Building Environmental Caring Character through Local Wisdom-
Based Education
Santi Susanti, Iwan Koswara, Fitri Perdana
Faculty of Communication Science, Universitas Padjadjaran, Jl. Raya Bandung-Sumedang Km. 21, Sumedang, Indonesia
Keywords: Natural Environment, Caring Character, Sundanese Local Wisdom.
Abstract: This study aims to reveal training methods by Eco Learning Camp in raising individual awareness to love
the environment based on local wisdom of Sundanese community. This research used qualitative method
with phenomenology approach. Data collection obtained through interview with Eco Learning Camp
managers and observations the activities at Eco Learning Camp in Dago Pakar. Literature and documents
used to complete the research data. The results show that awareness in loving the environment can be raised
through environmental education. Traditional games and gardening are some methods used to foster an
individual's consciousness to love the environment. The implications of this study are the similar ways can
be applied in formal education to make students accustomed themselves to love and care the nature without
being forced.
1 INTRODUCTION
Climate change raises concerns that it will continue
to spread and cause a harmful impact for the earth
and humans to survive. Efforts to reduce the
growing of global warming continues to be done in
order to make the earth survive longer. One of the
efforts is education, which is done by Environment
Friends Foundation through Eco Learning Camp
(ELC) or Eco Camp, environment learning house
located in the area of Ir. H. Juanda Forest Park,
Dago, Bandung. This non-profit foundation
established in 2012, focuses on efforts to develop
education, conservation, research and community
development as well as other creative activities
related to the environment.
Eco Camp was built as an environmental
learning house, which offers a model of
environment-based value education. As an
educational house, the teaching aimed to build
awareness of how importance is the environment.
One way to do it is by implementing green living or
eco living lifestyle and provide education to learning
participants, both children and adults.
Educational patterns in ELC, based on the
principle of Sundanese local wisdom, mulasara
bumi, guguru ka bumi, (caring for the Earth,
learning to the earth). These principles encourage
ELC to utilizes the existing land area for
implementing ecological life as well as keeping the
Earth where they stand.
Environment education cannot be separated from
value education or character education provided to
children in order to be embedded in their
consciousness to sustain the environment.
This study aims to reveal the forms of training
and communication in the process of environmental-
based value education at Eco Camp in order to foster
awareness of the younger generation to maintain the
environment.
Research related to environmental values has
been done by some previous researchers. Heny
Djoehaeni (2014) study on Model Pembelajaran
Pendidikan Lingkungan Hidup pada Pendidikan
Anak Usia Dini (Learning Model of Environmental
Education on Early Childhood Education),
Kholifatul Wakhidah (2014) study on Pengaruh
Penanaman Nilai-Nilai Konservasi terhadap
Karakter Peduli pada Lingkungan Anak Usia Dini.
(The Effect of Instilling Conservation Value on
Environment Care for the Early Childhood
Environment).
There is also a research by Pipit Andriani and
Afakhrul Masub Bakhtiar on Integrasi Pendidikan
Lingkungan Hidup pada Pembelajaran Ilmu
Pengetahuan Sosial di Sekolah Dasar (2017)
(Integration of Environmental Education on Social
Susanti, S., Koswara, I. and Perdana, F.
Building Environmental Caring Character through Local Wisdom-Based Education.
In Proceedings of the Annual Conference on Social Sciences and Humanities (ANCOSH 2018) - Revitalization of Local Wisdom in Global and Competitive Era, pages 123-127
ISBN: 978-989-758-343-8
Copyright © 2018 by SCITEPRESS – Science and Technology Publications, Lda. All rights reserved
123

Science Learning in Primary Schools). Then
Rachmat Mulyana (2009) research on the
Cultivation of Environmental Ethics through School
of Care and Culture of Environment, as well as Rifki
Afandi's research (2013) on the Integration of
Environmental Education by Learning IPS in
Primary School as an Alternative to Create Green
School.
These five studies focused on education in
formal schools, while this study’s subject is an
informal institution, namely Environment Friends
Foundation, which organizes values education to
stimulate participants awareness on the importance
of friendship with the environment and maintain its
sustainability.
2 METHODS
This study uses qualitative phenomenological
methods, to gather and reveal the informant
experiences in applying local wisdom in building
environmental caring character. The experience
described in accordance with the facts delivered by
informants.
The subject of this study is people who manage
ELC. The sample of this study chosen based on
purposive sampling. This procedure is taken so the
informant selected according to the criteria relevant
to the research problem.
The process of data collection and analysis take
place simultaneously. Components of data analysis
such as data presentation, data reduction, and
drawing and verifying conclusion are interconnected
with one another, during and after the period of data
collection. The connection of data analysis
components shown in Figure 1.
Figure 1: Model of interactive data analysis (Miles and
Huberman, 1994).
