Stamp Your Trees

Stamp your trees or make sure they got certified.

When buddy Ocha brought up this topic, i was in complete darkness: To reduce illegal logging and deforestation (one of Indonesia's major problems in environment), European countries have banned uncertified woods and papers from entering Europe. Tree growers and loggers and paper mills will have to need to register their products in the name of sustainability.

the concept is imho similar to Fair Trade Certification: ensuring reclamation, good compensation, no underage workers etc.

Good move given that Indonesia is a leading wood producing countries and--sadly--is also a country who is losing hundreds of kilometer square of jungle per day due to illegal logging.

i hope the implementation is also nationwide. if the illegal loggers can't sell any to Europe, perhaps they will turn to other continents or worst: local market...

("it's not time to worry yet" hey, i heard someone says that. Atticus!)

think i should call a friend. She bought a piece of land and covered the ground with young sengons*:
"Ms. Wacana, get your seedlings registered now! Then sell them to Europe and get rich!" :)



* Paraserianthes falcataria

The Flowers & the Trees

Les fleurs et les arbres,
Les bronzes, les marbres,
Les ors, les émaux,
La mer, les fontaines,
Les monts et les plaines
Consolent nos maux.

Nature éternelle,
Tu semble plus belle
Au sein des douleurs!
Et l'art nous domine,
Sa flamme illumine
Le rire et les pleurs.

Les fleurs et les arbres always reminds me of how nice it is to sing of nature. it was 2001 and i really wanted to pass the audition of 'mature' smaller choir of Paragita UI. they only chose old students or alumni. back then i was sad.

but then i was happy to listen to them sing this at a concert in Erasmus Huis. it was nice to listen to a nice choir singing.

and as for the song itself, written by Camille Saint Saens, i just came to know the meaning not long ago. simple yet lovely.

The flowers and trees,
The bronzes, the marbles,
The gold, the enamels,
The sea, the fountains,
The mountains and the plains


Console our unfortunes
The Eternal nature,
You seem more beautifulin pain!
And the art above us,
Its flame illuminates
Laughter and tears

A Very Green Act

(Uma Thurman as Poison Ivy, photo from http://dario20.wordpress.com/2008/06/27/poison-ivy-fermo-immagine-3/)

since its initial release in 1997, i never watched Batman & Robin until last night on TV. moi, it's very corny and funny. in a scene where Batgirl Alicia Silverstone duelled with Poison Ivy in Ivy's home-lab. all the plants looked artificial and plastic.

and i exploded when Batgirl said this to Ivy, "You're about to become compost!"

a very green act(ion), indeed, lol!

Vegetal & Animal@Gunung Gede

Wallace mentioned Gede Pangrango more than twice in his book. I tried to climb Gunung Gede twice. on the last attempt last weekend, friends and i finally made it to the summit. all the way, i saw so many astonishing and rich vegetation and animals. i even saw a silvery monkey (owa jawa) eating leaves, snails, birds, and flowering plants. all in their perfect forms that i felt i should call it--quoting Wallace's term--"luxuriance"! i felt so happy!

Breakfast Salad, Unlikely

Hendra spotted it. Miss Pundung nearly jumped off the chair. i've never seen scarab so beautiful and mahogany like this! he took a good grip on the rattan chair. I tried to persuade him to move on the leaf. Here he was, sitting pretty.

Taman Safari

naturally, A Selection

It's a nice website telling the journey of Charles Robert Darwin. it must have been an exciting and challenging journey.Any scientists or researchers need asssistant? email me :)

Late Late Bloomer!

Rafflesias are curious things. six times visiting Kebun raya Bogor, I only got the chance to see it once and it was fading.

Last week Sulis smsed me, saying that no-blooming-for-more-than-80-yrs Rafflesia patma blooms for two days. ocha sent me the pic. the salmon colored flower indeed looks attractive! (photo by Koen Setyawan)