UNAIR NEWS – The inspiring news came from Vania Santoso, an alumna of Management Study Program Faculty of Economics and Business (FEB) Universitas Airlangga. A young woman who is active in social movements in the field of the environment became the only representative of Indonesia in Youth Climate Leaders (YCL) 2019. A climate conference for young people held by United Nations (United Nations) in United States in early October.
Vania is one of the 100 elected Climate Leaders, eliminating as many as 7,000 applicants from around the world. For this participation, Vania has the opportunity to explain how she managed waste through her business, Hey Startic.
Interviewed by UNAIR News, she is grateful for this opportunity. At Youth Climate Leaders (YCL) 2019, she met various young people who care about the environment from different countries in the world.
“The focus of the environmental awareness concept (100 participants of Youth Climate Leaders 2019, ed) is also very diverse. Some delegates were talking about renewable energy, garbage, forest fires, and many more, “she said.
“This opportunity of joining this event definitely inspires me to work in this field in the future,” she added.
The opportunity to join the prestigious conference was inseparable from the social innovation that was initiated by Vania together with her sister Agnes Santoso since 2004. Furthermore, she expands into business in 2010 through Hey Startic, which a brand development for ecopreneurship owned by Vania.
Through this product, Vania wants to increase public awareness and concern for waste. Namely, through other outreach efforts. For example, the natural manifestation of handcraft products that are not less cool than products that are not from recycled materials.
“We explain (education to the public, ed) that you can know through fashion products, and we recognize that recycled products can also be fashionable. It is one of the ways that we educate the public, “she explained.
She is a real example of someone who is not from an environmental activist background which suddenly interested in recycled products. At that time, she also educates the public in managing and utilizing the waste that occurred.
“From there, we can tell more about environmental issues that exist around us. In the end, it became a form of education to the community, “she said.
Besides, she advised that we need to reduce using plastic waste because it becomes the main topic discussed in various countries in the world. Especially plastic replacement materials.
“Don’t use a plastic straw. If everyone uses one plastic straw, how then is the plastic garbage? What will happen to our world in the future ? “she said. (*)
Author: Feri Fenoria Rifa’i
