Three Bogor Institute of Agriculture (IPB) students, members of the college’s Lawalata IPB environmental group, have set out on an arduous bicycle trip to the summit of Mount Rinjani in Lombok to commemorate Youth Pledge Day. Gilang Embang, Syukra Alhamda and Epi Saepi will cover a distance of approximately 1,800 kilometers from Bogor, West Java, up along the north coast of Java to Bali and Lombok, where they plan to summit Mt. Rinjani on the historic day, Oct. 28.
Lawalata IPB general chairman Gilang said the Rinjani Mountain Bike Tour 2008 was organized as part of the 80th anniversary of Youth Pledge Day. The event aims to arouse the spirit of unity among Indonesian youths through various programs conducive to nation building.
Mt. Rinjani, at 3,726 meters, is Indonesia’s third highest peak. It was chosen by the group because its terrain enables mountain bike riding and the area is one of the country’s most important conservation zones. “We’re climbing to the Rinjani peak by bike, because we want to popularize bicycles as an ideal vehicle for all urban and rural environments,” explained Gilang, a School of Forestry student.
Bambang Riyanto, head of the sub-directorate of pursuits and talents at the IPB Directorate of Student Affairs, said the Rinjani Mountain Bike Tour intended to mark the momentous event and at the same time promote public awareness of the use of bicycles as the best choice for a range of activities. “So far, we have popularized the use of bicycles as an ideal vehicle for campus, as well as outside, because they do not pollute, they save energy and they’re environment friendly,” he said.
Lawalata IPB was established in 1974 with the vision of creating a participative, cooperative and sustainable environmental conservation movement. It started with small but concrete measures designed to address environmental issues both on and off the campus. Lawalata aims to play a strategic role by acting as a motivator and engaging in environmental conservation and rescue efforts.
Written by Theresia Sufa
Published on The Jakarta Post - thejakartapost.com
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