. Target audience. Undergraduate students who use the main cafeteria, with a secondary audience of cafeteria vendors and staff.

8 and 9. Implementation plan and timeline

Week Activity Output
1 Finalise topic, ethics-style consent wording, questionnaire Approved survey and observation sheet
2 Collect survey, observation and interview data Raw data in appendix
3 Analyse results, design posters and infographic Draft materials
4 Film and edit video; seek vendor and campus approval Final video and permission
5 to 6 Run campaign: posters, social media, booth Photographs, pledge forms
7 Post-campaign survey and observation Post data
8 Compare results, write report, submit Final proposal

10. Team responsibilities (ten members)

Member Role Main deliverable
1 Project lead Schedule, meeting notes, final check
2 and 3 Researchers Sections 1 and 2, reference list
4 and 5 Survey team Questionnaire, distribution, data table
6 Observation and interviews Tally sheet, interview notes
7 and 8 Designers Posters, infographic
9 Video and social media Short video, posting plan
10 Booth and evaluation Booth logistics, post-campaign survey

Show that every member has an assessable task. Tutors often ask how the group divided the work, and a table answers that before they ask.

11. Expected outcomes. Greater awareness of the national zero single-use plastics target, more students bringing reusable containers, and a documented method the next student cohort can reuse.

12. Impact measurement

Indicator How measured Target (illustrative)
Reach Booth visitors, video views, poster scans 300 students
Commitment Signed pledges 100 pledges
Knowledge change Pre and post survey of the same questions +20 percentage points
Behaviour change Repeat observation at the same time and place Reusable containers rise from 9 to 20 per 150 purchases

Short on time? If your group needs a second opinion on the structure before submitting, an assignment review service can check the proposal against the three criteria and give written feedback.

13. Conclusion (what to include)

Restate the problem in one sentence, the activity in one sentence and the evidence plan in one sentence. Do not add new claims. Then state one honest limitation, such as the small sample, and how a longer project could address it.

How to adapt this to your own submission

  • Replace the topic if your group has a better-evidenced local issue, such as food waste or e-waste. Keep the same logic from problem to evidence to activity.
  • Collect your own data and delete every illustrative number above.
  • Source your two initiatives yourselves and compare them on the same criteria.
  • Use at least five credible APA 7 references and check each link or DOI. A citation and referencing verification service can check them if you are unsure.
  • Keep within the 20-page limit and put raw material in the appendices.
  • For another community-based assessment, see the MPU3412 community service assignment.

This sample is a model for study and guidance. Your submission must be your group’s own work and follow your institution’s academic integrity rules. If you want one-to-one help planning your own version, you can submit your brief for a tailored plan.

About the expert

Subject expert for this sample: Dr. Lee Ming, who holds a PhD in Education and Human Development from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. Their listed subject areas are reflective essays and literature reviews, education policies and learning models, and critical essay help.

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