By: Dimas Prasetyo (Marine Buddies Jakarta Community)

The Conservation Education Travel (CORAL) 2.0 seminar held on April 28 was a success, buddies! The event, located in Kebon Jeruk, West Jakarta, was attended by 34 participants, the majority of whom were students living in Jakarta. This year's CORAL 2.0 Seminar took the theme "Marine Debris Pollution and Its Countermeasures" with the aim of introducing how our role as young people can be wiser in using plastic. Because as we know that now there are a lot of problems caused by plastic waste, especially in our seas.

Together with three speakers who are experts in their fields, the CORAL 2.0 Seminar was appreciated by enthusiastic participants who wanted to know how to easily manage plastic. Darmawan Ahmad, Indonesian Diving Society Association, said that we are currently contaminated with plastic in our daily lives. "Plastic has existed in the world since 111 years ago. What we use everyday, don't think we don't use plastic, there must be some. Currently microplastics are a more serious threat, and one of the countries threatened by the presence of microplastics is China, in the Yangtze River 4 kg / m3 of the river contains plastic, "he explained in the material presented.

Indarwati Aminuddin, Responsible Marine Tourism National Coordinator, WWF-Indonesia, added that families play a big role in the use and processing of plastic. As someone who is always busy with activities in the field, Indarwati said that plastic waste is now imprisoning marine tourism areas in Indonesia. When plastic waste is in the sea, it could be eaten by the fish that we consume every day. If this is the case, what will we eat?

"WWF conveys messages more easily so that people care more about the environment. The barrier that is felt is that we live in this modern era, plastic is found everywhere so it is difficult to be eliminated," he continued.

As a marine tourism activist, Ramon Y. Tungka, told how it was not easy to invite people around him to care about the environment due to the use of plastic. "Changing the closest person is difficult, but there is something even more difficult, namely changing ourselves, that's what happened to me. From a few years earlier, I changed my concept towards plastic," he said while telling a story.

"Everything about Indonesia impressed me. The difficult thing that is also difficult to change from the character of our nation is to set an example to reduce the use of plastic by becoming a more responsible person. For example, by bringing your own water bottle when traveling," Ramon added.

There are many things we can do, buddies, to reduce the use of plastic? Let's start using plastic wisely for our earth. The examples that have been presented by the speakers can be done by us! Are you ready to become #Friends of the Marine Park, buddies?