Students learn simple things to save the earth

Desy Nurhayati ,  The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Wed, 06/24/2009 9:29 PM  |  Jakarta

Students of SDN Menteng 03 state school in Central Jakarta listened to and answered questions from volunteers of GreenLifestyle community who delivered a presentation on how youths can appreciate nature.

The presentation was part of a four-day art festival organized by the school that began Monday, to commemorate Jakarta’s 482nd anniversary and celebrate the end of the academic year.

In front of some 100 students comprising third, fourth and fifth graders, the volunteers told the students about simple things that have big impacts on the environment such as turning lights off when leaving a room and unplugging electronic appliances after using them.

“Slogans and banners are not enough to educate children how to save the environment. They have to practice,” said Edha Desri, head of the festival committee.

“They should learn these things from a young age; they should care about these things because some children are used to instantaneous things that are not always good for the environment,” Edha said.

During the presentation students also learned about saving water, as well as getting to school by walking, riding bicycles or using school buses as a way to reduce traffic congestion, save fuel and reduce air pollution.

Some topics were presented in animated videos, such one short piece about “saving the planet by using energy-efficient light bulbs”.

At the end of the discussion, the students were divided into groups, each of which was given a map of Jakarta. The students were then asked to map out places they wanted the city to have. The students included parks, plantations, football fields, malls, hotels, museums and even pet shops on their maps.

The first day of the event included a tree planting campaign in the school yard.
On the second day, students learned about how to create useful things from recycled packaging materials — adopting the “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and Repair” principles.

The biggest event at the festival is scheduled for Thursday at Menteng Park, where the students will perform Betawi dances and other traditional dances.

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