Young people’s attention to environmental issues is growing these days. Many people have realized that the earth’s condition is worsening due to a variety of issues, including forest destruction, rising global temperatures, a large amount of waste and pollution, and many others. This increased awareness is certainly a good thing, but it is not enough. To solve these numerous environmental issues, real action from everyone is required.
As a youth, you can do something, too! Are you still confused about what you can do? You can try to find inspiration from the following 3 communities of young people in Indonesia who care about the environment. Consistently, they carry out various activities that aim to help overcome environmental problems. Are you curious about who they are and what they’ve done? Let’s get to know them better by scrolling down!
1. Pemuda Peduli Lingkungan Asri dan Bersih (Pepelingasih)
Since 2017, the Indonesian Ministry of Youth and Sports (Kemenpora) has initiated the Pepelingasih program as a forum for young people to learn together, increase their capacity to become leaders, and have a good impact on the environment around them. Pepelingasih is now present in many Indonesian cities, including Jayapura, Papua, which is led by Esti Muabuay, an alumni of the 2020 School of Eco Diplomacy program.
Pepelingasih Jayapura regularly and actively engages in environmental activities such as beach cleaning and mangrove planting. Furthermore, this community is active in educating the Jayapura community about many environmental issues and inviting them to participate in Pepelingasih-organized events. Even if its members have their own busy lives, such as school and college, the presence of this community shows that these young people are still motivated to contribute significantly to environmental preservation.
2. Sorong Peduli Sampah
Concerned about the condition of Sorong, which is becoming increasingly polluted by waste, the young alumni of the Sorong School of Eco Diplomacy formed the Sorong Peduli Sampah (Sorong Waste Awareness) community. Through this community, they carry out various online and offline activities to solve the waste problem in their city. On social media, Sorong Peduli Sampah actively invites people to stop littering using the hashtag #genpedulisampah. Furthermore, they also conduct a webinar, as well as photo and video competitions with the theme of the millennial generation waste awareness.
While offline, this community routinely organizes waste cleanup events in various parts of Sorong. They frequently invite and collaborate with other youth communities while carrying out their action. Apart from that, Sorong Peduli Sampah also educates the public about the importance of waste recycling, which they have done in collaboration with the Sorong Raya Waste Bank.
3. Ourconservasea
After attending the Manokwari School of Eco Diplomacy in 2019, Julia Rosemary Tapilatu and 3 of her friends initiated the Ourconservasea community which focuses on efforts to create a sustainable marine ecosystem. To achieve their goal, they use social media to actively share information about marine issues, such as facts about various marine species and what individuals can do to help conserve the sea.
In addition, Ourconservasea is also active in carrying out offline movements, such as waste cleanups, plastic-free parades, and the Patharian Movement. This activity is a public awareness campaign in Manokwari, West Papua, to encourage people to protect black corals by holding workshops on how to make environmentally friendly crafts, hosting webinars, and distributing encyclopedias to local communities and schools.
These youth environmental communities are incredible, aren’t they? You can also follow in their footsteps and begin taking real action in the fight against the environmental crisis. Let’s learn to be a better environmental diplomat by attending the next School of Eco Diplomacy so that your movement can run more successfully. This program will provide you with a variety of environmental knowledge and skills, as well as the opportunity to design your own action plan. Isn’t it amazing?
