'The least we can do is not litter'

'The least we can do is not litter'

Many environmental problems in the capital have remained
unresolved because residents are unwilling to adopt a "green
lifestyle". Worsening air and water pollution has begun to take
its toll, with many people suffering from respiratory and other
health problems. The Jakarta Post spoke with residents about what
they do to help protect the environment.

Ignatius Ari, 30, works at a PR firm on Jl. Balitung in
Kebayoran Baru, South Jakarta. He lives in a rented house near
his office:

There are two major environmental problems in the capital: air
pollution and flooding. The quality of the air is getting worse
and it is no longer healthy. High-rise buildings seem to fade
away in the thick smog every morning.

The city administration has also failed to cope with flooding.
I don't know why the administration put concrete blocks along
riverbanks instead of planting trees, which I believe could serve
as a natural buffer.

I think the officials need to learn how to involve the public
in protecting the environment, like the work being done by an
environmental activist at the Pesanggrahan River. He has invited
high school students to take part in planting trees along the
river in an effort to help protect the environment.

Hanang, 26, is a freelance computer programmer and vendor. He
lives with his family in Ciputat, South Jakarta:

To save the devastated environment in the country, we need a
top-down approach as well as a bottom-up one.

A top-down solution would be for the government to pay more
attention to the environment by creating relevant laws and
policies and enforcing them. The government could, for example,
promote the use of environmentally friendly fuel and ecolabel
products, and punish those businesses that pollute and destroy
nature.

The bottom-up approach, meanwhile, would come from the
public's own awareness of being environmentally friendly.

Nobody likes a dirty environment, for example, so the least we
could all do is not to litter, for our own benefit.

--The Jakarta Post