February 21, is National Waste Awareness Day on Indonesia, this date had one tragic story behind it. "Waste landslide" or "Waste Tsunami" was happened this day on 2005 and more than hundreds house and people was buried alive. That makes government, lots of people, and environmentalist aware that there's something wrong with these wastes, and we need to do something about it!

So yeah, every year, there would be a Movement about waste awareness, but this year, there's something special with it. In order to achieve Indonesia #FreeWaste2020, there's national movement to invite Governments, 1024 Local Communities, and thousands local Societies, to have community services on the Car Free Days, Harbors, Rails, Coasts, Rivers, Tourists Area, and even Mountains. These movement held on 154 Cities and Regencies, on more than 20 provinces. These were HUGE Achievements because if we compare it last year, this movement only involved 61 communities on 20 Cities/Regencies, which makes it getting BIGGER and BIGGER!

So, I was interviewing Desy Lia Putri, Chairpeson of Youth for Climate Change (YFCC) North Sumatera. As YFCC representative, She has several goals want to be achieved. Generally, YFCC wants to make this National Movement succeed, lots of Environmentalist, Societies, and Governments has set this goals to achieve Indonesia #FreeWaste2020. Specially, YFCC wants to tell the locals How bad Medan's environment potrait, now. For example they did this movement on Sungai Deli or Deli River, one of Medan's identity and iconic river, has been achieved its "Severe" conditions. Lots of plastic waste on the riverbanks can make Floods on the downstream (which is not good at all). Yet, we need to face another waste problem that literally make our locals vulnerable in the first place. This is why YFCC wants to be the mover and build the awareness for local societies and communities.

The Result

So, as a mover, Medan can engage more than 427 participants from 30 communities, one of city that has the highest number of Volunteers! This movement was the first time in Medan, but already break the Records! So yeah, it gives us priceless information, Medan still has lots of Aware people. They just need a platform to do the movement and they hope lots of similar activities can be done as often as possible.

Ah, imagine more than 500 garbage bags filled with waste! Even, for this 2-4 hour movement we can get lots of Waste! Thanks Volunteers :)

Personal Messages

Nothing is impossible! Engaging these communities and societies might be not so easy, but, approaching them personally is Important. First thing you need to do, expand your network as wide as possible, save the numbers, engage the leaders, pitching your ideas, and voila, get your volunteers! Even by providing them online-registration, you can engage lots of people personally, as long as your objectives and goals are clear!

Once again, network is everything, engaging governments would be easier and faster if you have friends that close with the governments itself, you may skip several "confusing" bureaucracy. So, keep sharing-networking-developing guys!

"Talking about environment is not talking about me or you, it's us! Communities need to be good Role Model, we're youth, we need to aware and care with our surroundings, because it's not only Scientist or Environmentalist duties, it's us, it's our duties!" - Desy Lia Putri