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Djarum Foundation continues to plant trees to mitigate global warming
The Djarum Foundation, in partnership with toll road operator PT Jasamarga Ngawi Kertosono Kediri and the Ngawi regency, East Java, has planted 10,000 trembesi trees along the 87 km toll road from the Ngawi regency to Kertosono. At the Ngawi regency hall several people joined in marking the program’s launch on Aug
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Collective effort: Young tree planters, along with representatives from the regional military command and Djarum Foundation, pose together for a photograph, marking the launch of the Ngawi-Kertosono toll road trembesi planting initiative. (Courtesy of Djarum Foundation)
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lobal warming or the increase in global surface temperature is one of the current pressing issues faced by international communities. Global warming constitutes one of the examples of climate change.
As most climate scientists have put it, the main cause of global warming is the greenhouse effect. Greenhouse gases absorb heat and reemit it in all directions warming up the lower atmosphere and the Earth’s surface.
Burning of oil and fossil fuels, which mainly come from sources such as vehicle combustion engines and carbon industries, emit huge amounts of carbon molecules into the atmosphere, where they react with oxygen to create carbon dioxide (CO2).
The effects of short-lived climate pollutants represent a major development issue that calls for quick and significant global action.
Every country, including Indonesia, is expected to take part in combating global warming.
This explains why the Djarum Foundation continues with its Djarum Trees for Life (DTFL) program under which the foundation, in partnership with different stakeholders, plants trembesi (Albizia saman) trees, also known as rain trees, along designated roads.
The foundation believes the tree has high CO2 absorption, absorbing 28.5 tons of CO2 annually thanks to its 15 meter diameter canopy. By planting the trees, the foundation has also helped mitigate global warming by minimizing the country’s carbon footprint.
Starting in 2010, the DTFL program has planted 111,466 trembesi trees so far along 2,472 kilometers of toll roads across the country.
10,000 ‘trembesi’ trees
The Djarum Foundation, in partnership with toll road operator PT Jasamarga Ngawi Kertosono Kediri and the Ngawi regency, East Java, has planted 10,000 trembesi trees along the 87 km toll road from the Ngawi regency to Kertosono. At the Ngawi regency hall several people joined in marking the program’s launch on Aug. 14 by planting trembesi seeds.
Djarum Foundation vice president director FX Supanji said that besides planting these trees, the foundation also made a concerted effort to take care of them through fertilization, hydration, pruning and replacing dead trees by planting new seeds in the hall’s open space.
Director of PT Jasamarga Ngawi Kertosono Kediri, Iwan Moedyarno, who attended the ceremony, said that he believed the initiative would benefit motorists who traveled along the toll road.
“The tree-planting activity is necessary to reduce the negative impacts of air pollution while sheltering the toll road users, giving them comfort,” Iwan said.
Furthermore, to boost public awareness about global warming, the foundation has just hosted a talk show exploring the issue, targeting the young generation. The talk show was attended by around 250 university students from various higher education institutions.
In order to attract youngsters to come, the talk show featured celebrities popular among them.
These celebrities addressed concrete manifestations of climate change, such as the disrupted season cycles. “Nowadays, we can no longer tell when the rainy and the hot season will come,” Tantri, the vocalist of mainstream band Kotak, told the audience.
The talk show also invited popular YouTuber Andovi da Lopez, who regularly uploads videos about climate change to engage young people. “I hope that many people from my generation will be motivated to do the same,” Andovi said.
True to its mission to involve youngsters in conservation efforts, the foundation has sent around 250 students to plant tree seeds along Van Den Bosch fort in the complex, an old landmark which has become a tourist attraction for locals to enjoy.
Besides to mitigate climate change, the tree-planting activity also seeks to make the historical tourism object – a Roman-style fort erected by the Dutch colonialists in Indonesia in 1845 – more attractive to travelers, therefore generating more economic activities in the city.
In 2018, Bakti Lingkungan Djarum Foundation initiated Siap Darling (an environmental awareness campaign) through social media with millennial generation being the target. The millennial generation is expected to disseminate positive information on the earth and environment loving activities. The millennial should not only care about the environment but also take concrete actions in this regard. With tagline “Love Our Environment through Our Way We Love,” Siap Darling hopes that the millennial generation will take part in preserving the environment through their own respective ways.
