Prigi Arisandi

http://www.ecoton.or.id/tulisanlengkap.php?id=1520 Prigi Arisandi (Executive Director of ECOTON)

The person that i chose is Prigi Arisandi. He is a person who really cares about the environment. his basic interest is in saving the Surabaya River. He is definitely making a big difference for the river.

He and some of his friends made a non-government organization that is called ECOTON which means Ecological Observation And Wetlands Conservation, it is located in Gresik which is also very close to Surabaya. Their job is to find out valuable information about the river, for example, how badly polluted is the river, what industries are polluting the river etc. Then he and his friends are trying to do something about these problems.

They also have a program on how to save the environment, especially the Surabaya River. One of the programs is a boat trip going around the river. Everyone is welcome to join and they are usually students. On this four hour boat trip, students and visitors can learn about the animals that have become extinct because of the pollution. They can also see how pollution from industry is destroying the river by throwing (untreated ) waste straight into the river. The program is can be taken for a week, two weeks, or even one day depending on the students and what they want to learn.

Prigi Arisandialso encourages people who live near the river not to throw their waste into the river because what they do can damage an ecosystem and making the water unhealthy to be consumed, whether for washing clothes, bathing, cooking, but most importantly, to use the water for drinking. The other ways they have of informing people is by giving information over the internet, radio, newspapers, etc. Another way of preventing pollution is going to the river and taking part in this demonstration.

http://www.ecoton.or.id/tulisanlengkap.php?id=1443

I'm glad that there is a person like him because if nobody in this world cares about the environment, then everything will be destroyed. Who else will care about the environment? A person like Prigi can make a big difference to the society. He has informed many of us just how important the river is and what will happen to it in the future. Now, many people in Surabaya have realized just how important the river is. I think everyone should also help and take are of the environment before its too late.