Environmental Education

Objective

Activity

Progress

Challenges

The main objectives of the activity are that to raise awareness of the public about waste issue and to let the public know that goods made of inorganic waste can make money. With this as a starting point, our goal is to change people’s mindsets leading to the reduction of waste.

The main objectives of the activity are that to raise awareness of the public about waste issue and to let the public know that goods made of inorganic waste can make money. With this as a starting point, our goal is to change people’s mindsets leading to the reduction of waste.

Activity We had consultations with a junior high school where Environmental Education Department (EED) usually delivers environmental education seminars, and a teacher entered the project team of creating signboards. Also, local youth group which one of my Timor-Lease friends belongs to joined our project. At the beginning of creating signboards, bottle caps, plastic boards, glues, coloured sprays, varnish, packing tapes and wires were used as materials. However, we went through the costs to bring profits, and decided to use paints in place of coloured sprays. Paints also enabled us not to use varnish, so we were able to attain significant reduction in the total costs. Because of this, we can offer signboards for a lower price, which expands our market and increases buyers of our products such as walun (traditional Timor-Lease eating place) or kios (like a kiosk) managed by local people. We have also created recycling goods other than signboards made of bottle caps at the junior high school. For example, necklaces and bracelets made of newspaper, ashtrays made of empty cans and sunshades made of bottoms of plastic bottles have been created by students. The quality of these goods is not enough to be sold, but at least they enjoy the activity, and it seems that environmental consciousness of students has gradually changed.

Total ~ signboards were ordered by Japanese Embassy, international organizations, NGOs, apartments, market, restaurants and retail shops have asked us to create their signboards, and approximately 15,000 bottle caps have been used to create 14 signboards. The result is more than we expected, and the activity proceeds favourably. If we can keep the activity at this level, we can prove that this activity can work as commercial basis which enables the local can establish NGO focusing on recycling goods, and make a living through the sales of them.

In terms of the sales of signboards, although the teacher and local youth community members accompany me, I play a key role of finding buyers and negotiating with them. In order to continue the activity it is essential that Timor-Lease people take over the responsibility. It would be the priority to tell them skills in sales. Also, although only signboards made of bottle caps are sold, we would like to sell other recycling goods made of inorganic waste. To achieve this, we recognize that finding buyers is really important like signboards made of bottle caps.

Japan International Cooperation Agency Environmental Education in Timor-Leste

Yusuke Fujiwara