Shaping Sustainable Lifestyle Character: Impressions of IPB University Students Participating in the 30-Day Eco Journey
Big changes often start with small actions. This is the basis for the Sustainable Solution Champions (SSC) initiative. One of its implementations is Eco Journey, an initiative that encourages students to build awareness of sustainable living through concrete actions for 30 days without interruption.
“We want to build collective strength through IPB’s vision of becoming harmonious human beings, in tune with each other, nature, and the Creator. Change cannot happen without starting with individual moral actions,” said Dr Rina Mardiana, the driving force behind the initiative, during the SSC Evaluation and Reflection session.
Dr Rina explained, “This program encourages us to plant the seeds of sustainable habits. The first phase is the formation of a sustainable lifestyle character, and the second phase is voluntary sustainability habits, when awareness grows into habit.”
Over the course of a month, participants carried out four main actions: Anti-Food Waste, Planet-X, EcoWalk, and BioDiscovery. These four initiatives focus on simple lifestyle changes that have a significant impact on the environment. Participants also engaged in daily reflective journaling as a form of self-awareness and self-evaluation.
One participant, Nasywa Aulia Artha, shared her experience in carrying out the Anti Food Waste action.
“After reflective journaling, I realized that I had been wasting food. In 30 days, my total food waste reached about one and a half kilograms. From there, I learned to manage my consumption more wisely. Together with the group, we also made compost from food waste in the campus cafeteria,” she said.
Another participant, Wafa, added that this action made her more grateful and sensitive to the environment. “From this action, I learned to take only enough food and process ingredients that were almost thrown away into new dishes. It’s not just about waste, but also about gratitude and responsibility towards natural resources,” she said.
Through this reflection activity, the ‘Sustainable Solution Champions’ were encouraged not to stop at the initial phase, but to continue these good habits as part of their daily lifestyle.
“This evaluation is not about passing or failing, but about being honest with ourselves — whether we want to continue our commitment to sustainable habits. This is not merely a technical evaluation, but a process of crystallizing values and character,” concluded Dr Rina.
About Sustainable Solution Champions
The Sustainable Solution Champions (SSC) program is part of IPB University’s Eco Journey series, which encourages students to carry out sustainable actions for 30 days. Through four actions like Anti Food Waste, Planet-X, EcoWalk, and BioDiscovery, the program aims to foster awareness of the importance of an environmentally friendly lifestyle and students’ social responsibility toward the Earth. (*/Rz) (IAAS/KDP)