Data of this study obtained through in-depth
interviews, observation, document review, and any
data to support this study. This study uses Husserl’s
theory of phenomenology, Schutz's theory of Social
Phenomenology and Social Action theory of Max
Weber.
3 RESULTS
The eco camp education leads children to a number
of playing activities in natural environment. Eco
camp education was started from the concern on
children and their future. Yayasan Sahabat
Lingkungan Hidup which was founded in 2002,
started its activities by conducting Spirit Camp in
Ledeng, Bandung. Spirit Camp was moved to Kota
Baru Parahyangan before finally took place in Ir. H.
Juanda Forest Park, Dago, Bandung in 2012.
Eco Learning Camp is a model of environment
education with material that includes the
environmental in the broad sense, i.e. the dimension
of nature, culture and science-technology with group
activity games method and shared reflection in the
context of an open nature, as well as for the purpose
of education and foster the values of love and
responsibility towards society and the environment.
(Widjaja, 2012: 289).
In doing its activities, Eco Camp has a vision to
produce a quality human being who cares about
taking care of the Earth and learned on Earth. The
concept of caring for the Earth and learned on Earth,
in Sundanese language is mulasara bumi, guguru ka
bumi is a concept based on local wisdom Sundanese
to always close to nature and nature as the part that
is not an integral part of human life of Sunda. In
practice, human is not to conquer nature, but to
adapt to nature.
Building a younger generation to have awareness
of better living environment and improve quality of
life through education, conservation, research, and
community empowerment, drives Eco Camp invites
everybody to loves nature and keeping up and
learned to the nature.
In managing Eco Learning Camp, Yayasan
Sahabat Lingkungan Hidup collaborates with Balai
Pengelolaaan Taman Hutan Raya Djuanda, local
Government of West Java and Parahyangan Catholic
University.
Value education in Eco Learning Camp is a non-
formal education delivered in natural environment
discourse and integrated with knowledge of science
and culture to arouse the awareness of keeping up
natural environment and active participation to care
the environment and nature.
The values embedded in environmental
education at Eco Learning Camp consists of
integrity, the spirit of sharing, responsibilities and
rewards. Participants learn methods of the
environment in a shared reflection and group games
which includes the realm of affective, cognitive and
psychomotor.
The concept of learning house at Eco Camp is
outdoors. The purpose of Eco Learning Camp is
ANCOSH 2018 - Annual Conference on Social Sciences and Humanities
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human values (good, perfect and holistic), the
valuable community (green families, green schools,
green society) and valuable environment
(sustainable and intact) or by another term integrity
of creation
According to Barlia (2008: 7), specific purposes
of environmental education are a) awareness to the
environment and its problem thoroughly; b)
knowledge about environmental function and human
interaction with the environment. c) attitudes that
help students get a set of values and feelings of
responsibility towards the natural environment d)
skills to identify, investigate and contribute to
solving and managing environmental issues, and e)
participation to solve the environmental issues.
3.1 Sundanese Local Wisdom in Values
Education at Eco Learning Camp
Sundanese local wisdom places nature and man in
equal position as fellow creatures of God. The
harmony of their relationship is the lifestyle that
should be run by the people and Sundanese people.
For Sundanese society, nature is not just viewed
from the "economic" side to meet the needs of life
and life, but as a partner to be preserved by creating
a harmonious relationship between the two.
Sundanese local wisdom can manifest in various
forms. Forms of local wisdom that exist in society
according to Aulia and Dharmawan (2010) can be
values, norms, beliefs and special rules. The
functions of local wisdom include: (1) conservation
and preservation of natural resources; (2) developing
human resources; (3) development of culture and
science; and (4) guidance on advice, beliefs,
literature, and abstinence.
Sundanese local wisdom by Eco Learning Camp
aimed to preserve and conserve natural resources
and develop human resources to care to the
environment.
Planting the foundation of environment from an
early age is the main solution to make younger
generation have a good and properly understanding
of the environment (Sumarmi, 2008: 19).
Children and teenagers period are the right time
to receive an understanding of how importance in
loving and preserving nature in order to make nature
gives a positive feedback to human beings.
According to Parsons (1959), Education is a
process of socialization within each individual that
allows the development of a sense of responsibility
and various skills (commitment and capacities).
In an ELC environment, as an institution
oriented towards values education and ecological
education, local forms of wisdom are applied,
among others in land use, land use, traditional
games, food processing and utilization, waste
utilization, ecological values.
3.1.1 Land Utilization
Eco Learning Camp has a garden area of 2,000
square meters. Half of the land area or 1,000 square
meters is used for vegetable areas. Farming is then
taught to children and adult trainees as an effort to
get closer to nature and love the environment to stay
sustainable.
