Environmental Graffiti

Yadnya Kasada: The Javanese Volcano Festival

Soaring nearly 8,000 feet high above the East Javanese horizon, Mount Bromo coughs up deadly pillars of toxic volcanic steam, sand and sulphur. But the locals don't run from this giant tourist draw. They climb towards it. This time of year, you see, is when they feed the volcano during the annual festival of Yadnya Kasada, which is observed by the Tenggerese people of Indonesia.

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Jakarta Has Car-Free Day, Vice-President Ignores It

Image from pfig Or, more appropriately, the Vice-President’s security detail ignored it. Jusuf Kalla, who participated in a fun walk meant to spotlight the car-free day seeking transport that’s more eco-friendly and convenient to urban life, was trailed the whole time by his security detail, who [...]

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Parts of Nearly Extinct Tiger Openly Sold in Sumatra

Parts of the Sumatran tiger, a critically endangered species, are being openly sold in 10% of 326 retailers surveyed across the Indonesian island of Sumatra. A Sumatran tiger caught on film in the wild. Image by Michael Lowe Although there are laws in place to protect the tigers, a [...]

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80 Killed in Indonesian Landslides

On the third anniversary of the South Asian tsunami, Indonesia has been hit by extensive flooding, which has resulted in massive landslides in the central Java region. On Wednesday morning on the island of Java, the seasonal rains, along with high tides, brought large floods to the region.

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The Bali is in the Home Court

So I am sitting here in the convention hall in Nusa Dua where international diplomats are hashing out the Bali roadmap for an International agreement on tackling global warming, with my heart in my stomach. I have seen a lot of terrible things by our government over the [...]

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