Youth take easy, small steps to save energy
Novia D. Rulistia, The Jakarta Post - YOUTHSPEAK, JAKARTA | Wed, 05/13/2009 11:01 AM
We don’t inherit the Earth from our parents. We borrow it from our children. The old Native American proverb means that we have to do our part to take care of this aging planet we live on, regardless how old we are. It does not take much.
Through small steps, young people are jumping in to preserve the environment, to do what they can to make the earth breathe more easily and to do their part for a better living environment.
Twelfth-grader Stefanus Feraldo of SMA 60 in South Jakarta gave an example: during Earth Hour on April 28, he and his family did what was asked: They switched off the lights in their house for an hour.
“I was just excited when I read about Earth Hour from the news. It was dark then and hard to do things, so I just sat, meditated and prayed,” Stefan said.
“I liked the fact that, by switching off the lights for an hour, I could save several percentage points in energy consumption. That’s why I took part in that program.”
Earth Hour is organized by World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) as an effort to make people aware that they can also take part in actions to curb global warming.
Initiated in Australia in 2007, WWF encouraged more urban centers and countries to participate each year. The Indonesian branch of the organization brought the initiative to Jakarta. Enough people participated to save 50 megawatts (MW), lower than the hoped-for target of 300 MW—10 percent of the city’s electricity consumption.
Like Stefanus, Auzi Annisa of SMA 28 in South Jakarta has become more aware about the environment since she took part in Earth Hour.
“I admit that I wasn’t that careful about the environment, but I think it’s time to do more,” she said.
Auzi said that although her TV and air conditioner remained on while she switched of the lights during Earth Hour, she decided to take another step. She started dividing the organic and nonorganic waste in the house.
“I know it’s not much, but I hope it can be useful.”
The climate and energy program coordinator at WWF, Muhamad Suhud, said such moves—turning off the lights, recycling—that young people take on were a good beginning.
“So many things can be done in the area of energy saving. Switching off the lights is the easiest way for teenagers to be involved,” he said.
“Young people are some of the higher consumers of electricity because they usually have lots of gadgets. But their involvement in saving energy has also been quite high,” he said.
He cited how many communities groups and volunteers were made up of young people wanting to create a greener planet. Many bulletin boards at schools featured and discussed about environment issues.
“You see, they already feel the impact of global warming. They have dealt with floods and frequent blackouts. That’s why they care so much about the issue, I think,” he said.
Suhud also said it was fine if young people wanted to use cars to go somewhere, but not with only one or two people in a car.
“
Nebeng (hitchhiking) and giving rides are strongly recommended,” he said.
Titus Bernard Sihombing from SMA Kolese Gonzaga wished one day he could follow his brother’s habit of getting around every day by bicycle.
“I hope that way I can help save more energy. My family is always reminding me about this saving energy thing, telling me to stop playing games all the time, but—well—maybe I’m not ready to let it go yet,” he said.
Tenth-grader Saveria Adella Putri said that since she often felt the effects of global warming, she knew she needed to start with her own behavior to tackle the problem.
“It’s important to start everything voluntarily, then combine it with the government’s actions as well as our communities’,” she said though she admitted her awareness on the issue was still low.
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