Swietenia Puspa Lestari facts for kids

Swietenia Puspa Lestari, born on December 23, 1994, is an amazing Indonesian underwater diver and environmental activist. She also studied environmental engineering. She works hard to protect our oceans and the planet.

Growing Up and Discovering the Ocean

Swietenia Puspa Lestari, also known as Tenia, was born in Bogor, Indonesia. She grew up loving the sea, especially because her father worked on Pramuka Island in the Seribu Islands. This island is located in the Java Sea.

Tenia started diving when she was very young. Her father's work meant she spent a lot of time near the ocean. This helped her develop a deep connection with marine life.

Her interest in protecting the environment began in 2015. At that time, she was studying environmental engineering at the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB). She started learning about how to manage waste, which made her realize the big problem of trash in the ocean.

Protecting Our Oceans

Swietenia is a passionate activist for clean oceans. She is a co-founder and the executive director of an organization called Yayasan Penyelam Lestari Indonesia or Divers Clean Action (DCA). This group is based in Jakarta.

DCA leads teams of volunteer divers who clean up trash, especially plastic waste, from coral reefs. They also work to recycle the waste they find.

Starting Divers Clean Action

Tenia realized that a lot of trash was threatening the ocean around the Seribu Islands. She wanted to encourage people to use less plastic and manage their waste better.

In 2015, she decided to create a community focused on protecting the environment. She founded Divers Clean Action (DCA). Their main goal was to clean up ocean waste, especially in the Seribu Islands near Jakarta.

DCA started when Tenia and two friends organized a clean-up event. They wanted to collect information about the trash problem. Around the same time, research showed that Indonesia was the second-largest contributor to ocean waste in the world. This made DCA even more determined to hold regular clean-up activities.

The Challenge of Ocean Waste

As an underwater diver, Tenia often sees trash on beaches and in the sea. Indonesia is known as one of the biggest producers of plastic waste in the ocean. The Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries estimates that about 1.29 million tons of plastic waste enter the sea each year.

Diving to collect trash can be dangerous because of strong ocean currents. However, Tenia and her team are committed to their work. The increase in tourism since 2007 has led to much more trash in Indonesia's beautiful seas.

DCA's Growth and Impact

DCA started with just three people in 2015. Today, it has grown to 12 team members and nearly 1,500 volunteers across Indonesia.

In 2017, Tenia started the Indonesian Youth Marine Debris Summit (IYMDS). That same year, she represented Indonesia and spoke at a big meeting about climate change in Bonn, Germany. She also helped start a campaign against plastic drinking straws in Indonesia. This campaign convinced 700 restaurants to reduce their use of single-use straws.

In 2019, Tenia was named one of the 100 Women by the BBC. This list features 100 inspiring and influential women from around the world. Later that year, she was invited to attend the 'Obama Foundation Leaders Forum' in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. In 2020, she was also included in Forbes' "30 Under 30 – Asia – Social Entrepreneurs" list.

DCA Programs

One of DCA's first programs was Marine Debris Research. This involved clean-up activities by people on the coast and underwater. They collected data on the types and amounts of trash. This information is available to the public through their website, which works with the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI). This data helps DCA plan its other programs.

DCA also runs online and offline campaigns and training for young people. An example is the INA-Youth Marine Debris Summit.

Another important program is Community Development. Tenia explained that this program involves working with communities for several months or even years. The goal is to make sure that no more waste pollutes the sea from those areas.

DCA also works with private companies. They help companies change their business practices to reduce ocean waste. This is often part of a company's Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) efforts.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, DCA adjusted its activities. They continued their programs, but with changes to keep volunteers safe. They also reduced tourism promotion during this time.

Tenia always wanted to help coastal areas with their waste problems. She felt that no one had found a good solution, so she decided to try and make a difference herself.

Today, DCA has expanded to many provinces in Indonesia. Thousands of volunteers clean the sea and teach people about sorting waste. Tenia's big dream is for the Indonesian sea to be completely free from plastic waste. DCA is now also working in areas of North Jakarta and East Jakarta that are close to rivers. This is because ocean waste and land-based waste problems are connected.

Thanks to her efforts, Tenia has become a very influential woman in environmental work worldwide. She has received many national and international awards. She was recognized by the BBC, the Obama Foundation, and Forbes.

Tenia never expected to create such an impactful foundation. She just wanted to find the best way to solve the problem of marine and coastal waste. Her programs have had a huge impact. Many young people trained by DCA have continued this work, even as far away as Norway. Some have even started their own foundations and businesses based on what they learned.

Education

Swietenia Puspa Lestari studied environmental engineering at the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB). She graduated in 2017.