From Titik Nol Nusantara, in Ibukota Negara (IKN) located in Sepaku Subdistrict, North Penajam Paser Regency (PPU), East Kalimantan Province (Kaltim), World Environment Day was commemorated on June 5, 2023. BANANA & Partners, represented by Herry Wijaya, were invited by Mulawarman University (UNMUL) in collaboration with the Indonesian Professor Association (API) to hold an event called “Youth Care Action and Dialogue” with the theme of “IKN Minimizes Plastic Waste”.

The theme for World Environment Day this year is associated with controlling pollution or contamination from plastic waste. Hence, the representative of IKN urged all stakeholders involved in IKN’s development to begin socializing and adopting a lifestyle that minimizes waste.

In the same location, the initiator of this program and also a member of API, Prof. Dr. Esti Handayani Hardi, S.Pi., M.Si stated that waste has become a significant problem because it can impact economically, ecologically, and security-wise if not properly managed.

The larger the population and development, the more waste will be generated. Therefore, society must be aware and intensify waste management efforts.

“We’ve wanted to hold an action event like today’s for a long time. Initially, we wanted to clean up the waste in the Balikpapan Bay area. However, due to time constraints, we’re starting by collecting waste in the IKN area. We will continue to oversee IKN’s development so it doesn’t generate waste that could harm the environment. UNMUL will regularly visit to monitor,” said the Coordinator of the Doctoral Program in Environmental Science at UNMUL.

In addition to waste cleanup actions, the event also involved a dialogue involving students, East Kalimantan’s Miss Indonesia 2023 Natasya Priyanka, CEO of Banana & Partners Herry Wijaya, Director of Environmental Affairs and Disaster Management of IKN, Onesimus Patiung, and Professor Esti Handayani Hardi. One of the Mulawarman University students, Suryanti Ramdhani, also participated as a speaker in this dialogue.

During this dialogue, Herry Wijaya emphasized the importance of a sustainable ecosystem, one aspect of which is waste management as a support for the circular economy in IKN, and promoting a sustainable system through multi-sectoral cooperation.

“It’s time for us to change our mindset. We are no longer “locals”; IKN and its surrounding cities will become the focus of attention for Indonesia, ASEAN, Asia, even the world; hence we mustn’t lag behind in terms of knowledge, technology, and the will to advance,” stated Herry Wijaya.

BANANA & Partners continues to monitor the mega IKN project, which is being built according to the plan of the IKN Authority. They continually support sustainable projects that prioritize social, economic, and environmental impacts for sustainable prosperity.