Indonesia: World's first environmental radio station airs in smoggy Jakarta
鈥� A local, slice-of-life story from a Monitor correspondent.
JAKARTA, INDONESIA 鈥� The smog-choked capital of Indonesia seems an unlikely place for the world鈥檚 first environmental radio station. But it鈥檚 here that , powered only by solar panels, broadcasts up to 10 hours of environment-focused news and information each day.
Located on one of Jakarta鈥檚 rare tree-shaded lots, Green Radio aims to build a more ecofriendly mind-set in a city faced with threats from widespread flooding, dismal sanitation, and water contaminated by sewage and garbage.
鈥淭his is what Jakarta needs,鈥� says station manager Nita Roshita, noting the lack of environmental awareness among the city鈥檚 9 million inhabitants.
The commercial station鈥檚 ethos covers every颅thing from its clean-energy operations to its advertisers: mining and cigarette companies are prohibited. It also works with the national park system to plant trees in one of Java鈥檚 fastest shrinking forests.
After more than a year and a half in operation, the station appears to be gaining a foothold.
Environmental activists say the world鈥檚 third-largest emitter of carbon dioxide still has a long way to go, but Ms. Roshita says she believes Green Radio can help build support for environmental preservation by capitalizing on Indonesia鈥檚 new love for all things Earth-friendly.
鈥淲e start with a trend and go from there,鈥� the radio manager says. 鈥淲e鈥檙e not going to change the whole world, but we can change Jakartans鈥� way of living.鈥�
