Grassroots Green

 Saving the planet is no longer the business of superheroes and governments; today, everyone’s invited.

 By Maggie Tiojakin

 Photo by Wendra Ajistyatama

Back in the early 1970s, comic book creators Len Wein and Berni Wrightson fronted a new superhero called Swamp Thing, a humanoid mass of vegetable elements that – unlike other DC Comics superheroes of obvious charm and wit – exists solely to keep the ecosystem safe and conserve the environment. Swamp Thing possesses superhuman strength and the ability to control plants, and, even though the stories were largely packaged in horror-themed stories and supernatural phenomena, the series marked a turning point in the development of environmental awareness in the United States.

For much of the world, environmentalism did not catch on until well into the 1990s and the beginning of the 2000s, when campaigns were launched simultaneously to help reduce global carbon emissions and energy consumption by appealing to ordinary people across the world to adopt green values and principles.

At the heart of these campaigns is a sense of awareness that everyone contributes to the present state of the Earth – and therefore everyone is responsible for it. By the mid-2000s, “global warming” and “climate change” were household terms worldwide, spurring new attempts by activists and politicians to bring the problem under control. And just as anti-smoking campaigns are riddled with daunting images of body bags and decaying organs, “green” campaigns are full of images of disaster-wrecked homes and towns, not to mention volcanoes spewing hot ashes and wall-tall tsunamis.

“We can’t run away from the fact that this is happening,” Niki Rustam, an expert in corporate social responsibility who served as an administrator at last year’s Indonesia Green Awards, writes via email. “We are in the middle of a global climate crisis that will not go away on its own.”

Green, The New Black

Not two decades ago, environmentalists were known for staging radical campaigns against corporations that they deemed responsible for environmental violations. The disruptive campaigns did not always sit well with the mainstream, with some of the groups seen as fringe elements.

The story is different today. Green campaigns are finding their way into popular culture and raising a new kind of awareness about environmental protection – for which no small thanks go to in-depth media coverage of international events such as catastrophic climate conditions and pollution. Ordinary people are taking the initiative to help conserve the environment, by choosing organic products and environmentally friendly vehicles, and recycling, gardening and composting. More people are getting interested in ways to use green technology, for a more efficient and environmentally friendly lifestyle.

“There’s a fever going around,” says Niki. “The go-green fever, and everyone is bound to catch it at one point or another. Because going green is not only cool, it’s necessary.”

Former vice president Jusuf Kalla expressed a similar opinion in Makassar, South Sulawesi, during his visit to Hassanudin University as a guest speaker at the International Youth Climate Forum last October. He voiced his support for the need for environmental movements to mitigate climate change. The solution, he argued, is three-fold: green architecture, green lifestyle and social green.

“In green architecture, every building including houses must provide a green outdoor area to neutralize air pollution,” Kalla was quoted as saying by Antara news agency.

“In relation to green lifestyle, [people need to] start environmental preservation, like saving water and maintaining habitats,” he added.

The fashion industry has also caught green fever, with the emergence of “econistas”. From sandals to handbags, designer items now bear the eco-conscious branding previously considered to be unhip. Some of the most popular names, such as Versace, Marc Jacobs, Jill Sander and Narcisco Rodriguez, feature designs made from recyclable, environmentally friendly and sustainable materials.

Car manufacturers also have starting paying attention to calls by governments and environmental organizations to build new eco-conscious vehicles to help reduce carbon emissions. In 2010, Suzuki, Toyota and Honda unveiled their latest designs at the Indonesian International Motor Show, Pekan Raya Jakarta, to the delight of many. The new designs are expected to replace some of the cars currently in operation in and around Jakarta – nearly 10 million in 2009, according to the Ministry of Transportation.

“Our motto is ‘We Innovate the Eco-life for You’,” Peter Manulang, assistant regional marketing manager for Toyota Indonesia, said at an automotive fair in Kelapa Gading. “As a corporation we are not only meeting our challenges head on, but also embrace them as part of our duty as one of the world’s largest car manufacturers.”

Real Solutions

Real sustainable solutions usually take time to implement because they often require a dramatic change in habit and lifestyle – but that doesn’t make them impossible. Environmental organizations such as WWF and Earth Pledge have had to change their strategy to create a more commercial approach and more accessible programs. At the same time, governmental institutions are looking to restructure themselves to better fit go-green principles.

In June 2010, Polda Metro Jaya started implementing a simple plan for each and every one of its stations around the capital city: to create active biopores by digging small holes around each building to absorb the rain. This year, another program is on the way: tree-planting. According to the Traffic Director at Polda Metro Jaya, Kombes Pol Condro, as quoted by Kompas in June 2010), “the programs are chosen specifically to support Go Green Indonesia”.

For its part, WWF Indonesia runs a popular program called tree adoption, where anyone can help plant a tree for a minimum amount of Rp 25,000. The program has thousands of subscribers.

But a substantial amount of activity is taking place at the grassroots level. Ordinary people are getting together and coming up with solutions based on available resources. Students at the University of Indonesia, for example, are taking it upon themselves to recycle trash and raise awareness among other students and workers on campus. They are also providing free trash bags for everyone at the university to urge them to separate organic and non-organic waste for recycling. Meanwhile, at Gandhi Memorial International School, second-grade students are taught to create usable items from recycled materials; these items are to be sold for charity.

“The children absolutely love it,” says Gina, a senior teaching assistant at the school. “They think it’s cool to be environmentally conscious. And they want to have a part in it.”

Communities are also thriving, both online and off, in promoting a green lifestyle and green products, from organic food to apparel. But how green can one go?

Baby Steps

At a recent Sunday mass at the Jakarta Cathedral, a young priest delivered a 15-minute sermon on the subjects of love and harmony. He began by advising children to love their parents, and for parents to look into the eyes of their children and find in them the miraculous journey ahead. He then went on to talk about love for our fellow human being and then the importance of living in harmony with the environment.

“This isn’t a religious message,” he said. “This is a human appeal: Please take good care of our home, of this Earth – because this is the only one we’ve got.”

“Yeni” is a 31-year-old housewife who has neither the time nor the money to join communities and programs related to environmental causes. But she does believe something has to be done to keep the world safe, and she accepts some responsibility for the planet’s destruction. So she makes a concerted effort to minimize her use of plastic bags, tissues and toilet paper, as well as gas, oil and electricity.

“It was difficult at first,” says Yeni. “But, after a while, I got used to it. It feels good, because I know I’m doing this for a purpose. And it’s not as if I’m limiting myself to a point of inconvenience; the truth is, I was quite a wasteful person.”

Some supermarkets are also starting to offer paper bags, rather than plastic bags, to carry groceries. Others offer reusable cloth bags for purchase. And people are responding positively to them.

“Going green is not about making big, extreme changes in your life,” Niki says. “It’s about doing the little things that have a great impact on the world. It’s the butterfly effect. You may think it doesn’t matter what one person does or doesn’t do; but it matters more than you think.”

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