Conquering Waste and Environmental Problems: The Role of Business and Sustainable Solutions

Jakarta, September 27, 2023 – There has been a growing focus on environmental problems, with one of the most pressing issues being waste management. Based on data from the Ministry of Environment and Forestry (KLHK), the national waste stock reached 21.1 million tons in 2022. Of the total national waste production, 65.71% (13.9 million tons) can be managed, while the remaining 34.29% (7.2 million tons) needs better attention. Therefore, overcoming this issue requires participation from both businesses and communities.

Roni Pramaditia, Head of Medco Foundation, said waste has become integral to human life. Plastic waste management still needs to be improved in several Indonesian cities. Many plastics are thrown into rivers or oceans, which will then be carried away by currents and pollute aquatic ecosystems. Plastic waste carried by currents also threatens marine animals’ survival, including turtles, which often eat plastic, which they mistake for food. Moreover, waste is often burned, releasing greenhouse gas emissions like CO2 and CH4, contributing to climate change.

“For this reason, we are collaborating with Ecoxyxtem, the Institute for Essential Services Reform (IESR), and Kopi Nako Daur Baur to hold the Standup4Sustainability event. This event aims to gather business people in Jakarta and surrounding areas and open up opportunities for collaboration with sustainable solution providers such as providers of waste transportation services, renewable energy, and green buildings,” explained Roni at the Stand4upSustainability event on Wednesday (27/9/2023).

Rizqi Mahfudz Prasetyo, Sustainable Energy Access Program Staff, IESR, mentioned that another sustainable solution for protecting the environment that can be encouraged is the use of solar energy. It is becoming increasingly vital to tackle the problem of climate change, and harnessing solar power is a critical step in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, lessening reliance on fossil fuels, and preserving the natural environment. According to IESR, solar energy has a technical potential of 20,000 GW.

Stand4upSustainability event on Wednesday (27/9/2023).

“Market studies conducted by IESR in several provinces show that the potential for rooftop solar PV (a combination of early adopters and early followers) is generally above 10%, even reaching 25% for certain target groups. However, the use of solar energy in Indonesia is still minimal. Based on data from the Directorate General of EBTKE, Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, the actual installed capacity of solar PV in 2022 is 271.6 MW or far below the plan of 893.3 MW,” explained Rizqi.

Another effort to protect the environment and reduce emissions is recycling. Robert Wanasida, Founder of Kopi Nako, said that this coffee shop, which is popular with young people, is implementing the Daur Baur initiative to apply sustainable design in architecture, furniture, and branding of Kopi Nako. The shop’s unique approach can be seen in the way it arranges used plastic cups on the walls and fence elements, known as PanelDaur, at the Nako Alam Sutera Coffee shop. It utilizes an understanding of used plastic cups arranged to form an eye-catching and Instagrammable design to be immortalized.

“The mixed cycle concept was motivated when we wanted to manage plastic waste to protect the environment. However, reducing plastic waste and achieving zero waste is challenging for Kopi Nako. We have been educating our employees regarding plastic waste management to raise awareness of environmental care. The mixed recycling initiative movement and our collaboration with waste banks to manage plastic waste have further supported our efforts,” said Robert.

Ratna Kartadjoemena, Founder of the Paloma Sjahrir Foundation, shared her journey in building a hotel using used materials, especially making the ceiling with 1.7 tons of plastic. In the construction process, Ratna admitted that her party collaborated with architects who understood the characteristics of Indonesia when using environmentally friendly art.

“Not only is the construction process environmentally friendly, but we also implement sustainable practices in hotel operations. We manage our hotel needs through recycling, which allows us to repurpose materials such as candles and drinking bottles, which can be provided to our guests for free. We also have a waste recycling lab that experiments with new ways to regenerate waste such as plastic and styrofoam washed up from seas and rivers, even oyster shells from restaurants into new products such as baskets, furniture, and certain facilities,” said Ratna.

IESR Encouraging Community Capacity Building Through the Energy Transition Academy

Fabby Tumiwa

Jakarta, June  23, 2023 – The Institute for Essential Services Reform (IESR) encourages community capacity building towards an emission-free Indonesia by launching the Energy Transition Academy platform, accessed via the academy.transisienergi.id website. The platform serves as a forum for learning about energy transition and climate change issues connecting with the growing popularity and frequent use of the phrase “energy transition” in public spaces.

The Executive Director of IESR, Fabby Tumiwa explained that the Government of Indonesia had launched a gradual energy transition and would achieve net zero emission (NZE) in 2060 or earlier. Howeverd, based on the IESR study entitled “Deep decarbonization of Indonesia’s energy system: A pathway to zero emissions by 2050” shows that technologically and economically, Indonesia’s energy sector can achieve zero carbon emissions by 2050. The transformation of energy supply and utilization across all energy sectors is crucial to attaining NZE.

“By achieving NZE by2050, Indonesia can generate 3.2 million new jobs in the renewable energy sector. This presents opportunities for economic growth and job growth. Therefore, there is a need to build new capacities, expertise, and skills, considering that the energy transition must bring social and economic benefits. Reflecting on this, the energy transition academy can serve as a means for the community to participate in the energy transition by enhancing insight and capacities,” explained Fabby Tumiwa.

Panel discussion on energy transition platform launching

Irwan Sarifudin, Coordinator of the Clean Energy Hub, IESR, highlighted that through the Energy Transition Academy platform, it is expected that the general public can apply knowledge about energy transition in their daily work. Particularly for Non-Governmental Organizations, by gaining knowledge about the energy transition, can enable them to initiate renewable energy projects, without solely relying on assistance from the central government.

