Most students not environmentally aware<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Most students are not well-informed on how to
\nhelp the environment despite their enthusiasm of joining the
\nranks of the greenies.<\/p>\n
In a one-day talk on environmental awareness on Saturday more
\nthan 150 students representing 25 senior high schools in Jakarta,
\nBogor, Tangerang and Bekasi said available information on how to
\npractice environmental consciousness was lacking.<\/p>\n
\"We would like to use environmentally friendly products but
\nhow do we know which ones don't contain pollutants?\" a student
\nfrom the state-owned SMA 8 in Tebet, South Jakarta, told the
\nforum.<\/p>\n
Dewi from SMA 81 in East Jakarta said she had no idea of which
\nkind of cleansing agent was harmless to the environment, though
\nsome come with refill containers, as all she knows are various
\nkinds of detergents.<\/p>\n
Another student said she was interested in recycling paper,
\nbut thought the process might be too tedious.<\/p>\n
\"We're interested in doing something new, but we may quickly
\nget fed up,\" Asih from SMA 71 in East Jakarta told The Jakarta
\nPost.<\/p>\n
The students were responding to panelists Zaim Saidi of the
\nIndonesian Consumers Foundation, and Widya Saraswati, an editor
\nat the Tiara magazine on lifestyles.<\/p>\n
The event was held by the local committee of an international
\nassociation of science and business students based in Brussels,
\nAIESEC. The secretariat is based at the School of Economics at
\nthe University of Indonesia.<\/p>\n
Zaim said the government has yet to make producers list
\nnecessary information on their products. \"We are getting there,\"
\nsaid Zaim, a member of the Indonesian Ecolabeling Foundation, the
\necolabeling working group for wood-based products.<\/p>\n
A few other students expressed the opinion that the government
\ncould do more, such as banning the use of leaded fuel which
\ncontributes to air pollution.<\/p>\n
Widya said students should do their best in supporting the
\nMinistry of Environment, which she said must face other
\nministries with different priorities.<\/p>\n
An example of recycling products was presented by Willy
\nSidharta, the president of PT Aqua Golden Mississippi, a company
\nproducing bottled drinking water.<\/p>\n
He said the company's experience, which began in 1993, failed
\nto encourage consumers to return empty plastic bottles.<\/p>\n
The company pays Rp 5 for the return of its 500 milliliter
\nbottles and Rp 10 for its 1,500 milliliter bottles.<\/p>\n
\"The value is too low and people are just not interested,\"
\nWilly said.<\/p>\n
\"Luckily Indonesia has so many scavengers, we get most of our
\nbottles back from them,\" Willy told the Post.<\/p>\n
So far Aqua has managed to recycle 30 percent of its bottles.<\/p>\n
\"We don't know how many more bottles are recycled by other
\nparties,\" he said. Not all bottles make their way to Aqua's
\nrecycling factory in Citeureup, Bogor, he added.<\/p>\n
The plastic bottles are grounded into polyethylene
\nterephthalate flakes and fiber. The final product can be used as
\nsynthetic material for thread.<\/p>\n
Other speakers were Sunoto who spoke for Surna T.
\nDjajadiningrat, an assistant to Minister of Environment Sarwono
\nKusumaatmadja, and A. Salam H.S., the manager of urban
\nenvironment at the Indonesian Forum for Environment (Walhi).
\n(anr)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/most-students-not-environmentally-aware-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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