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Jakarta Post

The future of Gadjah Mada University is green and clean

Gadjah Mada University (UGM) in Yogyakarta has begun planning and developing its Wisdom Park, an open green area equipped with various eco-friendly facilities, the project is part of the university’s efforts to become a green campus

Slamet Susanto (The Jakarta Post)
Yogyakarta
Tue, December 17, 2013

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The future of Gadjah Mada University is green and clean

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adjah Mada University (UGM) in Yogyakarta has begun planning and developing its Wisdom Park, an open green area equipped with various eco-friendly facilities, the project is part of the university'€™s efforts to become a green campus.

UGM has declared 2014 to be the year it will transform into a green campus.

'€œAs an initial step, we are currently building Wisdom Park, which is located on Jl. Prof. Notonegoro, or the northern UGM complex,'€ UGM rector Pratikno said recently.

The park will include sports facilities, a jogging track, a tunnel connecting the northern and southern parts of the campus, a park, a rain-water collection pool, conservation land, a fishery and an arboretum.

It will be open to the public and students alike.

'€œThe presence of the rain-water collection pool is part of our flood mitigation efforts, which are aimed at lessening floods in the downstream areas, such as Samirono, which is prone to flooding,'€ said Pratikno.

UGM, he added, was also working with various parties, including the Public Works Ministry to build Wisdom Park. In 2014, for instance, UGM will team up with the ministry to develop the on-campus Tap Water Installation System, or SPAM, which is expected to meet the water needs of campus residents.

'€œWe have prepared various plans to realize a campus that has zero gas emissions and we need support and cooperation from partners in implementing our vision,'€ said Pratikno.

He added that the development of Wisdom Park was not only in the interests of UGM but also for the general public.

'€œWe wish to turn UGM into an inspirational campus that could serve as a model for progress and sustainable development,'€ he said.

UGM Development and Planning Directorate director Muhammad Sulaiman said the area was part of a catchment area, so its development and spatial planning should be in line with environmental conservation.

'€œThe reorganization of the UGM valley area as a collection pool to curb floods from the Belik River is crucial to reduce water volume at the peak of flood season in the Klitren area and other downstream areas,'€ said Sulaiman.

Sulaiman cited environmental-based planning included the rerouting of the drainage system from the UGM valley area to Jl. Prof. Johanes on the western part of the campus, to Bethesda Hospital and finally to the Code River.

As an effort to reorganize and design the green campus, UGM organized a workshop to obtain input.

As many as 150 participants from various agencies, community leaders and NGOs attended the workshop.

To realize the plan, UGM has implemented various environmentally-friendly policies, such as UGM Green Bicycle, which provided hundreds of bicycles across the campus that can be used by guests and campus residents for free.

The university sees a future where the UGM complex will be free of motorized vehicles with bicycles being the only mode of transportation

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