Asia’s biofuel dreams shelved as crude oil tumbles

Published at March 4th, 2009 | 194 views | No Comments

Hopes of a biofuel bonanza for Southeast Asia, raised when sky-high oil prices made the search for alternative fuels a priority, have been shelved as global fortunes and crude prices nose-dive. Back when movie stars won plaudits for driving hybrid cars, and grains and oils were going cheap, regional governments grew excited over producing biofuel to lower energy costs and soak up agricultural stockpiles. …read more!

Can the algae, save the world again

Published at February 13th, 2009 | 153 views | 1 Comment

By Stuart McDill

PLYMOUTH, England (Reuters) – Can algae save the world again? The microscopic green plants cleaned up the earth’s atmosphere millions of years ago and scientists hope they can do it now by helping remove greenhouse gases and create new oil reserves. In the distant past, algae helped turn the earth’s then inhospitable atmosphere into one that could support modern life through photosynthesis, which plants use to turn carbon dioxide and sunlight into sugars and oxygen. …read more!

November Car Free Day in Surabaya

Published at November 24th, 2008 | 275 views | No Comments

Car free day, is trying to answer the issue of air pollution in the City Surabaya. What is  car free day?. The following interview, with the Head of the Environment Agency (BPLH) of Surabaya, Togar Arifin Silaban. …read more!

Green driving

Published at October 21st, 2008 | 205 views | No Comments

During high oil prices as now, (even though world oil prices decreased in the last few weeks), people will try to find ways to minimize expenditures for oil and energy. Various ways attempted to make savings, including stint on the road, which can reduce fuel consumption. There are a few tips to economize lightweight drive, as described below. …read more!

World Mangrove Day: 15.000 mangrove planted in Surabaya

Published at July 28th, 2008 | 199 views | 2 Comments

Mayor of Surabaya, Bambang Dwi Hartono, lead a mangrove plantation in Surabaya, Saturday, 26 July 2008. The program was conducted to celebrate World Mangrove Day and to improve mangrove in east coast of Surabaya as well as to raise environmental concern amongst stakeholders in Surabaya. About 15.000 mangrove were planted by many stakeholders, private sector, NGOs, students, communities, citizens and universities. …read more!

Downsizing Basel Convention into daily activities

Published at July 25th, 2008 | 203 views | No Comments

Indonesia, once again became host of an important international environmental event. Starting from 23 June to 27 June, UNEP and Ministry of Environment of Indonesia conducted the Ninth Conference of Parties of Basel Convention in Bali. As international conference, normally, the conference only dealing with strategic issues. It is hard to expect that delegates from around the world come up with doable action programs. …read more!

Promoting eco-park (mangrove) in the coastal Surabaya

Published at May 13th, 2008 | 260 views | No Comments

Indonesia is known as the largest area of mangrove. As Indonesia has the longest tropical coast in the world, and most of the coast is covered by mangrove. Mangrove naturally grows in tropical areas. Surabaya is a coastal city which located in the northeast of Java island. Unfortunately, some part of Surabaya mangrove is broken, however, the city is going to bring back mangrove trees to Surabaya coast. …read more!

Sludge volcanoe Sidoarjo becomes endless disaster ?

Published at April 7th, 2008 | 320 views | No Comments

After more than one year, sludge volcanoe Porong does not have any clue when it will stop. Many attemps to stop the sludge coming from earth, so, far, there is no success. Dyke to protect adjacent areas from sludge flooding has been constructed very high, the dyke is more than 8 meters. Many times the dyke collapsed and areas nearby get flooded. From environment point of view, sludge explosion at Porong is a catastrophy disaster to the environment and human being particularly people living at Porong area, Sidoarjo. …read more!

Level crossing in a “busy” city

Published at March 4th, 2008 | 265 views | No Comments

This is an old drafted post. Although it is an old news, I think it is still worthed to post today.

Monday afternoon 26 March 2007 “Penataran Train”, an economic class sub-urban train, collided with three cars on Jalan Margorejo Surabaya. Three persons dead and more injured at the accident. According to local papers the accident happen because crossing was not closed. The railwaycrossing is a located next to Jalan Ahmad Yani one of the busiest street in Surabaya. …read more!

21 Actions of Urban Environmental Accords (..continue)

Published at March 4th, 2008 | 253 views | No Comments

—– continue…

Transportation

Action 13; Develop and implement a policy which expands affordable public transportation coverage to within half-a-kilometer of all city residents in ten years. …read more!

21 Actions of Urban Environmental Accords

Published at February 29th, 2008 | 254 views | No Comments

San Fransisco Accords (2005) signed by world Mayors during World Environment Day. The signatory of the accords based on understanding that cities will face serious problems in the future. Therefore, it is very important that world mayors implement actions of the accords. The world Mayors concluded 21 actions as part of the Accords. The world Mayors will implement the urban environmental accords based on the capacity and the affordability of the city. The 21 actions are as follows: …read more!

Urban Environmental Accords

Published at February 28th, 2008 | 286 views | No Comments

United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) conducted a world environment conference in San Fransisco on World Environment Day, June 5th, 2005. At that time an Urban Environmental Accods was concluded and signed by Mayors and Representative Mayors from around the world. …read more!

Devastating flood hits Situbondo

Published at February 12th, 2008 | 381 views | No Comments

It was almost midnight on Friday 8 February, river Sampeyan in Situbondo flooded and caused mass destruction in the Situbondo area, about 150 km East Surabaya. At least 15 people dead, and many more injured due to the flood. …read more!

Global warming and climate change according to Bank Indonesia.

Published at January 29th, 2008 | 761 views | No Comments

Bank Indonesia (BI, Indonesian Federal Bank) just published a pocket book, which I think, is far from the “core business” of the bank.  The book written in Bahasa Indonesia “Dampak pemanasan global terhadap lingkungan, perekonomian, potensi konflik dan pertahanan”. Publishing of the book adds more reference about global warming and climate change. …read more!

Promoting sustainable cities in Indonesia

Published at January 18th, 2008 | 314 views | No Comments

To be environmentally sustainable, a city needs to have strong programs in certain areas. The areas are not limited to infrastructures, urban financial and urban management. The three aspects affect each other, so, they are integrated and correlated. In fact, environment urban condition in Indonesia is generally far behind needs of an appropriate city. First area is infrastructures for urban environment. To be sustainable a city has to have urban environmental facilities such as urban wastewater system, water supply system, solid waste management, air quality management and other facilities. Failure to provide such facilities leads to poor urban environment. To ensure a sustainable city, such facilities should be available for all citizens. However, the facilities will not be available when the second area below is not in place.  …read more!