Menteng Green Map, discover the green 'gems'

Tantri Yuliandini, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Very few people are likely aware that a large rubber tree (Ficus elastica) on the grounds of Jl. Lembang No. 37A is a sanctuary for wild birds in Jakarta, or that the trees in front of the Menteng District Office at Jl. Pegangsaan Barat No. 14 are home to squirrels.

The Menteng area in Central Jakarta is one of the few remaining green areas in this sprawling city, but only those crazy enough to walk the length and breadth of the area will have found the tiny lives hidden among the old trees.

Well, thanks to 23 of these "crazy" people the rest of us can now enjoy these hidden treasures, which have been charted and released as the Menteng Green Map.

The Green Mappers, as they are called, mapped 102 sites in Menteng and used 40 icons to identify them, including eco- cultural sites, a fair trade shop, child-friendly eco-sites, bird and wildlife watching sites, animal farms and bicycle sites.

"We spent Saturdays and Sundays walking at least three kilometers a day searching for land sites," Ludiyanto Hasibuan, a coordinator of the Green Mappers, said during the map's launch at the GoetheHaus on Oct. 31.

A Green Map charts places where nature and the world interconnect, using green map icons to locate different kinds of ecologically and culturally significant sites, including toxic hot spots.

"It's a new means of orientation, not just geographically," Goethe Institut cultural program director Marla Stukenberg said during the launch.

Long-time Menteng resident, historian Adolf Heuken SJ, said that Menteng's original purpose as a garden estate makes the area ideal for green mapping.

"Menteng was the first residential area to be specifically designed (as a garden estate)," he said, adding that he was always glad to be able to return to the leafy sanctuary of Menteng after a day out in the city.

Almost a century has passed since Menteng was developed in 1913, and while there are obvious signs of changes in the area, many streets and houses here still retain an old-world look.

The Green Map's eco-spiritual site icon, picturing a face bowing in submission, is attached to the As Sarodja mushalla (small mosque), which was built in 1902 and still stands behind Jl. Jaksa No. 43.

Traces of luxury can be found for those who look in the building of the 1938 Hotel Schomper at Jl. Menteng Raya No. 31, now the Museum Joang '45, which is given the icon for a museum and historical feature.

The icon of a bird on a branch, depicting a bird and wildlife watching site, is given to the park on the intersection of Jl. Semarang and Jl. Pasuruan, which is home to many wild birds.

Also included in the map is the Ciliwung River Green Map with its 72 sites, created with the help of 13 people.

"The 72 icons along the river show that the area is very dense, both in population and in variety of resources," Marco Kusumawijaya, initiator of the Green Map in Indonesia, said.

The Green Map System was established in 1995 by Wendy Brawer, based on the success of what was considered the original Green Map, New York City's Green Apple Map, created by Modern World Design in 1991.

"Green Maps illuminate the interconnections between society, nature and the built environment, helping residents make lower impact lifestyle choices and discover great ways to get involved in the urban ecology, and simultaneously guide visitors to successful initiatives they can replicate back home," the website www.greenmap.com said.

To date there are 233 Green Map projects in 38 countries across the world, including 44 projects by young people.

The first Green Map created for Indonesia was the Kemang Green Map published in February 2002 as a centerfold for Aikon! by Marco. A second edition and expanded version was launched early this year and included the Kebayoran Baru area and open spaces in Jakarta.

Other Indonesian Green Maps in progress are for the Mangga Dua area and the Kota area in North Jakarta, Bukittinggi in West Sumatra, Malang in East Java, and Jero Benteng and Malioboro in Yogyakarta.

For more information about Green Maps please contact Marco Kusumawijaya at marcokw@centrin.net.id, or Heni Wulandari at heni_w@naver.co.id