Fertilization uses organic fertilizers and organic
pesticides. Vegetables grown in the garden area are
used for self-consumption so that vegetables
produced are healthier and beneficial to the health of
individuals who consume them. According to Ferry
Sutrisna Wijaya, one of the founders of Eco Camp,
one of Eco Camp's tasks as a home for
environmental study is to offer a more organic life
continuously. The utilization of land and the use of
organic fertilizer is part of the effort to respect the
environment by preserving soil fertility as one part
of the local wisdom of Sunda that keeps the
harmonious relationship with nature.
3.1.2 Food Processing and Utilization
Food consumed at Eco Learning Camp cooked from
the plants of own garden products. Eco Learning
Camp does not provide meat-sourced food so that
Eco Learning Camp managers and participants are
taught to live vegetarian. The provision of meat-
based foods is not provided, according to Ferry
based on the fact that meat industry gave great
contribution to global warming. (Widjaja, 2016)
Vegetarian living is one solution to respect
animals and to appreciate the existence of those who
are in the meat industry, treated arbitrarily. By
eating vegetables and fruits, an effort to apply local
wisdom to respect fellow beings. Then in eating
food, strived to eat sufficiently to avoid residue.
(https://www.ecolearningcamp.org)
3.1.3 Traditional Games
Traditional games are one of the ways in which the
ELC embodies the moral values associated with the
environment. According to Ferry, in traditional
games consist of so many values that can be invested
to the perpetrators of the game. These values include
honesty, courage, greatness of heart to accept defeat,
cooperation, sportsmanship, mutual respect,
simplicity and so on. The idea to include traditional
games in the cultivation of moral values of goodness
Building Environmental Caring Character through Local Wisdom-Based Education
125

and environmental value because nature is the
source of the games, so it can be returned to nature
to instil the values of goodness.
Ferry felt the values in the game still relevant to
apply in today's conditions. With traditional games,
the cultivation of moral values does not feel forced,
because the process is not directly delivered, but
through the comprehension of moral values of the
game in the form of reflection delivered after the
game is done.
Ferry believes if children often play traditional
games, then can live up the values in it and carry out
those values in everyday life, will be realized a
better society, more peaceful, harmless, reconciled
with fellow human beings, reconciled with the
universe, his life is more comfortable,
3.1.4 Instilling Ecological Values
Instilling ecological values at Eco Learning Camp is
done through seven awareness of ecological life,
which consists of quality life pattern, simple,
efficient, caring, sharing spirit, meaningful and
hope.
QUALITY: willing to learn to be responsible
and not depend entirely on others. Learn simple
things to do your own work such as washing dishes,
installing bed linen, cleaning rooms, and so on.
SIMPLE: learn to be simple in lifestyle with no
exaggeration in eating, shopping and ownership, as
well as mindset. For example, calming the mind
when faced with problems, to find a solution.
SAVE: applying a frugal lifestyle by utilizing
resources as necessary and not excessive. Using
solar electricity for lighting, save on water use by
drinking from each bottle so there is no need to wash
glasses over and over and spend water.
CARE: cultivate concerns ranging from concern
for self, others, and the environment. Conducted
behaviour is not smoking.
SHARE: learn to share in the limitations. Not
just the material, also the ability of science and so
on.
MEANING: Find meaningfulness with simple
things, such as being happy with others. When
sharing we will find ourselves meaningful and
happy.
HOPE: to be a bearer of hope by doing good in
each environment.
Implementation of the seven new awareness of
ecological living is carried out through a simple and
ecological lifestyle as follows:
BBM (Bawa Botol Minum/Bring a Drinking
Bottle) to reduce glass laundry, get used to drink
water and refractory bringing a drink.
Minimizing plastic and packaging to reduce
waste that produces toxins
100% non-smoking. If anyone smokes, they are
charged Rp 500,000 for air cleansing compensation
Life Skill, learn the simple things that support
daily life, tidy up the room, wash dishes, install bed
linen, clean the room, help cook, and others.
Simple lifestyle; take food with attention to other
friends, no leftover food, simple and healthy food,
drink healthy water.
Life-saving patterns; using electrical energy
wisely and economically because it is limited, its
source of solar energy. Use enough water.
A moment of silence at 12:00 and 15:00, where
all activities must be stopped and we learn to listen
to the sound of nature.
4 CONCLUSIONS
The awareness of loving the environment can be
raised in so many ways. Value education is one of
them. Yayasan Sahabat Lingkungan Hidup,
conducted environmental-based value education in
Eco Learning Camp. Traditional games and farming
are some methods used to foster an individual
consciousness to love the environment. By giving
informal education in fun atmosphere, the value can
be added without feeling forced. The implications of
this study are that similar ways can be applied in
formal education to give students awareness to love
and care the nature without being forced.
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