Universitas Negeri Semarang (UNNES) once again demonstrated its commitment as a conservation campus by hosting the 4th National Student Leaders Sustainability Meeting (NSLSM) 2024. The event, which took place from Thursday to Saturday (5-7/12/2024), was attended by dozens of students and lecturers from various universities in Indonesia, as well as a number of international students from Ghana and Timor Leste.
This year’s NSLSM carries the theme “Empowering Student Leaders: Shaping a Sustainable Future for Indonesia Emas”. A total of 83 students from 49 universities in Indonesia attended to enliven the annual event. NSLSM 2024 consists of a series of activities, such as the Declaration of Protecting the Environment, Focus Group Discussion (FGD) on the topic of sustainability, Action to Protect the Environment, Campus and City Tour, and Conservation Essay Competition.
“The series of events are in accordance with the theme of The 4th NSLSM, namely as a form of strengthening conservation in order to welcome Indonesia Emas,” said Prof. Dr. Sugianto, M.Sc., Secretary of Semarang State University when opening the event at the UNNES Auditorium.
The Professor of FMIPA UNNES emphasized the importance of the commitment and action of the younger generation in preserving the environment as part of efforts to realize Golden Indonesia in 2045. According to him, the younger generation has a very vital role in encouraging positive change, especially in managing and preserving natural resources for sustainable development.
Prof. Dr. Riri Fitri Sari, M.M., MSc., as the Head of the University of Indonesia Green Metric (UIGM), in her speech said that this activity is a collaboration in creating a sustainable future.
“This event is a collaborative space for young leaders to strengthen their role in realizing environmental sustainability, while preparing for a sustainable future,” said the Professor of the Faculty of Engineering, University of Indonesia.
Head of the Sub-Directorate of the UNNES Conservation Directorate, Prof. Dr. Amin Retnoningsih, M.Sc. explained that UNNES as a conservation campus is always committed to integrating sustainability principles in every aspect of campus activities, be it in education, research, or community service.
“We strive to foster awareness and active role of students in protecting the environment, because students are very potential agents of change. Therefore, activities such as NSLSM are very important to encourage them to be directly involved in conservation actions,” he explained.
This year’s participants consisted of dozens of students from various universities such as Semarang State University, University of Indonesia, Surabaya State University, Hasanuddin University, Lambung Mangkurat University, Lampung University, Sepuluh Nopember Institute of Technology, Diponegoro University, Sultan Ageng Tirtayasa University, University of North Sumatra, Tidar University, Trisakti University, UPN Veteran East Java, Airlangga University, UIN Raden Fatah Palembang, UIN Sultan Maulana Hasanuddin Banten, Sebelas Maret University, UIN Walisongo Semarang, IAIN Metro Lampung, IAIN Ponorogo, UIN Mataram, UIN Maulana Malik Ibrahim Malang, and the Sumatra Institute of Technology.
In addition, students from the LPP Yogyakarta Polytechnic, the Industrial Chemical Technology Polytechnic, UIN Raden Fatah Palembang, UIN Raden Intan Lampung, and Ganesha University of Education, Lasharan Jaya School of Management, National Land College, STIKES ‘Aisyiyah, Ahmad Dahlan University, Atma Jaya University Yogyakarta, Bhayangkara University of Jakarta Raya, Darussalam Gontor University, Galuh Ciamis University, Hamzanwadi University, Semen Indonesia International University, Kuningan University, Medan Area University, Muhadi Setyabudi University, Muhammadiyah University of Malang, Muhammadiyah University of Purwokerto, Multimedia Nusantara University, Jakarta State University, Pancasila University, Pembangunan Jaya University, Muhammadiyah University of Technology Jakarta, Telkom University, and Teuku Umar University were also present.
For three days, the participants were involved in various activities, ranging from a declaration to protect the environment, focus group discussions (FGD) on the role of students in campus sustainability, to the action of releasing fish in the UNNES Reservoir. This activity, initiated by the UNNES Conservation Sub-Directorate and the University of Indonesia Green Metric (UIGM), presented a number of resource persons/expert practitioners related to the role of sustainability, namely Dr. Junaidi, S.S., M.A. (Deputy Chairperson for Programs, Communication, and Partnerships UI Green Metric), Alfian Fajri Nasrulloh (NSLSM Alumnus), Prof. Dr. Amin Pujiati, S.E., M.Sc. (UNNES Professor), the Central Java BKSDA Team, and the Semarang City Rasendriya UMKM Team.
NSLSM 2024 is not only a place to share ideas, but also a platform to create students as agents of change from among students. Through this collaboration, UNNES and Universitas Indonesia want to strengthen their role as conservation campuses that are active in supporting sustainability.
