The sun may not fully rise in the Ir. H. Djuanda Grand Forest Park (Tahura Djuanda) on October 5, 2025, but a festive atmosphere has already warmed the nature conservation area in Bandung Regency. Since half past six in the morning, energetic music has been blaring, welcoming the hundreds of yellow-clad running enthusiasts who have started to arrive. They began by warming up individually. One runner was seen twisting his ankles, while another placed one foot on a park bench, then pushed his body down to the limit. They were ready to take on the 6-kilometer cross-country course.

They were good runners, participants of the Eco Echo Trail Run, a charity run initiated by WWF-Indonesia together with SalingJaga -insurance from Kitabisa. This sporting event was held to invite the public to walk through the urban forest and feel a direct connection with nature. "We run for one mission: to protect nature, to protect each other, to protect us all. Every track we run, we give voice to the voiceless. This time, we are giving a voice to the Javan rhino. So it's a noble mission that we continue to echo. Don't forget, don't leave any trash behind!" said WWF-Indonesia's Partnership Director, Rusyda Deli, who gave more motivation for the runners.

At six o'clock, participants set up at the start line. "Five, four, three, two, one!" exclaimed Bandung Mayor Muhammad Farhan as he raised the WWF-Indonesia flag, while Rusyda raised the SalingJaga flag and SalingJaga President Director Bryan Silfanus sounded a mini trumpet. The "flag off" sign was the cue for the runners to begin their journey.

Along the route, the runners traversed a variety of terrain - from asphalt, uphill and twisty dirt roads, to dark Dutch caves, with the lush trees of Tahura shading their journey. "The air along the course felt cooler and fresher than at the start point," said one runner, Irfan Alfian, describing how he connected with nature.

The runners have actually completed a good mission to echo and directly contribute to the conservation of wildlife, especially the Javan rhino. Currently, the Javan rhino is Critically Endangered according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). This iconic animal's only habitat is Ujung Kulon National Park. Without a reserve population, they are threatened by inbreeding, disease, habitat loss and poaching. Javan rhinos cannot speak out and save themselves. So, currently WWF-Indonesia and its partners are working to conserve the Javan rhino by protecting the habitat, monitoring the population, and educating the public.

In addition to raising the issue of Javan rhino conservation, this event also carries the message of zero waste and becomes a means of public education to encourage people to be wiser in managing waste. The message was conveyed through various activities, such as a talk show, an upcycle workshop with Bumitorri, Panda Mobile interactive education, Zumba with Asri Welas and colleagues, and musical performances. The whole series is expected to raise awareness of forest sustainability, biodiversity, and the importance of maintaining the ecosystem that supports life.

On that occasion, Bandung Mayor Farhan conveyed the condition of waste management in his city. He explained that Bandung produces 1,600 tons of waste every day; however, only 190 tons are successfully sorted, processed, utilized, and destroyed. The government targets to increase waste management to 500 tons of waste per day by June 2026. "That still leaves 1,100 tons per day (unmanaged)," he said.

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Farhan then advised the public to start changing their mindset in waste management. "Let's change the paradigm. It is no longer time to 'throw garbage in its place' because the place is no longer there. But, today's waste must be used up today. So, waste must be separated, processed, utilized, and finally destroyed," he said.

Farhan's message was reinforced in a talk show session that presented WWF-Indonesia's Plastic Smart Cities Program Manager, Sekti Mulatsih, West Java Provincial Environment Agency Executive, Hanifan Adi Nugroho, and Head of the Regional Technical Implementation Unit of Tahura Ir. Djuanda Bandung, Lutfi Erizka, with moderators Brigita Manohara and Asri Welas. In the informative discussion, Hanifan explained that of the six million tons of waste in West Java, only 49 percent is successfully managed. He emphasized the importance of the role of all parties in waste management from the source, while the provincial government prepares funding support for villages or sub-districts that are able to carry out waste management optimally. Waste problems are also a worrying issue in Tahura. Lutfi Erizka said visitors still often litter plastic packaging. Waste generation reaches around 100 kilograms in a few days. "Often we are a bit overwhelmed to clean up the garbage," he said. To overcome this, Tahura managers collaborate with various communities to carry out clean-up actions and encourage stall owners to provide paid water dispensers so that visitors can refill tumblers.

In response to the issue of waste, Sekti Mulatsih revealed that WWF-Indonesia, through the Plastic Smart Cities program, seeks to prevent leakage of waste into the sea by encouraging the reduction of the use of disposable plastic and improving existing waste management. WWF-Indonesia is also aggressively educating the public, including through this Eco Echo Trail Run activity. "So, the hope is that the friends who are here will go home, then educate their surroundings that we can do without single-use plastics. Let's reduce it!" he said.

The speakers' explanations received positive responses from participants, one of whom was Khafid, who emphasized the importance of individual awareness in managing waste. "We must realize that we are the producers of waste. That means we have to reduce it ourselves. If we can't, we can dispose of it through (service providers) like Bumitorri. If there is no service, we have to sort it ourselves," he said.

Meanwhile, Bumitorri as a waste management partner, recorded a total of 74.15 kilograms of waste generated from this event, consisting of 40.05 kilograms of organic waste. 18 kilograms of nonorganic waste, and 16.1 kilograms of residue. The organic and inorganic waste was sent to a recycling manager, while the residue was handled by the Environmental Agency.

After the event, supporters of the Eco Echo Trail Run delivered a message of collaboration for the Environment. Neo Commerce Bank Business Director, Aditya Wahyu Windarwo, emphasized his company's support for sustainability and nature conservation. "We hope that with our support, we can help preserve the environment and also provide awareness (about the environment) to the public and also the running community in particular," he said.

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