Trisakti to go ahead with its `Clean up the World'
Trisakti to go ahead with its `Clean up the World'
JAKARTA (JP): Despite a lack of support from the government
and the people, Trisakti University intends to go ahead with its
three-day "Clean up the World" program aimed at motivating
environmental consciousness among Jakartans.
"The preparations we made last year were better because we
worked closely with the West Jakarta administration, which
oversees our main campus, and residents of the surrounding
subdistricts," said Rector Moedanton Moertedjo yesterday.
At that time, the university joined the city administration's
"one million trees" planting program and purchased two garbage
trucks with money it received from the City Sanitation Office.
"But now, due to lack of funds we are sorry to say that we
cannot afford to buy even one truck as we had hoped," said Idik
Sulaeman, the university's deputy rector and head of the
program's organizing committee.
Moedanton explained the "Clean up the World" program for this
year, scheduled to be held from Friday to Sunday, as a "simple
campaign, with the simple aim" of promoting individual awareness
on the need for a cleaner environment.
"Any follow-up programs or evaluations are not supposed to be
done only once a year but rather each day after the clean-up
program is over...the impact cannot be felt that day," he said.
Moedanton admitted that monitoring results of the program has
proven difficult and pointed out that "we just have to monitor
ourselves."
Sponsored by the United Nations' Environmental Program (UNEP)
and the EGBAR Foundation, this year's program, which is an
extension of a similar one held last year, will continue to
promote the motto of "Think Globally, Act Locally," he said.
The first two days will be used to distribute stickers,
leaflets and posters containing environmentally friendly slogans
to passing vehicles and offices around the university's campus.
On the third day, a mass cleaning campaign will be held on all
six of the university's campuses, involving some 4,000 freshmen
and senior students and staff of the university.
Other neighboring universities which will also take part in
the program include the private Tarumanegara University, Krida
Wacana Christian University and Indonusa Esa Unggul University.
The program, initiated by several people with public relations
backgrounds shortly after the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de
Janeiro, Brazil, focused on encouraging individuals to
participate in caring for the environment and convincing them
that taking part in such an action is "simple, inexpensive and
fun." (pwn)