The Health Science Faculty at Universitas Dian Nuswantoro (Udinus) invited an expert from Amsterdam to present materials at their international seminar, which was hosted by the Environmental Health Student Association at Udinus on Wednesday, January 22, 2025.

The took place at the Wisma Perdamaian, with 60 environmental health students and several representatives from campus organizations at Udinus attending it. It employed the theme ‘Develop Entrepreneurial Skills and Form Networks to Become an Independent Generation for Sustainable Environmental Health.’ 

It featured three expert speakers, including Elco Van Burg—a Full Professor of Organizational Theory, at the School of Business and Economics, the Department of Management and Organization in the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. Two other speakers were Prof. Vincent Didiek Wiet Aryanto, MBA., PH.—a professor from the Economics and Business Faculty at Udinus, and Mohammad Erlangga—an Environmental Health student at Udinus.

Farikha Aula Lia Hikmah, the head organizer of this seminar, explained that the theme was relevant to the challenges in the rapidly changing world. According to her, the seminar was important for Environmental Health students to develop their skills, as well as build international networks. 

“Through this seminar, we want to highlight the importance of honing entrepreneurial skills and networking to support collaborations and share business opportunities. It aims to push the graduates of the Environmental Department to be more independent, creative, and caring, particularly in understanding environmental preservation,” she explained. 

Similar to the statement given by the head organizer, Enny Rachmani, S.K.M., M.Kom., Ph.D.,—the Dean of the Health Science Faculty at Udinus—stated that the theme of this seminar was indeed relevant to current global challenges. This is due to the fact that the growth of the entrepreneurial sector not only boosts the economy but also the environmental health sector. 

“Hopefully, this seminar can provide the participants with insight and global perspectives. Students are expected to learn as much as necessary from the speakers,” Enny emphasized. 

Eco-Friendly Innovations

The first session was delivered by Elco Van Burg from all three speakers. On that occasion, he shared the urgency of building a social network to support businesses. 

“These two topics will heavily influence the effectiveness of organizations by building network dynamics and inter-organizational relationships. In addition, these topics will also highlight the way intersectoral collaborations come up with innovations, particularly in the Environmental Health field,” he explained. 

The following learning materials were delivered by Prof. Vincent. On that occasion, he took a deep dive into the performance of green marketing in various batik enterprises in Indonesia. Green marketing here means utilizing eco-friendly innovations based on technology also known as eco-innovation. The international seminar was concluded by a presentation delivered by Erlangga. On that occasion, he discussed the importance of students as agents of networking and competence, particularly in establishing eco-friendly opportunities and innovations in their future businesses. Students were also expected to implement this approach by engaging in the Entrepreneurial Student Coaching Program from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology. (Humas Udinus/Haris. Foto: Dok. HM Kesling) pada UMKM batik di Indonesia. Green marketing yang disampaikan yaitu memanfaatkan inovasi ramah lingkungan berbasis teknologi atau biasa disebut eco-innovation.

“Inovasi ini memediasi hubungan antara orientasi pasar dan kinerja pemasaran. Mengintegrasikan teknologi informasi dan komunikasi yang mendorong UMKM untuk mengatasi minimnya sumber daya dan mengembangan produk ramah lingkungan dengan tetap mengakses pasar internasional,” jelas Prof. Vincent. 

Materi International Seminar ditutup oleh paparan dari Erlangga yang membahas mengenai pentingnya peran mahasiswa sebagai agen keterampilan dan jaringan. Khususnya dalam menciptakan peluang dan inovasi ramah lingkungan dalam usaha mereka. Harapan besar juga disematkan kepada mahasiswa agar dapat memulai implementasi melalui kegiatan Program Pembinaan Mahasiswa Wirausaha dari Kemendikbud Ristek. (Humas Udinus/Haris. Foto: Dok. HM Kesling)