Hotel plants trees in Puncak

JAKARTA (JP): In an attempt to curb floods in Jakarta a private company has launched an environmental awareness campaign and planted 1,100 cinnamon trees along the Puncak resort area's main road.

Besides beautifying the area, Central Jakarta's Sari Pan Pacific Hotel planted the trees Saturday to help conserve water in catchments, the hotel's general manager Ken Ide said.

"This is only a small contribution to the environment, but its aim is to educate people of the need to start taking care of nature," Ide said.

During the campaign dubbed "The Essence of Life" trees were planted along Jl. Raya Puncak, Cisarua district, up to the top of the hilly resort.

Puncak's villas, which take up space that could be used for water preservation, are said to be one of the main causes of Jakarta's floods. Early last year heavy floods in Jakarta killed 30 people.

Ide said the hotel chose cinnamon trees because Indonesia was a supplier of high quality cinnamon.

He said the hotel spent between Rp 28 million (US$11,740) and Rp 30 million planting the trees.

Sari Pan Pacific also donated pine trees, which were the hotel's Christmas trees, to be replanted in Puncak.

"It is a shame to waste the Christmas trees when they can be used in a more appropriate manner," Ide said. (02)