The crisis of awareness of environmental sustainability is an up-to-date problem because the earth is getting older and humans need radical changes that promote awareness of the importance of preserving the environment. Changes in patterns and lifestyles to be more environmentally friendly for life sustainability become personal awareness in society and even have to be institutionalized and even be a new culture of postmodern society. This awareness inspires human life, starting from the consumption of basic needs, energy consumption, technology use, household equipment needs, use of transportation facilities, building arrangement and home care, agricultural patterns and other livelihoods, industrial development, business development, organizational development, economics, politics, and education.

Considering such a problem, Stube HEMAT Yogyakarta discussed Responsible Consumption and Production at Wisma Pojok Indah (19/02/2022). In the opening, Trustha Rembaka, S.Th (coordinator of Stube HEMAT Yogyakarta) introduced the institution and mapped the participants’ understanding of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Some participants admitted that they had just heard this, but were interested in exploring it.

In the discussion process, each participant from various regions in Indonesia who was studying in Yogyakarta revealed what they consumed and what they produced. Each expressed different answers. Ika from Lampung admitted that she consumes more than she produces, from food, beverages, water, soap, shampoo, electricity, internet quota, news, and fuel. She hoped to be a more responsible person in consumption and production.

Suparlan, S.Sos.I, MA from the Sheep Foundation Yogyakarta and the WALHI Jogja Council, as resource persons for the discussion, said that being an environmentalist is easy. Environmentalists exist because of global warming and climate change that is happening in the world today. It happens due to the rampant global development and industrial revolution without paying attention to environmental sustainability. Agriculture suffers from the impact of climate change and global warming from seasonal changes, changes in water availability, and pest and disease attacks that trigger crop failure. The far-reaching impact is food insecurity and the threat of hunger. So, it is appropriate that responsible consumption and production become one of the points of the SDGs to make the global community aware of responsible consumption and production patterns.

The higher the individual consumption, the greater the exhaust emissions released into the atmosphere. The accumulation of exhaust gases causes global warming and climate change. Worse, the world is trapped in the greed of capitalists who dredge nature without considering its sustainability. In group activities, participants counted the carbon produced from their daily activities. For example, the use of one rice cooker for 1 hour produces 267 grams of CO2. Let us imagine how much CO2 the world's population produces just from using a rice cooker!

Rev. Bambang Sumbodo, S.Th, M.Min., the board of Stube HEMAT guided participants to reflect on what people need today. It is important to have an awareness mindset toward a better and environmentally friendly life. Life is no longer oriented to momentary profits but sustainable thinking to maintain the sustainability of nature and the environment. Various findings about the impact of global warming, irresponsible consumption and production and the resulting carbon should make all participants rethink their way of life. ***

By: Kresensia Risna Efrieno.          

Humans are social beings who cannot be separated from social reality. Many social phenomena occur in society, such as problems related to education, poverty, social inequality, technology, economy, and so on. From this reality what should we do? Will sensitivity and social awareness grow by themselves? Awareness of this social issue or reality needs to be continuously sprouted and honed, to trigger awareness of the reality.

Along with the hope for the realization of humanity awareness, especially among young people, Stube HEMAT provided a mentoring space for students of SMPK Tirta Marta, BPK Penabur Pondok Indah, Jakarta through Social Studies 2022 with the theme "I and My Human Fellows–We Care We Share". This Social Study activity is part of the concern of Tirta Marta Foundation-BPK Penabur, Pondok Indah Jakarta, to sharpen the sensitivity of students about the reality around them, to bear young generation who knows what to do to respond the life problems. The pandemic conditions did not block the learning process, as the activities took place online for 3 days, where Stube HEMAT Yogyakarta facilitated them for two days, on the 2­nd and 3rd February 2022.

The first day (2/2/2022) was the beginning for students to get to know Stube HEMAT and Ariani Narwastujati, S.Pd., S.S., M.Pd., the Executive Director of Stube HEMAT explained about Stube HEMAT and its services to develop human resources in some regions in Indonesia. Ariani showed a video depicting  the previous social studies to help students find out  the last-8-years social study activities and  a video showing the life realities in Raja Ampat, West Papua of which the quality of education and facilities still needs support.

To strengthen personal touch with students, the school divided the students into 7 small groups with one facilitator from Stube HEMAT teams each. In small groups of 9-10 students, the Stube HEMAT team guided students to explore their personalities through a 'quiz game'. The students looked very enthusiastic when they knew their characters, such as a good person, a smart person, a confident person, a funny person, and an independent person. Some claimed to be matched with the result but some are not. This process led them to have self-awareness that they are so worth in persons and may do something useful for others in response to the difficulties of others that occur around them.

On the second day (3/2/2022) the first session was delivered by Trustha Rembaka, S.Th., by showing a video of the lives of junior high school students on Sumba Island who experienced limited educational facilities. They went to school on foot, climbed up the hills to get internet connection while studying online, studied at night with oil lamps because of no electricity, looked for firewood for cooking and also in charge to raise family livestock. In this section, students learned to uncover problems and gaps experienced by peers in other parts of Indonesia. Then in the second session, Kresensia Risna Efrieno accompanied the students to watch a video telling about the life struggle of Sudarmono, a person with disability due to a work accident. He did not give up due to his condition but struggled to continue his life instead. He and his wife started a peanut chips business and it has grown till today.

From these series of lessons, the students reflect and determine their attitude, and what they can do as the expression of caring for others, which is then comes into a group project planning. The activity of Social Study is not just to raise awareness or sensitivity toward social realities, but also to act as a realization of that awareness. Are we aware of the social reality around us? Let's open our eyes, open our hearts and determine the steps to act and share.***