Nasoba, a 20-year old woman, was busy arranging accessories made from recycled materials. The student of Tanjungpura University’s (Untan) School of Sociology in Pontianak, West Kalimantan, is one of 40 young women from the city who are in the process of becoming green entrepreneurs.

“We had to register and go through a selection process before we received five days of training on recycling waste. We spent two months collecting recycled materials and then created them into various marketable goods,” Nasoba told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.

About 100 people registered for the course titled “Kalimantan Go Girls: From Waste to Wealth,” only 40 of whom were selected. The goods they produced are on display at eight booths in the yard of the Untan library, where the American Corner (Amcor) is located.

Among the items displayed are doormats, gadget cases, pillow covers, wallets and a number of accessories. After being exhibited at the booths for two days, the items will be offered to buyers via social media with the help of Amcor Untan.

“We produced these items almost without capital, by optimizing plastic waste from around us. We only had to buy supporting materials. We are trying to sell them for as cheap as possible, ranging from Rp 5,000 [37 US cents] to Rp 100,000,” said Nasoba. Accompanied by Untan rector Thamrin Usman, United States Ambassador to Indonesia Joseph R. Donovan explored the eight booths one at a time during his first visit to Pontianak on Wednesday. He struck the gong three times to mark the start of the Kalimantan Go Girls event. At every booth, Donovan engaged in discussion with the young women, who proudly showed him their creative work.

“These two countries are committed to fostering opportunities for women and girls, educating and empowering them by providing skills so they can become green entrepreneurs,” Donovan said.

The US government through its embassy in Indonesia and Amcor in several cities has encouraged women and girls to improve their skills and financial standing through environmentally friendly programs. The US Embassy has nine Amcor offices across Indonesia, but according to Donovan, Pontianak has the best and most active Amcor. Since it was established in February 2012, Amcor Untan has organized 4,500 programs.

The development of Amcor programs in Pontianak involved the alumni of the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI). Through its network, which involves more than 100,000 dynamic young people aged 18 to 35 from the 10 ASEAN member countries, the YSEALI is working to make changes in various fields, comprising economic development, civil participation, education and environment conservation, in their communities.

Indonesia has 20,000 YSEALI members and it is expected they could become partners of the US Embassy to realize common ideas.

YSEALI alumni in Pontianak are contributing to the Kalimantan Go Girls by becoming volunteers in assisting in the green entrepreneur program. Adela, 24, a volunteer, said one of activities conducted was an anti-plastic straw campaign, which was aimed at reducing plastic waste.

“As an alternative, we encourage people to use natural materials that can be recycled, such as bamboo. Stainless-steel utensils are also an alternative because they can be reused,” said Adela.

During fall last year, Adela and 25 other young women from Indonesia visited the US to learn about environmental and climate change issues, which they later used to mobilize youths to change their habits, making it in line with efforts to protect the environment. “The campaign was done through the creation of a green lifestyle, recycling garbage and planting trees,” said Adela, who is also an alumnus of Untan’s English education program.

Thamrin hoped women and girls participating in Kalimantan Go Girls would become agents of change in environmental issues and encourage people to process waste into something with economic value.

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