Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta (UNY) reaffirmed its commitment to building an environmentally-friendly campus by organizing a Workshop on Processing and Dilution of Eco-Enzyme on Saturday (19 July 2025) at the Basic Chemistry Laboratory, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences (FMIPA), UNY.

The activity was part of the “Green Campus Sustainability Support Programme 2025” and was attended by lecturers and students. The workshop aimed to provide practical understanding and skills to the UNY academic community regarding how to process organic waste into eco-enzyme and how to dilute it for wider uses — such as for environmental cleaning and plant nutrition. Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta In his speech, the Coordinator of the UIGM UNY team, Prof. Didik Nurhadiyanto, emphasized that this activity is not only part of environmental education, but also a concrete contribution of UNY to the global sustainable development agenda. “We intend to make eco-enzyme a daily solution in managing organic waste on campus. Through this workshop, participants will not only learn how to make it, but also how to dilute it and utilize it for cleaning, agriculture, and environmental conservation needs,” he said. He added that the programme aligns with the targets of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly Goal 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production) and Goal 13 (Climate Action). UNY also encourages campus units to adopt eco-enzyme as part of integrated waste management system. The mature eco-enzyme product has already been poured into Embung Giwangan Yogyakarta together with the local community.

The workshop featured speaker Dr. Isti Yunita from the Department of Chemistry Education, FMIPA UNY. In her session, she described the two important steps in eco-enzyme management: the organic material fermentation for at least 3 months, and the appropriate dilution technique depending on the intended use. “Eco-enzyme that has matured must be diluted with a certain ratio before use. For example, for floor cleaning we might use 1 : 20, while for plant spraying 1 : 500. With proper dilution, its benefits can be optimised and it will be safe to use,” she explained. Participants also performed hands-on practice during the dilution session. They brought their previously fermented eco-enzyme and learned how to mix them according to standard usage ratios. One student, Zafrullah, admitted that he had just become aware of the importance of the dilution step. “I just learned that eco-enzyme properly diluted turns out to be safe to apply in the embung (reservoir) and even helps improve water quality. Previously we were worried it might pollute, but after this workshop we are more confident to apply it in the campus environment,” he said.

This workshop is part of the UNY Green and Impactful programme, which aims to build a sustainability culture and environmental awareness across all layers of the campus. Beyond supporting green-campus indicators, the activity also became an educational vehicle to change the waste management paradigm from disposal to utilization. With this training, UNY hopes the practice of processing and diluting eco-enzyme can be widely applied, both in the campus environment and in the households of academic community members. This small effort is expected to become a large movement in preserving the environment.