Minister Of Environment And Forestry Siti: Instill Children Care For The Environment From An Early Age

Minister of Environment and Forestry Siti Nurbaya (Photo: Public Relations of KLHK)

JAKARTA - Good habits in children need to be instilled from an early age, one of which is concern for the environment. This is important because no matter how small the behavior of protecting the environment, it can have a good impact on the sustainability of the earth.

“The easiest thing is not to litter. Why? because waste is a burden on our environment or nature," said Minister of Environment and Forestry Siti Nurbaya at the Environmental Education webinar with the theme "Sharing Stories: Protecting the Earth, Preserving Nature", Tuesday, June 29.

In front of the webinar participants consisting of elementary, middle, and high school students from all over Indonesia, Minister Siti shared stories that there are many things that can be done to help protect the earth, and preserve nature. Disposing of garbage in its place is one of them.

Minister Siti also said that in order to reduce waste generation, it is time for us to separate items that are not used so that they can be processed or used again. The use of single-use plastics should also be avoided so as not to add plastic waste, so that the surrounding environment is not dirty or a lot of garbage.

“Don't let garbage contaminate water sources such as rivers, seas, lakes and springs, so that the water remains clean and useful. And don't forget, we also have to implement a water-saving culture, using water as needed," he said.

The next good habit of protecting the environment is planting trees. By planting trees, we can help preserve nature. Planting trees can also keep water available, reduce flooding in the rainy season, get water for supplies in the dry season, and prevent landslides.

“We have to plant as many trees as we can in our lifetime. At least 25 trees per person in his lifetime. That is, 5 trees were planted in elementary school, 5 in junior high school and 5 in high school and 5 in college, and 5 more when they got married. Don't forget, the trees are cared for and cared for too," said Minister Siti.

One more thing, Minister Siti advised Indonesian children to love flora and fauna. Many unique types of plants and animals are even threatened with extinction, so they also need to learn how to preserve them.

"I also continue to hope that children will continue to be enthusiastic about learning, so that they can achieve their goals and participate in conserving the environment together," he said.

At this important moment, Minister Siti expressed her appreciation to the teachers, education community and storytellers for all their contributions to education in Indonesia, specifically for environmental education.

"I hope that we can exchange information and experiences to advance the world of education, create the next generation that is intelligent and has high concern for the environment," he concluded.