Communication Science Students from Universitas Dian Nuswantoro (Udinus) played a role in raising awareness of planting trees in Semarang. Through the ‘Mutual Preservation’ campaign, students encouraged locals of Pancasila Village Pogangan, Semarang to plant lettuce seeds.

The campaign aimed at children was conducted on December 14th, 2023, with the help of the School of Life Foundation, and around 40 children from the said foundation also took part in this campaign. The campaign mainly presented to children. This is because children are fast learners, by doing this, children can essentially implement environmental values one day. Additionally, five representatives from the Department of Communication Science were also present.

As stated by Gading Chandra Pranolo, the campaign coordinator, there were a total of 400 lettuce seeds. Lettuce seeds were chosen as they were among easy-to-maintain plants. It only takes around a month for a lettuce to be ready to harvest.

“We utilized the hydroponic method to plant these lettuces, as hydroponic gardens could describe the essence of our tagline, namely, ‘Small Forest for a Big Future.’ In addition to planting lettuces, there was also a program concerning the importance of the environment,” he uttered.

“We educated those children about how important the environment was in the form of storytelling and lettuce planting. This step was done to pass our torch to them as our successors, particularly in preserving the environment,” Gading added.

Moreover, he also mentioned that faculty members also took part in supporting this campaign to be carried out. These supports were embodied in the form of permission to organize this campaign.

“This campaign is regarded to bear many benefits, particularly to us and the locals of Pancasila Village,” he uttered.

Furthermore, he stated that this campaign served as tangible proof done by students in conserving the living environment and improving plant cultivation. Their direct involvement also represented these students’ compassion in handling various problems, mainly in improving environmental sustainability.

Gading hoped that this campaign could trigger other Go Green campaigns to arise alongside innovative methods. “Hopefully, through this campaign, those children could become aware of their surroundings through reforestation and plastic waste utilization. In addition, we would also like to hope for them to be more creative and socially interactive,” he concluded. (Humas Udinus/Ika. Foto: Humas Udinus)