Filed under: Indonesia, Life at work, Volunteers | Tags: Acheh, Greenpeace University, Indonesia
I am very grateful to be selected as one of the Greenpeace University (GPU) students 2010. There are only nine of us representing Indonesia and Malaysia. Of course that makes me proud. I’m proud to be here among those who came from various regions in Indonesia; Didit, Mayang, Novi, Rika, Sheila, Silka, Viktor, and Simpson from Malaysia. You are all my great friends.
From the beginning I promised myself that I would open my mind to accept all the materials that we would be given at the Greenpeace University. Many people didn’t agree with my choice to take part in GPU. They said things like “Greenpeace is eco-fascist”, “Greenpeace is not the organization that fights for the prosperity of communities”, “You should stay at home, you will learn more here…” But may people also supported me, congratulating me on being one of the chosen few to be a GPU student. I also asked to return to Aceh and help with their advocacy work after the graduation. Their motivation made me believe I will be able to become a better campaigner in future.
Filed under: Change Caravan, Indonesia, Life at work, Stop climate change, Thailand | Tags: c2c, change caravan, Copenhagen, elephants, Greenpeace University
Filed under: Change Caravan, Indonesia, Life at work, Stop climate change, Thailand | Tags: c2c, change caravan, Copenhagen, elephant dung, elephants, Greenpeace University
Albert Lozada, Philippines
This is our last day in Ancient Siam, which means the last day of the Chang(e) Caravan project, which also means the last day with the elephants (Noooooooo!! But that’s okay, we promise to visit them when we go back to Thailand in the future). The Chang(e) Caravan ended with a press conference. Dealing with the elephants means dealing with dirty jobs, but apparently this job is not a big deal for Didit Wicaksono, Solar Generation Coordinator for Greenpeace Southeast Asia – Indonesia and Albert Lozada, Solar Generation Coordinator for Greenpeace Southeast Asia – Philippines.
Filed under: Change Caravan, Indonesia, Life at work, Stop climate change, Thailand | Tags: Chang, Chang[e], elephants, Greenpeace University
The second day was a big day for the Chang(e) Caravan project. In the morning, we marched from the entrance of Ancient Siam to the ’Bench of Public Appeals’. Before the long march, a small ceremonial activity was done with one of the elephants, Tong Dang, along with his mahout, to pay respect to the holy figures located in the entrance of Ancient Siam.
Filed under: Change Caravan, Greenpeace, Indonesia, Life at work, Stop climate change, Thailand | Tags: c2c, change caravan, Copenhagen, elephants, Greenpeace University
Dear diary,
Throughout our trip, we met several amazing people—one of which was Dr. Alongkot Chukaew, the director of Thai Elephant Research and Conservation Fund (TREF). If you want to know anything about elephants—from their physical appearance to their behavior—he’s the best person to ask.
As it turns out, he has a very sentimental reason of why he’s enamored with the elephants. “I love elephants because of my mother”, he said. “When my mother was pregnant with me, she wanted to see elephants so badly so she went to a zoo far away from home. When I was young, she would always show me the pictures she had with the elephants”, he added while explaining to us how her mother kept on telling him of how important the elephants are as part of their belief as Thais.
Filed under: Change Caravan, Indonesia, Life at work, Stop climate change, Thailand | Tags: c2c, change caravan, Copenhagen, Greenpeace University
If you’re thinking Chang Cin Lok is a Chinese name, then you are…………..wrong!
Chang in Thailand means elephant, and Cin Lok in Indonesia is short for “cinta lokasi” which means love upon meeting each other and being in the same location at the same time. So in short, Chang Cin Lok illustrates 2 elephants participating in this Chang(e) Caravan journey. From hundreds of elephants in the Khao Yai National Park, 5 lucky elephants were selected to participate in the journey and we were so excited to meet them today!!!
Greenpeace Southeast Asia 