UPJ Encourages Plastic-Free Campus through Green Campus Pioneers Initiative

Bintaro, South Tangerang, 01/11/2024 - Universitas Pembangunan Jaya (UPJ) strengthens its commitment to reducing plastic waste through the Green Campus Pioneers initiative, a program designed to increase awareness and participation of the academic community in efforts to create a greener and plastic-free campus environment. This initiative is part of the Youth Activist Campus Plastic-Free Competition program organized by WWF Indonesia's Plastic Smart Cities and Yaksa Pelestari Bumi Berkelanjutan (YPBB).  

As part of this program, UPJ held a talk show entitled “Responsible Consumption for Waste Reduction” on Tuesday, October 15, 2024, at the Universitas Pembangunan Jaya Hall. This activity was designed to encourage student awareness of the importance of reducing the use of single-use plastics. Present as participants in this event were UPJ Vice Chancellor 1 for Academic and Student Affairs (Mr. Dr. Ir. Agustinus Agus Setiawan, S.T., M.T., IPM), representatives of the WWF Indonesia Foundation (Anilawati Nurwakhidin), as well as talkshow speakers from the Ministry of Environment and Forestry (Asep Setiawan, S.Pt., M.Sc), Communication and education WWF Indonesia (Dwi Mutiara), and Climate Activist (Alya Sabira).  

 “We hope that this talk show will be the first step in changing the behavior of the academic community to be more environmentally friendly,” said Dr. Ir. Agustinus Agus Setiawan, S.T., M.T., IPM as Vice Rector for Academic and Student Affairs of UPJ in his speech. The speakers emphasized the importance of cross-sector collaboration and student participation in building collective awareness for a healthier environmental future.  

On the same occasion, UPJ also inaugurated the Water Refill Station, a facility presented as a concrete step to support a plastic-free campus. This facility is expected to facilitate access to drinking water without disposable plastic bottles for the entire academic community, thus reducing the volume of plastic waste significantly.  

Expected Results of the Green Campus Pioneers Program: 

• Increased Awareness of the Academic Community about the negative impact of plastic waste on the environment.  
• Active Involvement in Plastic Waste Reduction Efforts, especially in the campus environment.  
• Reduction of Plastic Waste Volume with the main target towards zero waste of single-use plastics.  
• Collaboration with Student Organizations to strengthen and support sustainable environmental campaigns.  

Green Campus Pioneers is expected to become a model for other campuses in Indonesia in promoting a greener and more sustainable environment, as well as inspiring students to play an active role in protecting the earth.