Trade Your Inorganic Waste to Staple Food this powerful call-to-action wasn’t just a tagline; it was the heartbeat of Refood Cycle, a collaborative Earth Day 2025 initiative held at Royal Ambarrukmo Yogyakarta. As a youth-led organization advocating for food justice and climate resilience, RISE Foundation was honored to contribute to this collective moment of change.
Held on May 1st, 2025, Refood Cycle brought together hospitality, social enterprise, and civil society in a joint effort to promote circular solutions for waste management, environmental education, and community empowerment.
At the heart of Refood Cycle was a simple yet radical idea: exchanging inorganic waste for daily food staples like eggs and milk. Through the Bumiku Lestari program by Agro Lestari Mart, local residents were invited to participate in a waste-for-food drop point proving that sustainability can be practical, inclusive, and rewarding.
To us at RISE, this embodied the spirit of youth activism taking systems that don’t serve people or the planet and reimagining them. This kind of grassroots innovation is essential if we are to build sustainable, just communities. In the late afternoon, the talk show session brought together changemakers for a dialogue on waste management, food systems, and the role of young people. RISE Foundation shared how we have mobilized youth to lead initiatives that not only raise awareness but create alternatives.
We spoke about the importance of civic space for youth, the challenges of engaging peers in climate issues, and the victories big and small that keep our movement alive. Hearing from Royal Ambarrukmo about their green operations and from Agro Lestari about their economic innovation proved that environmental justice needs all sectors on board.
Following the dialogue, participants joined a creative upcycling workshop led by Rurastic, turning used cardboard into decorative vases. This late afternoon activity reminded us that sustainability doesn’t always require grand gestures. Sometimes, it’s about transforming what we have into something beautiful and involving families, children, and youth in the process.
It was hands on, heartwarming, and a symbol of what community based environmentalism looks like. Refood Cycle wasn’t just a one-day campaign it was a living example of what’s possible when communities, businesses, and youth come together. Royal Ambarrukmo’s eco-friendly hospitality practices and their willingness to host such a transformative event gave space for public participation at scale. Agro Lestari’s model showed how economic incentives can drive sustainable behavior.
RISE Foundation saw this collaboration as a convergence of missions: to activate, to educate, and to build community resilience from the ground up. As we closed the event with laughter, rewards, and reflection, we were reminded that while the climate crisis is urgent, the solutions are already among us. What we need is trust, partnership, and a belief that change is possible. RISE Foundation leaves Refood Cycle 2025 with strengthened resolve. Because the Earth is not only our responsibility it’s our shared future.
