Religions unite to address waste problems
Agnes Winarti, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Religious leaders gathered Saturday to discuss waste problems as a part of every religion's concern amid mounting environmental problems.
"Waste is a real problem, something that all religions can find a solution to together," said Muslim scholar Yudi Latif from the Nurcholis Madjid Society.
Yudi was speaking at a seminar on religion's role in the waste problem in Jakarta, held by the Faith Movement to Care for Jakarta (Gempita).
"Unlike interfaith issues, waste does not have ambiguous interpretations because it is about the public interest. Anyone would react similarly toward waste regardless of religion," Yudi said.
"The problem is most people regard waste as the government's problem. It is time for religion to take part in overcoming waste issues because the government already has too many problems," he said.
"Who produces waste? Us. Then who should be responsible for it? Us," said a representative of the Nahdlatul Ulama female Muslims, Siti Hasanah Hasbiyallah.
A representative of the Parisada Hindu Dharma, Ngakan Gede Sugiarta, also said the Hindu religion produced waste.
"We use a lot of coconut leaves, flowers and water in our ceremonies," Sugiarta said.
"First, we have to acknowledge that we are guilty in producing waste, then, we should move on to cooperating with others to find a solution to this problem," said Siti.
She said during religious holidays, like Idul Fitri and Idul Adha, most Muslims produced waste during celebrations at mosques.
"We must have the courage to prevent our congregation from cluttering like that again," she said.
Chairwoman of the Indonesian Solid Waste Association, Sri Bebassari, said all human beings on the planet were waste manufacturers.
"Every person produces at least half a kilogram of waste a day," she said.
Jakarta alone produces some 6,000 tons of waste every day.
Jakarta Archbishop Julius Kardinal Darmaatmadja said he was concerned about waste lately.
"I used to think the government should take care of the problem," he said.
"A Catholic priest I knew once showed me how planting trees is important. In every church he was assigned to, he always took time to plant trees," Julius said.
"He taught me to care more about the environment. Now, I too am encouraging other people to care about waste," said the 74-year-old bishop.
Julius suggested all parochial priests start raising environmental awareness. He said other religious leaders should do so as well in their neighborhoods and districts.
Chairman of the Indonesian supreme council for Confucianism, Budi S. Tanuwibowo, also emphasized the importance of bringing up the topic of waste in religious sermons.
"Sermons only talk about human beings' relationship with God and rarely talk about human relationships with the environment.
"Let's have more sermons that discuss humanity as well as environmental issues, instead of merely giving sweet praises to God," Budi said.
At the end of the seminar, the religious leaders received drills for making biopore holes that make compost and absorb water.
"The drill is a symbol for them to start working on solutions for the city's environmental problems," said Gempita coordinator Andang L. Binawan.
Source: http://old.thejakartapost.com/detailcity.asp?fileid=20080623.C04&irec=3