Indonesia used 9.8 billion plastic bags every year. Almost 95% of it would end up as waste which throws and end up in the ocean into pollution. Pollution drastically affects the sea environment, killing thousands of marine life like marine mammals, sea turtles, and sea birds. Many rare sea plants have become extinct due to discarding plastic wastes in the seas. Pollution does not only affect marine life and their environment, but it also affects mankind. Contaminated water supplies and food chain cause damages and health problems. Responding to this issue, a group of President University Communication Studies students batch 2017 conducted an event entitled “Sea Kepper” in Citepus Beach, Palabuhan Ratu. The event gave environmental education to the youth who are still in high school and encourage the youth to take part in the action of saving the earth.
Sea Keeper conducted in three days. In the first two days, Communication Studies Students in collaboration with Greeneration Foundation did Socialization Day to schools near Pelabuhan Ratu (11/22-23). They visited several schools, among others SMPN 1 Palabuhanratu, SMPN 3 Palabuhanratu, and SMKN 1 Palabuhanratu. In Socialization Day, Sea Kepper spread awareness in keeping the ocean clean where normally in high school students’ current ages, they are passive in maintaining the environment in the future.
Saeful Hamdi, Communication and Branding Manager of Greeneration Foundation as one of the speakers in Sea Kepper event said, “Not only human health that is disturbed due to waste problems, but sea animals also experience it. Many of these marine animals think that microplastic is their food (plankton), but unfortunately, it’s only plastic. This situation should make us start to act.”
As the main event, Sea Kepper conducted “Beach Clean-Up Movement” (11/24). The event was attended by representatives of the Environmental Agency Sukabumi District Dedem Sunegar, Head of the Garbage Transport Section of the Environmental Agency Sukabumi District Endang Suherman, representative of the Military Command Palabuhan Ratu Pelda Dodi Salawudi, Ch, and the Police of Palabuhan Ratu, Akp Oki Eka Kartikayana, S.Pd. in Beach Clean-Up Movement, students with all societies around Pelabuhan Ratu cleaned up the trash around the beach and collected it. To immediately handed over to the Department Environment. All of the trashes was directly put into the garbage grinder, so residents and students understood that the trashes was immediately processed properly.
This movement invites all societies, not only Pelabuhan Ratu residents, to be more aware of the dangers of plastic waste. This movement is also accompanied by the distribution of stainless straw aimed at the community better-using items that can be reused (reusable) because no matter how small our efforts to not use plastic is very meaningful to our world. (AC/SL)