By: Denaya Karenzi (Volunteer Panda Mobile)

There are many things that parents can do to nurture their children's love for the environment, one of which is by taking them camping in the outdoors. On Sunday (15/04), WWF-Indonesia's Panda Mobile was invited to participate in a camp initiated by Indonesian Zero Degree Nature Lovers Community, at Curug Nangka, Bogor, West Java.

During the activity, WWF-Indonesia's Panda Mobile conveyed the importance of protecting nature and animals, especially the Sumatran Tiger and water sustainability. Children and parents watched a movie about the effects of excessive plastic use on the Earth. After watching the movie, the campers competed to come up with ideas to reduce plastic waste.

"The way to reduce plastic waste is to use reuseable bags, such as those provided near the cashier. You can buy it once, fold it, put it in your bag and use it again later," said Amara's mother, one of the parents who participated in the camp. Questions also arose regarding the use of plastic bags. "What about the degradable plastic, sis?" asked one parent. "Actually, there are two types of degradable plastic on the market. There are those that are biodegradable and those that are only biodegradable. If it's only degradable, even though it decomposes quickly, it still has plastic content that can pollute the environment," replied Mecca, one of Panda Mobile's volunteers.

The activity continued with a simple water observation that showed the content in the water around us. "In this world, there is only 2% of water that we can consume, you know!" said Irfan, one of Panda Mobile's volunteers. The water studied was taken directly from the Curug Nangka River. From the results of observations using Panda Mobile's water laboratory facilities, the water in Curug Nangka is still relatively clean and fresh.

Camping activities are even more fun because children are also invited to play Sumatran Tiger-themed cricket. Through this game, children are introduced to interesting facts about tigers and the advantages of these animals. The children were very enthusiastic in participating in the game and the parents were also busy encouraging their children who were playing and learning through the cranklek media.