Despite its everyday pollution, congested traffic and crowded settlements, Jakarta still has a lot of green and interesting sites that not many people know of.
Take a walk along the corridors of Transjakarta and you will be surprised with what you find.
Since Oct. 25, the Green Map Indonesia community has completed three surveys, mapping out the city's green sites and other interesting places along the Transjakarta corridors.
"It's amazing to know that people living in the slum areas actually have a lot of environmental awareness," said Prillia, a member of the mapping community, after visiting The Free Ciliwung Studio in Bukit Duri, South Jakarta.
Free Ciliwung Studio is a local NGO that promotes environmental awareness among residents of the Bukit Duri area, located along the flood prone Ciliwung riverbanks. It has a program called "the Compost House", a building that processes organic waste into compost, which is run by local residents.
"You can find a lot of interesting things if you walk around the city," said Miranti, another member of the mapping community.
"I was surprised that there's a traditional wayang orang (human puppet) theater in Central Jakarta."
Tresna, another member, said she was excited because she got to see a 319-year-old Vihara Amurva Bhumi Buddhist temple in Jatinegara, East Jakarta. The bright red, scented vihara looks clean and modern because it has been renovated recently. Many people still pray and burn incense in the temple.
Shanty, another member of the community, said the environment was not the only thing the Green Map cared about. They also care about culture and society, she said.
"We are trying to improve people's appreciation of historical and traditional values by including various heritage buildings."
The map will include buildings such as the Youth Declaration Museum, Barata human puppet theater, the East Jakarta public library and various Buddhist temples in Jakarta.
Since 2002, the organization had issued several green maps of areas in Indonesia such as Menteng (Jakarta), Kotabaru (Yogyakarta), Surabaya (East Java), and Bukittinggi (West Sumatra).
Shanty said people often had trouble locating the sites because the sites were not marked on regular maps.
"Sometimes people miss the sites because there are no signs on the map," she said.
So far the affiliate of the New York-based Green Map International has managed to identify some 100 green sites throughout Jakarta.
There are 170 icons on the map, which are listed under three categories. Icons like healthy dining, solar energy and bicycle sites are listed under the sustainable living category. Riverside parks, public forests and wildlife habitats are listed under the nature category. Art spots, historical feature and community centers are listed under the culture and society category.
From 1995 until now, over 350 different Green Maps have been published in 53 countries, with hundreds more created in classrooms and workshops using the Green Map system. (fmb)
