VZCZCXRO6302
PP RUEHCHI RUEHCN RUEHDT RUEHHM
DE RUEHJA #1141 1630748
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 110748Z JUN 08
FM AMEMBASSY JAKARTA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 9260
INFO RUEHZS/ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN NATIONS
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA 2634
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 5128
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 2091
RUEHUL/AMEMBASSY SEOUL 4668
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHINGTON DC
RUEHJS/AMCONSUL SURABAYA 2202
UNCLAS JAKARTA 001141
SIPDIS
DEPT FOR EAP/MTS, EAP/PD, OES/ETC, OES/STC, OES/SAT, OES/PCI
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KPAO SENV TPHY TRGY ID
SUBJECT: FROM EARTH DAY TO WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY, CONSULATE MEDAN
GOES GREEN
1. (U) Summary: On May 24 a total of 421 students, 2 rock bands, 3
cheerleading squads, 4 environmental NGOs and a dozen journalists
flocked to Consulate Medan's first-ever Environmental Fair. At the
Fair Medan unveiled 10 student-produced panels designed to promote
environmental awareness, and prominent environmental NGOs talked
with students about what they can do to protect the environment.
After the event the panels were displayed at a busy Medan shopping
mall. The fair was but one of numerous environment-themed outreach
efforts organized by Consulate Medan between Earth Day on April 22
and World Environment Day on June 5. Other events included planting
mangroves with villagers and students, distributing seedlings,
organizing an environmental film festival, and arranging school
assemblies on environmental issues. End Summary.
Painting the Town Green
-----------------------
2. (U) Between Earth Day on April 22 and World Environment Day on
June 5 Consulate Medan organized a series of environment-themed
events in North Sumatra. To start things off, the Consulate invited
10 of Medan's largest high schools to create 5' x 8' panels to
educate people about the problems facing the natural environment and
what can be done about them. The colorful panels were formally
unveiled at an Environmental Fair that also featured presentations
by 4 major environmental NGOs and performances by 2 rock bands, 3
cheerleading squads and several dance troupes. More than 400 high
school students and a dozen journalists flocked to the event. Press
coverage was outstanding and local personalities, ranging from high
school principals to journalists to government officials, praised
the event and encouraged the Consulate to organize more activities
like it.
Picking the Winners
-------------------
3. (U) After the fair the Consulate put the panels on display at
one of Medan's busiest shopping malls. From May 27 to June 4 nearly
1000 patrons cast their vote for outstanding display and well known
environmental activists and famous local artists were recruited to
select the most informative and most creative panels. Each winning
school received a plaque and special prize: one winner won a student
body assembly about environmental issues by a prominent conservation
NGO while another won hosting rights to a Consulate-organized
environmental film festival. The third winning school was given 30
seedlings of rare or endangered trees endemic to Sumatra. The
mall's owners and management considered the exhibition to be so
successful that it offered free space for future programs and has
allowed the Consulate to display the panels at another of the
group's properties.
Other Activities
----------------
4. (U) In addition to the exhibition and environmental fair, the
consulate conducted numerous other activities. In one event, for
example, the consulate joined with students from Muhammadiyah
University to plant 500 mangroves along a degraded coastline. In
another, the Consul and District Chief arranged a seminar for 300
villagers about global warming and the environment before planting
trees along the edge of the village. To help ensure that the
seedlings survived till maturity, a representative from the Ministry
of Forestry was on hand to show villagers how to care for the young
trees. At the end of the event, the District Chief and Consul
symbolically presented the "forest" to the village chief.
Impact
------
5. (U) Consulate Medan's environmentally-themed activities garnered
extensive coverage in the local media, both in print and on
television. The Jakarta Post ran a very positive piece on the
Environmental Fair and panel competition on June 11. More than a
dozen articles also appeared in Sumatran papers, including a local
Mandarin Chinese-language daily, most featuring photos of the
activities and commenting on the positive tone set by the fair and
competition. TV-ONE, for example, ran a segment interviewing
students and consulate personnel about what regular people can learn
from the environmental displays. More importantly, by focusing
attention on Indonesia's environmental challenges and how the U.S.
is helping overcome them, it reinforced to critical audiences the
concept that the U.S. is an interested partner in Indonesia's
development.
HUME