Wiser.org Blog

July 2011 has been a month filled with all those things for WiserEarth in Indonesia. Numerous encounters with like-minds, lots of things learned and shared, connections forged, and collaboration facilitated. Below is the full story, written by Wibowo Sulistio, Global Outreach and Partnership Director at WiserEarth, who is based in the outskirt of Jakarta, Indonesia.

 
Service Above Self

Started with an online encounter on WiserEarth where I learned from Yoga (@indrayudha) about the state of the art of Socially Responsible Investing (SRI) in Indonesia, and later an ‘onland’ conversation over coffee, Yoga invited me to share about WiserEarth and my personal story with it in a meeting of Rotary Batavia Jakarta on the evening of July 7. The title of the talk was, “WE and ME”, where I was speaking in my professional capacity as WiserEarth’s Global Outreach and Partnership Director, as well as in my personal capacity as someone trying to do his bit in our collective effort.

We learned a lot about each other that night, WiserEarth and Rotary. A favorite part of mine is Rotary’s noble and commendable commitment to “Service Above Self“, and how their annual theme for the past couple of years resonate a lot with what WiserEarth is trying to do: “Building Communities. Bridging Continents” (2010) and “Reach Within to Embrace Humanity” (2011). Thank you fellas for the hospitality and opportunity!

 

Youthful Inspiration and Power

And then, on July 16, WiserEarth participated in the community expo of the meticulously-organized, well-executed, and inspiration-filled Indonesian Youth Conference (IYC) 2011. There, we met new friends from other communities, such as Berburu, Kineforum, Indonesian Future Leaders and Sekolah Bersama Yuk. We were also lucky to get to know many inspiring and energetic youths from Jakarta and many other cities across the nation. Each one of them represents a vision, and a realization of a brighter, more just, and more sustainable future.

With the help from our team of volunteers, Mulia Idznillah (@idznie), Anniesa Fithriana (@anniesafthr), Rudini Maulana and Tryardi Novianto (@cheqitry), we were able to explain why something like WiserEarth is needed. Many of our booth visitors were pleasantly surprised to find something like WiserEarth existed. Some of them even went on to become members of the WiserEarth community, and attended our second WiserJakarta @ Green Artspace gathering.

 

Everyone is Responsible. Everyone Can Make a Difference.

Not long after IYC 2011, WiserEarth was given an opportunity on July 20, to partake in a friendly evening discussion called Obsat (abbreviation of Obrolan Langsat, which literally means Langsat Conversations, where Langsat is the street name of the venue). The theme of the discussion was “Environmental Conservation, Whose Business is It?” with a focus/sub-topic on food security. We shared about examples from people, communities and organizations in WiserEarth, who are answering that very question around the globe.

Photo source: obrolanlangsat.com

We met a lot of inspiring people that night. Fellow panelists Tejo Wahyu Jatmiko (@tejowj) from Aliansi untuk Desa Sejahtera (Alliance for Prosperous Villages) and Beriozka Anita (@Beriozka) from Indonesia Berkebun (Indonesia Gardens), as well as finalists of the HiLo Green Ambassadors (#HGA) who each, initiates a green project in their locality. The moderator of the discussion, Shafiq Pontoh (@ShafiqPontoh), happens to be our guest speaker in the 1st WiserJakarta @ Green Artspace gathering. Thank you @obsat for the wonderful conversation and connections!

 

Green Buildings: Standards, Practices and Cost-Effectiveness.

Ending July, on a Saturday afternoon of the 23rd, we hosted the 2nd WiserJakarta @ Green Artspace gathering, inviting experts in the fields of eco- and human-friendly buildings

• Yodi Danusastro from Green Building Council Indonesia shared about the definition, standards and challenges of green buildings in Indonesia.
• Sitta F. Abdullah (@SittaFAbdullah) shared about the various green features of the Abdul Majid Eco-House.
• Effan Adhiwira (@denbaguseffan) shared about the low-cost techniques used to construct the majestic and beautiful Green School in Bali.

And thanks to one of the elders in Indonesia’s sustainability movement, Ibu Ning Purnomohadi (pictured above), who moderated the ‘Sharing’ session, there were lively discussions around the topic with the attendees.

In the later part of the gathering, Marina Nareswari (@marinnares), who represented the Astagina project, shared about their work in the ‘Collaboration’ session, to gain support from attendees. Their composting + organic farming project gained a lot of insights that day, ranging from how to properly build a business plan, how to chemically analyze their compost mixture, and how to collaborate with existing communities doing urban farming work. We look forward to see how this project grows!

Again, this WiserLocal gathering was made possible with the help of our team of volunteers: Rudini Maulana, Andi Fachri (@AndiFa), Bonni Perdana Chaniago (@bonni_pc), Resty Lestari (@restylestari) and our venue partner the Green Artspace.

And that… wraps up a rich and fruitful July for WiserEarth in Indonesia. We hope to reach and connect more and more people, communities and organizations working for a just and sustainable Indonesia, and world.

 

Be part of WiserEarth Indonesia

Join the global community at http://www.WiserEarth.org and connect with WiserIndonesia at:

• http://www.wiserearth.org/group/indonesia
• http://facebook.com/Wiserindonesia
• http://twitter.com/WiserIndonesia

… or email Bowo at bowo@wiserearth.org

 

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