Chemistry Department, FMIPA UI Holds Environmentally Aware Activities at Ragunan Wildlife Park

Environmental issues are global problems that occur in almost all countries, especially developing countries. Talking about environmental education, in fact, currently society still needs it. So, in addition to education, direct action in the field is no less important to be intensified. This is related to environmental care behavior that must continue to be carried out.

The importance of environmental education to increase public insight is an urgency that deserves support and collective efforts from various parties, including community groups, communities, organizations, educational institutions, industry, and government.

With this background, in welcoming World Environment Day which is commemorated every June 5, a number of students from the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Indonesia (FMIPA UI) who are members of the Chemistry Department Student Association, carried out a social activity entitled "Chemistry Soft Movement x Green Chemistry" at Ragunan Wildlife Park, Jakarta, Sunday (28/5/2023).

There, they invited several participants who were visitors to Ragunan Wildlife Park to do various educational and inspiring activities. Such as a trash collection competition, where participants competed to collect trash scattered around the Ragunan Wildlife Park area, and throw the trash into the nearest trash can, to a campaign about the importance of protecting the environment through painting. tote bag together, as a symbol of creativity in reducing the use of plastic bags.

"We held this social activity with the aim of inviting active participation from the community in protecting and preserving the environment. The focus is more on collective efforts in maintaining environmental cleanliness and sustainability," said Rafa Zahira, as the head of the event committee.

According to him, the commemoration of World Environment Day is an important moment to develop environmentally aware behavior in the community about the urgency of protecting, preserving, and protecting the environment.

"This celebration also carries the essence that every human being has a moral and ethical responsibility in every action taken towards nature and the ecosystem which is the main supporter of life," he said.

Rafa explained that more than 20 participants were present to enliven the activity. As an effort to support the environmentally friendly campaign, he and his colleagues in the action appealed to visitors to bring their own drinking bottles to reduce the use of disposable drinking bottles. As an appreciation, Rafa distributed free gel drinks to participants.

In line with Rafa, Rizky Alfian, Head of the Social and Environmental Department who in this case serves as a supervisor and director, said that through this activity, he and fellow students from the Chemistry Department, FMIPA UI hope to provide environmental education values to the community as a process of reciprocal adaptation to nature and between fellow humans.

"We hope that this activity can educate the community about environmental issues that are currently being faced. So that we are all able to adapt reciprocally to nature and each other," said Rizky.

"By preserving nature and the environment, it means that we respect this planet as a shared home and are also committed to maintaining the sustainability of a quality life for future generations." he added.