Description: Eco Bhinneka Muhammadiyah Ternate is again inviting collaboration between youth, women, and leaders across religions and beliefs to join the environmental action by cleaning the beach and distributing plant seeds to Houses of Worship throughout Ternate on July 12, 2024. (Doc. @ecobhinnekamuhammadiyahmalut)
After successfully holding a series of training, workshops, interfaith friendship camps, joint tree planting and beach cleaning, Eco Bhinneka Muhammadiyah Ternate is again inviting collaboration between youth, women, and leaders across religions and beliefs to create ‘Ternate Andalan’ by carrying out environmental conservation actions. This action was carried out through a tree planting and nurturing campaign, by distributing plant seeds in Kastela Village, Ternate Island District, as well as in several places of worship in Ternate, and carrying out a clean-up action at Kastela Ternate Beach, on Friday 12 July 2024.
“This tree planting and nurturing campaign aims to encourage interfaith people in Ternate to move to reforest and care for tree plants starting from their village, as well as their places of worship. With village and places of worship becoming cooler and more beautiful, hopefully this can inspire people to love nature more and take part in initiating the next environmental conservation movement,” said Usman Mansur, Regional Manager of Eco Bhinneka Muhammadiyah Ternate.
The activity began with cleaning and sorting the rubbish (Clean Up) on the shores of Kastela Ternate Beach first, from the results of the Clean Up 6 plastic bags of rubbish were produced, the rubbish was dominated by baby diapers and plastic bottles. The activity then continued with planting the Ketapang Kencana Tree on Kastela Beach.
Description: The interfaith youth in Ternate joined to clean up the Kastela Beach on July 12, 2024 (Doc. @ecobhinnekamuhammadiyahmalut)
The Head of Kastela Sub-district, Lutfi Kader, hopes that this step will not stop here but will continue to move to preserve the environment in Ternate, “This activity can encourage that cleanliness does not start from the top but starts from the bottom, I hope this does not end there. Start here now and continuously,” he said.
This action activity was attended by 42 participants from religious leaders, the Ternate Women’s Association with Disabilities, youth and women across faiths, as well as communities working to preserve the environment. Apart from bringing plant seeds, they also carried hand banners containing messages inviting them to preserve the environment, such as: Rejecting Industries that Destroy the Environment, Protecting the Earth is Part of Faith, Protecting the Environment is No Less Important as Taking Care of the Mental, Protecting Allah’s Creation, Waste-Free Indonesia, Energy Dirty destroys God’s creation, the Earth is Beautiful Without Rubbish, It’s Cool if The Rubbish Bin is Thrown Away in its Place, Take Care of Nature, Then Nature Will Take Care of People.
Description: Eco Bhinneka Muhammadiyah Ternate held an environmental campaign through cleaning the beach and distributing plant seeds to Houses of Worship throughout Ternate on July 12, 2024. (Doc. @ecobhinnekamuhammadiyahmalut)
There were 135 tree seeds distributed in this series of events, such as 75 Ketapang Kencana tree seeds, 60 Pucuk Merah tree seeds. “We got these seeds thanks to support from the Forestry Service of North Maluku Province, as well as BPDAS Ake Malamo, North Maluku Province,” said Usman. Apart from making the environment cool, he hopes that the trees planted will also be able to ward off coastal erosion. “We plan to check every 3 months the condition of the trees we have planted, as well as stay in touch with religious leaders,” continued Usman, who currently also serves as Chair of the Environmental Sector at the Central Board Council (DPP) of the Muhammadiyah College Student Association (IMM).
The Ketapang Kencana (Terminalia mantaly) tree seedlings were planted on Kastela Beach, Ternate. Ibnu Khaldun, as Head of the Forest Resources Protection and Conservation Division of the North Maluku Province Forestry Service, also attended the action and took part in carrying out this planting. “This is a good breakthrough, I would like to express my thanks and appreciation to Eco Bhinneka Muhammadiyah, because planting and preserving the environment is not just an official service but our shared responsibility,” he said.
Description: Ibnu Khaldun, as Head of the Forest Resources Protection and Conservation Division of the North Maluku Province Forestry Service, also attended the action and took part in carrying out this planting activity on July 12, 2024. (Doc. @ecobhinnekamuhammadiyahmalut)
Eco Bhinneka Muhammadiyah North Maluku also distributed Syzygium oleana (Pucuk Merah) seeds to houses of worship in Ternate, with the aim of providing greenery in places of worship. “We distribute seed plants to places of worship with the aim of places of worship being at the forefront of voicing diversity and preserving the environment in Ternate,” explained Usman Mansur. Seedlings were distributed from the Amarulah A. Baharudin Mosque in Sasa Village, the Thian Hou Kiong Temple in Gamalama Village, the Maluku Protestant Church (GPM) Imanuel Congregation in Ternate in Stadion Village, to the Missi Pentecostal Calvary Church in Indonesia Ternate.
Description: Eco Bhinneka Muhammadiyah North Maluku handed over tree seedlings to the Thian Hou Kiong Temple in Gamalama Village on July 12, 2024. (Doc. @ecobhinnekamuhammadiyahmalut)
Various appreciations emerged from religious figures and administrators of the places of worship visited. “Thank you for sharing the seed plants with us, later we will plant these seeds next to the temple to make it look more beautiful and beautiful,” said Boy Ang, a Confucian priest. Something similar was said Jenny Hakim, as the Regional Leadership Council of the Indonesian Maitreya Buddhist Religious Council (MAPANBUMI) North Maluku Province. “The distribution of tree seeds symbolizes that we are all one in preserving the environment without any differences,” said Jenny.
Furthermore, Pastor Yanis Togolobe, who is also the Leader of the Calvary Pentecostal Mission Church in Indonesia (GKPMI) Immanuel Tabanga Congregation, stated that the steps for distributing tree seedlings were very good, “We are different in terms of beliefs, not in the social realm, many of us here are also close to Muhammadiyah residents, children in Tabanga also study at Muhammadiyah Middle School. If we visit each other often, the bonds of brotherhood will still be maintained without any discrimination,” said Rev. Yanis.
Description: Eco Bhinneka Muhammadiyah North Maluku handed over tree seedlings to the Calvary Pentecostal Mission Church in Indonesia (GKPMI) Immanuel Tabanga Congregation on July 12, 2024. (Doc. @ecobhinnekamuhammadiyahmalut)
The participants from interfaith youth, also expressed their enthusiasm for participating in this activity, as expressed by Fajar Megantara as the organizer of ANKAM (Young People Aware of Waste). “Today we went straight to the field to clean up the coast of Kastela Beach and also plant trees. We see that Ternate is currently experiencing a crisis of youth who care about the environment. Therefore, this activity is a concern for all of us to care about the environment and not throw away any rubbish, starting from self-awareness,” he said.
Meanwhile, Sindi M Tamaronggehe, as member of the Maluku Protestant Church Youth Force (AMGPM) Imanuel Ternate, wants concrete actions like this to continue. “Come on, young people in Ternate, keep keeping our environment clean, so in this environment we can live healthily,” she said.
Description: Fajar Megantara as the organizer of ANKAM (Young People Aware of Waste) planted a tree in the coast of the Kastela Beach, Ternate, on July 12, 2024. (Doc. @ecobhinnekamuhammadiyahmalut)
Author: Usman Mansur, Fadila Syahril
Co-Author: Dzikrina Farah Adiba
