Seeds of Sustainability: Illusion of Impact | Nala Amirah | TEDxLSPR

The Urgent Need for Effective Climate Action

• The battle against global threats, such as climate change, requires collective efforts that are genuinely effective in making a difference, rather than just being heroic gestures (25s).
• To ensure that actions are making a difference, it's essential to ask whether they are performative or actually effective, and to identify the issues that are most relevant and most urgent (51s).
• The answer to making a difference lies in three ways: identifying the most relevant and urgent issues, defining the type of action based on leadership and team execution skills, and measuring the impact, both seen and unseen (1m19s).

Green Ware Indonesia's Shift in Focus

• Green Ware Indonesia, an organization founded by a 15-year-old, initially focused on advocating for sustainable individual lifestyles, but later shifted its focus to environmental education, which encompasses sustainable consumption and lifestyle (2m51s).
• The organization realized that its original mission was disconnected from the day-to-day lives of the communities it was trying to impact, which faced more immediate concerns such as waste management, access to clean water, and urban pollution (3m38s).
• Environmental education is crucial, as many countries, including Indonesia, do not include climate change education in their curriculums, and educating young people about the environment can make a meaningful impact (3m58s).

The Importance of Environmental Education

• Environmental education is crucial, as many countries, including Indonesia, do not include climate change education in their curriculums, and educating young people about the environment can make a meaningful impact (3m58s).
• Empowering communities to be part of environmental change has led to engaging with over 5,000 students through educational programs, helping them understand the impact of environmental education on their lives and actions they can take. (4m23s)

Empowering Communities Through Education

• Empowering communities to be part of environmental change has led to engaging with over 5,000 students through educational programs, helping them understand the impact of environmental education on their lives and actions they can take. (4m23s)
• Green Welfare Indonesia, with team members aged 15 to 25, leverages individual strengths by assigning roles based on unique skills, such as communication, creative thinking, and strategy, to enhance project execution and boost confidence. (5m1s)
• Regular reassessment of team strengths and role adjustments at Green Welfare Asia allows adaptation to new challenges and maintains high effectiveness, emphasizing the importance of aligning individual strengths with tasks. (5m53s)
• In executing environmental education programs and developing learning modules with the Ministry of Education, the team utilized research-oriented members for data accuracy, creative members for engaging design, and strategic thinkers for execution planning. (6m16s)
• Building a strong, diverse team is crucial for project success, as it not only executes projects but also attracts necessary resources, forming the foundation for potential success. (7m10s)

Measuring the Impact of Climate Action

• Measuring impact is essential for accountability, ensuring that resources are effectively contributing to climate goals, such as the Paris Agreement's target to keep global temperatures at 1.5 degrees Celsius. (7m50s)
• A simple framework was developed to track impact, emphasizing the importance of measurement in learning, improving, and proving the significance of actions taken. (8m33s)
• Impact is often measured through quantifiable metrics such as the number of trees planted, CO2 reduced, environmental education books distributed, event attendance, and media coverage. These metrics are crucial for impact reporting, which helps build public trust and credibility with donors and sponsors. However, numbers do not always capture the full truth of an initiative's impact. (8m39s)

Case Studies: Successes and Challenges

• A hydroponics program was launched, installing four state-of-the-art systems in a remote site to provide fresh produce and promote sustainability. Despite initial success, challenges arose due to inadequate planning for monitoring and technical expertise, highlighting the importance of considering practical implementation and evaluation in large-scale projects. (9m54s)
• An Environmental Education initiative for underprivileged children, though smaller in scale, had a profound impact. The simplicity and replicability of the project allowed it to be managed effectively by a group of students without requiring a large budget or advanced skills. This initiative not only benefited the community but also helped the team develop critical soft skills and fostered a sense of purpose and motivation among the staff. (11m30s)
• The success of a project is not solely determined by its scale or complexity but also by its practical implementation and the depth of its emotional and community connections. Smaller, well-executed projects can create meaningful change through a combination of clear vision, practical management, and heartfelt engagement. (13m18s)

The Importance of Unseen Impact

• Green Welfare focuses on four main programs that are smart, specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound, utilizing the resources available. (13m47s)
• The unseen impact of a project includes the motivation and inspiration of the team and the active engagement and sense of ownership felt by the community. These intangible elements are crucial to the project's success, even if they are not quantifiable. (14m1s)
• An example of unseen impact is Alia, a participant in a program who developed an interest in environmental economics and started her own organization to teach sustainability to her peers, thereby extending the project's reach. (14m53s)
• Team members also experience a shift in perspective and motivation, as seen with Tasha, who developed a passion for environmental work and is now pursuing a degree in agriculture to work towards sustainable agriculture technology. (15m35s)

Measuring Impact: Four Key Pillars

• Green Ware Asia uses four key pillars to measure impact: relevance, attribution, sustainability, and scalability. These pillars help ensure that the changes made are meaningful, lasting, and can be replicated on a larger scale. (16m6s)
• To apply these pillars practically, it is important to start with the end goal in mind, gather feedback from those experiencing the change, and avoid performative actions that do not lead to real change. (16m45s)

Creating Lasting Impact: Transparency and Continuous Leadership

• Creating impactful moments involves being transparent and sharing both successes and failures, as admitting to mistakes and learning from them is a crucial step in creating lasting impact (17m45s).
• Becoming a continuous leader is essential, as it involves being adaptable and willing to change strategies and structures to fit the strengths and needs of the team and its members (17m58s).
• Staying flexible is key, especially in a youth-based volunteer movement, where the way of working often needs to change as new people join and teams are different (18m21s).
• Tailoring the way of operating to fit the strengths and presence of team members is important, as it leads to increased motivation and long-term impact when people feel included and satisfied (18m31s).
• Listening to team members and giving everyone a voice is vital, as it recognizes the strength of the team and leads to more effective decision-making (18m44s).
• Being community-centered is crucial in climate action, as it involves getting everyone on board, contributing to ideas, learning, and executing, making it a community-wide effort (19m7s).
• Real impact is felt when it is community-wide, seen in numbers, and lived in the community, and it is essential to focus on what matters, play to strengths, and measure impact to make a lasting difference (19m35s).

Vision for the Future: A Golden Indonesia

• The goal is to reach a "golden Indonesia" by 2045, which requires working together and making a measurable and lasting impact (20m1s).