“The Energy Transition Academy platform offers several features that  facilitate learning, distinguishing it from other platforms, such as Synchronous and Asynchronous, Continue Later, As Fast as Your Understanding, Ask Anywhere, Data Sources & Reference, and Tutor Guidance,” said Irwan.

Raditya Wiranegara, IESR Senior Researcher, mentioned the Energy Transition Academy collaborated with various well-known universities and institutions in three phases of module development. In the first phase of the Energy Transition Academy partnered  with ITB, UNS, and ATW Solar, the second phase was collaborated with UI, Swiss German University, ITS, Mongabay, and Tempo, and the third phase was collaborated with UGM, Mataram University, PEC, Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources and so on.

“There are several energy transition academy classes with guaranteed quality, including the basics of the energy transition, an introduction to the energy transition roadmap in Indonesia, and rooftop solar power training,” said Raditya.

The launch of the Energy Transition Academy has received positive feedback from various sectors. Khoiria Oktaviani, GERIYA Program Manager at the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, explained that the existence of the Energy Transition Academy is expected to provide insight and knowledge related to the energy transition.

“We think there is a gap where college students primarily acquire theoretical knowledge, so after graduation, they often feel a lack of  practical experiences in the field. The limitation of GERILYA lies in the selection, which sometimes results in an even distribution of participants across Indonesia,” said Khoiria.

Irvan S. Kartawiria, Deputy Chancellor of the Swiss German University (SGU), emphasized that the Z and alpha generations are highly concerned about the social impact of the work to be carried out, how work impacts others, and environmental sustainability. For this reason, several universities (including SGU, red) prepare their students to meet these needs.

On the other hand, Efri Ritonga, a TEMPO journalist, stated that this energy transition is highly complex process, not only the change in the energy system from fossil-based energy to clean energy, but is closely related to other sectors,such ass of energy, electricity, battery-based transportation.

“From the journalist’s point of view, it is not easy to understand the issue of the energy transition. The easiest things that directly affect people, such as home energy consumption, electric vehicles, the issue of coal-fired power plants (CFPP) pollution, our need is to understand issues directly grounded in society,” said Efri.

Hadi Priyanto, Climate & Energy Campaigner at Greenpeace, assessed that the government’s Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) commitment is increasingly focused on the energy transition. However, to mainstream the energy transition to society, broader and more massive awareness and more stable regulations from the government are needed.

Muhammad Arman, Legal Consultant Advocate & AMAN Mediator, said the practice of clean energy has long been carried out with local wisdom by indigenous peoples. For example, several villages have implemented energy independence in Sorong, West Papua.

“The principle of the energy transition is inclusive, equitable, and fair. Do not let the energy transition create injustice and lots of piracy. For that, we need an Indigenous Peoples Law to ensure that Indigenous peoples protect the environment,” said Arman.

 

The Energy Transition Academy launch event was held on Friday (23/6/2023) with two sessions, namely the launch and workshop of the Energy Transition Academy platform. Several students and the general public participated in trying out the Energy Transition Academy platform in the workshop.

 

IESR Participates in Celebrates Earth Day in Cilacap

IESR turut meramaikan perayaan Hari Bumi tahun 2023

Cilacap – In commemoration of Earth Day, which falls every April 22, the Institute for Essential Services Reform (IESR) took part in revitalizing the peak of Earth Day 2023 commemoration activities in Bulupayung Village, Kesugihan District, Cilacap Regency on Friday (12/5/2023). The activity is “Invest in Our Planet Through Sustainable Mining.”

During the event, the IESR team provided education on how to contribute to using environmentally friendly energy, especially at the household scale (PLTS roof), and implement the potential of renewable energy around them. Relevant IESR publications and studies in Central Java were also distributed to the visitors who attended the activity. Visitors are invited to animate the photo booth with the theme #InvestInOurPlanet.

In his opening remarks at the event, the Governor of Central Java, Ganjar Pranowo, reminded the importance of preserving natural resources so that they continue to benefit humans.

“Natural resources are the key to the wheels of a running economy, everything in nature can be used to meet needs and welfare, and as humans, we must protect and preserve it,” explained Ganjar Pranowo.

Meanwhile, Boedyo Dharmawan, Acting (Plt.) The head of the Central Java ESDM Service explained several other activities during the peak of the 2023 Earth Day commemoration activities. Boedyo presented the series of events aimed to protect the earth from extinction, mainly its natural resources have been used.

“At this moment of the Earth Day series, there are several important points of activity that we carry out, the inauguration of the Slamet Selatan Mining Association, the assistance of 4,000 tree seeds, appreciation for small to large scale miners who comply with Good Mining Practice (GMP) principles, technical and environmental. In addition, the awarding of Energy Independent Village (DME) was also carried out as the Energy and Water Saving Movement (HEA). Hopefully, sustainable management of the earth can be done for future generations,” he said.

Sustainable Energy Access Regional Program Staff, IESR, Riina Syivarulli hopes that the participants and visitors to the activity can become increasingly aware of the importance of awareness and take concrete steps to preserve the environment after visiting the IESR booth.

“On this occasion, IESR introduced the Jejakkarbonku.id platform to find carbon emissions from our daily activities. There is also a Solar Hub platform if visitors want to know about rooftop PLTS. Many visitors tried the two platforms; some said they wanted to install a rooftop PLTS. Hopefully, more and more people will be interested in installing rooftop PLTS to reduce emissions and take advantage of renewable energy from home,” Riina said.