26 April 2019
Anonymous Writer
Sustainable Campus, Sustainable Earth...
The entire academic community of the Chemical Engineering Department, Universitas Sumatera Utara (USU), participated in the 2019 Earth Day celebration held in the courtyard of the M Building on Friday, April 26, 2019. Various activities were designed to support environmental sustainability, especially within the Chemical Engineering campus area.
Since early March, Prof. Dr. Eng Ir. Irvan, M.Si., has initiated the treatment of wastewater from the Faculty of Engineering's cafeteria to produce biogas. Prof. Irvan, who also serves as Vice Dean III of the Faculty of Engineering, USU, has extensive experience in biogas production, a renewable and environmentally friendly energy source. Besides processing wastewater, the department has also been working on transforming campus leaf waste into compost. Initially, the composting process utilized basket composters. In collaboration with Dr. Ir. Fatimah, M.T., the department plans to switch to a concrete compartment system for compost production in the near future.
Garden management is also being enhanced through the creation of vertical hydroponic gardens on the walls of lecture buildings. This initiative, spearheaded by Prof. Dr. Ir. Rosdanelli, M.T., involved students from the 2018 cohort currently enrolled in the Environmental Science course. Tree-planting activities were also conducted on campus, with 100 tree seedlings donated by the Watershed Management Agency (BPDAS) Wampu Sei Ular, North Sumatra Province. These activities were coordinated by the Chemical Engineering Student Association (HIMATEK), which also led the creation of biopores to improve water absorption in the campus area.
HIMATEK Members and Students Creating Biopore Holes
The department also organized the selection of Environmental Ambassadors for USU Chemical Engineering. The ambassadors were inaugurated during the Earth Day celebration and were presented with eco-pouches containing reusable dining and drinking utensils by the Head of the Chemical Engineering Department, Maya Sarah, S.T., M.T., Ph.D., IPM, and the Secretary of the Department, Erni Misran, S.T., M.T., Ph.D.
A total of 20 Environmental Ambassadors, representing students from the 2016, 2017, and 2018 cohorts, are expected to adopt an eco-friendly lifestyle in their daily lives. The eco-pouches serve as an initial step for these ambassadors to help mitigate environmental issues, particularly plastic waste. Moreover, they are tasked with becoming agents of change in environmental preservation, implementing programs that promote sustainability, and serving as role models to inspire their peers to join these initiatives. The ambassadors' activities will be evaluated, and the top three performers will receive awards during the VIII Lustrum of USU Chemical Engineering, scheduled for October 2019.
The 2019 Earth Day celebration was part of the VIII Lustrum of USU Chemical Engineering and the XII Lustrum of the Faculty of Engineering, USU. The Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, Ir. Seri Maulina, M.Si., Ph.D., expressed her appreciation for the activities carried out by the Chemical Engineering Department. She hopes these initiatives will continue successfully and make a tangible contribution to improving the environment within the engineering faculty area.
This news can also be accessed [here].
