By: Ciptanti Putri

According to the Living Planet Report 2012, human ecological footprint is one of the factors causing the decline of the earth's quality. If in the period 1970-2010 the earth could still meet human needs, three years later the shocking fact states that humans need one and a half earths to meet their needs. Human consumption patterns have increased significantly, leaving behind the meager growth of natural resources. If left unchecked, it is predicted that in the period 2013-2050 we will need three earths to support human life.

For this reason, WWF-Indonesia has never been reluctant to call for and socialize the implementation of a green lifestyle as a concrete action to reduce the excessive use of natural resources. Through the Earth Hour campaign, community movements in supporting cities are actively developing, creating local actions as solutions to problems in their respective areas. A record 37 cities in Indonesia participated in the Earth Hour Indonesia 2014 campaign - which focused on saving and wise use of energy, paper and plastic in everyday life - making Indonesia the largest community-based Earth Hour supporter country in the world.

One of the successful delivery of the green lifestyle message targeted by the Earth Hour campaign in Indonesia is the optimal use of social media. As a form of appreciation for the achievements of Earth Hour Indonesia 2014 campaign, as well as Earth Day celebration on April 22, WWF-Indonesia held a discussion entitled "Gara-gara Earth Hour" at @america, Jakarta. The discussion that highlighted the public's perspective on the Earth Hour campaign in Indonesia was attended by social media activists, creative campaigners and environmentalists, such as Wahyu Aditya (HelloMotion, HelloFest, and KDRI), Shafiq Pontoh (Indonesia Berkebun, Ayah ASI, and Indonesia Berkibar), Dr. Efransjah (CEO of WWF-Indonesia), Agus Sari (environmental advocate), and Earth Hour Champions from the Jabodetabek area.

At the beginning of the discussion, Wahyu Aditya revealed that the limited infrastructure conditions in Indonesia can be a trigger for people, especially the younger generation, to innovate. The results of this creativity need to be disseminated to a wide audience. One easy and inexpensive way is by optimizing social media.

Based on data reported by the Global Web Index (2013), Indonesia is the seventh largest internet user in the world (58 million people). This figure will continue to increase in line with the development of the internet in Indonesia which reached 430%.

Referring to this, Shafiq Pontoh emphasized the importance of online media activities. "This media can help us 'find' people with similar interests, who are potential partners in a new network in the real world," said Shafiq. This opinion is also shared by Agus Sari, who believes that social media can expand the scope of the Earth Hour campaign in Indonesia.

On another occasion, Dr. Efransjah, revealed the fact that people in big cities, such as Jakarta, are still not wise in exercising their rights as responsible consumers. Despite having a high income, urbanites often do not care about the impact of their lifestyle. "Lip moisturizers that are often used by women contain palm oil, which requires large areas of land to cultivate. If we are not wise in the use of these lip balms, there will be tree cutting and forest conversion for the expansion of oil palm plantations, without considering environmental sustainability aspects," said Efransjah. "Therefore, it is necessary to build human awareness of environmental issues through educative information. Creative campaigns are an effective way to influence and encourage people to take action," he continued.

Earth Hour Indonesia 2014 campaign fully utilizes the role of social media in disseminating information to various individuals and communities. This is evident from the crowded Twitter (with the hashtag #Gara2EH) during the discussion, by people who have already practiced or felt the benefits of the environmentally friendly lifestyle that Earth Hour itself has been promoting in Indonesia.