Siak (Greeners) – Vice President Jusuf Kalla reminded people to best manage natural resources as he was presenting awards, Kalpataru, Nirwasita Tantra, Adipura Paripurna, Adipura Buwana, Adipura Kirana, and Adiwiyata Mandiri, to individuals, communities, schools and cities in practicing environmentally friendly principles.
“I congratulate and appreciate the efforts made by these heroes and hope that the award can continue to inspire and encourage for better environment quality for the next generation,” said VP Kalla at the award ceremony held in Siak Sri Indrapura palace, in Riau, on Friday (22/7).
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Meanwhile, Minister of Environment and Forestry Siti Nurbaya said that Kalpataru award was the form of government’s appreciation towards individuals or communities who have pioneered and contributed in preserving the environment.
In addition, the government also urged local administrations to establish and implement policies and program which aimed to improve the environment through Regional Environment Status, which would be awarded with Nirwasita Tantra.
“These awards are government’s appreciation so [the winners] can inspire others in manage and protect the environment,” said Minister Siti.
The Kalpataru awards for Environmental Pioneer were given to Mbah Sadiman of Dali hamlet, Wonogiri district of Central Java, and Dr. Gamal Albinsaid of Malang city, East Java province. The Kalpataru awards were also given to environmental stewards and environmental coaches.
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This year’s Nirwasita Tantra recipients were East Java followed by West Java and West Sumatra in second and third place, respectively. For district level, the awards went to Buleleng followed by Dharmasraya and Bandung. Meanwhile, Surabaya and Balikpapan received on behalf of city category.
For this year, Adipura Buana awarded to livable cities, Adipura Kirana went to attractive cities which boosted green trade, tourism and investment, meanwhile Adipura Paripurna is the highest award for meet the standards of both livable city and attractive city. The latter award went to Surabaya.
The government also awarded schools with Adiwiyata Mandiri for successfully raising green awareness and knowledge in the students. This award is particularly aimed for younger generation to adopt green living for their future.
The ceremony was also attended by Home Affairs Minister Tjahjo Kumolo, Minister of Research, Technology and Higher Education M. Nasir and representatives of Ministry of Education and Culture and Ministry of Religious Affairs.
Reports by Danny Kosasih