Travel, Technology and More…

Indonesia consists of over 17.000 islands with a burgeoning literate population, and Internet has emerged as the best way to connect the inhabitants across this diverse nation. Some anthropologists argue that Indonesia’s unique sociocultural factors based on sharing, communication and solidarity emphasize network building, and have resulted in the rise of a huge social media nation.

Mass media in Indonesia have been growing rapidly since the fall of Suharto in 1998, and it has also been referred to as the Net Revolution by many. Although traditional media channels have retained their importance for the communication and advertising industries due to their reach, Internet usage might soon overtake TV, radio or print. Increasing ownership of internet-enabled devices such as Smartphone and tablet PC has also resulted in simultaneous media consumption or ‘media multitasking’. It is not unusual to access internet while watching television, the most common media multitasking activity, occurring at least several times per week.

Infographic by Pan Hui Yan, Lam Cai Yu, Trixia Yong, and Mavis Chan) students of Corporate Communications at Singapore Management University

The increase in broadband networks, easy access to WiFi sites and a growing smartphone market, it is little surprise that Indonesia, with a population of over 240 million, is going online with gusto. Even though internet penetration is only around 20 percent with approximately 50 million internet users, that still gives Indonesia the most Internet users in the Southeast Asia region. Mobile penetration is at 78 percent, according to Nielsen, which means there are more than 150 million mobile users in Indonesia fueling the digital media wave. An even more promising prediction is that by 2013, the total market will double and penetration rates will stand at a shocking 172.3% thus making Indonesia the world’s 4th largest mobile market behind China, India and the United States of America.

Over the years, mobile phones have become an integral part of an Indonesian life especially after the Indonesian government de-regulated the telecommunications market in 2000.

Digital media brings the Indonesian market together, creating greater opportunities for businesses to leverage on. The number of web start-ups is on the rise with the unprecedented opportunity to reach out online. Some numbers suggest that 29% of all banking transactions in Indonesia are now online. That is huge! Slowly but surely e-commerce is making inroads to sell goods and services online.

This has led to a whole new frontier for marketing, as media consumption habits are changing at a rate not seen for many years. Brand experience sharing through social media, online product reviews and opportunities to buy online are changing the game. Similarly, consumers’ exposure to marketing messages delivered via new and emerging media such as the internet, rich media (for example, online video), and Smartphone’s is resulting in an expanded number of touch-points where brands can engage.

 ‘It’s the Facebook capital of the world,’ Peter Vesterbecka, Rovio’s Asia-Pacific manager, said recently in Jakarta, which has more Facebook users than any other city in the world. Facebook provides a growing brand preference for social media marketing and engagement with consumers. No brand campaign is now complete without a Facebook fan page and applications. Advertisers are also turning to twitter to reach their target markets. Popular Twitter users with many followers are termed as ‘influencers’ whom advertisers can pay to promote their products.

Today, everybody’s a publisher, from bloggers, podcasters to the ongoing move of video- and audio-streaming technology into the hands of tens of millions of people, and the astonishing increase in the power and utility of mobile phones (in fact, is it still even accurate to call them “phones,” since they also show movies, compose and transmit and process E-mail, take photos, and organize our lives?)—this is what they call convergence, where TV, radio, telephone and computer merge or converge into the one device.

Energy efficiency is using less energy to provide the same level of performance, comfort, and convenience.  For example, an energy efficient compact fluorescent light bulb (CFL) uses 85% less energy than a conventional incandescent bulb to produce the same amount of light. In general, efficient energy use is achieved by using more efficient technologies or processes rather than by changing human behavior.

It is the most abundant, cheapest way to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. In most cases, energy efficiency measures will pay for themselves over time in the form of lower energy bills. ‘At POP! Hotels the use of pre-fabricated panels and smaller windows, reduces impact of the heat from outside and at the same time minimizes the use of air conditioners.  The energy saving can reach up to 30%,’ says Marc Steinmeyer, President of the Tauzia Hotel Management.

Marc Steinmeyer

‘Thinking green usually starts with more investment on the construction and sometimes operation costs are also higher. Being green is important in the hospitality industry since we touch the public directly, and it is the best vehicle to develop awareness, and our responsibility to deliver the message and create initiatives,’ says Marc, who would like to see more tax incentives for green equipment and technology as well as local development of green technology and products.

Jakarta Eye Center, West Jakarta

Energy efficiency would certainly be the answer to Indonesia’s energy supply problem, using energy efficient technology to make sensible investments in the right solutions for commerce, industry, the public sector and residential districts. The cost is minimal compared to the capital cost of new power generation with a range of leading edge energy saving solutions and real-time energy management the public and private sectors can start saving energy, and money, very quickly, reducing demands on overstretched power grids.

Hospitals and hospital buildings with round the clock operations everywhere are large consumers of energy, which they use in many different ways. This also gives them a high potential for energy savings through use of efficient energy technologies and 10% primary energy savings are often achievable within a single year without detriment to comfort or health care. A great example is Jakarta Eye Centre’s new building in West Jakarta designed by Ark Design’s architect Paul Tan, which brings green concept and energy efficiency in this healthcare building.

Jason Will, managing director at Santa Fe Relocation Services said ‘we are currently finalizing plans for building a new office and warehouse here in Jakarta and are working closely with the Green Building Council of Indonesia to ensure our new building meets Green certification standards’.

‘We recycle our used packaging materials; use plastic crates for local moves instead of cardboard; only use recycled office paper and recycle rain water for washing our vehicles. The design of our new office and warehouse will also include, using LED energy efficient lighting; designing the building to create minimize the impact of the sun and heat and therefore lessening our use of air-conditioning; building a underground storage tank for collecting rain water; and maintaining an optimum ratio of grass and tree,’ further explained Jason regarding his company’s commitment to help to preserve the environment.

Jason has been pleased by the development in Indonesia ‘especially with the formation of the Green Building Council and with it, the setting of Indonesia’s own environmental building standards, which has certainly helped us in planning our new office and warehouse here’.

The role of energy efficiency in combating climate change and promoting sustainable development is well understood by Vikram Reddy, GM, Four Seasons Hotel, Jakarta, whose personal vision ‘is to be as green as possible to protect and preserve the planet we live in.’ Vikram explains that ‘sustainable tourism will enhance and protect the destinations for generations to come’ and has helped implement various energy efficient measures which include ‘energy-saving bulbs in public areas, installation of energy-saving air-conditioning cooling units as a part of an ongoing yearly upgrade and installation of Variable Speed Drives on air handling units and pumps’.

 ‘It does impact the bottom line. It costs money in the short term but we improve the bottom line in the long run. Through energy efficient practices our currently savings are upto $250,000 per year and expect this to increase to $600,000 per year once we finish the pending projects in the next 2 years’ said Vikram. ‘Government should be pro-active in providing incentives to businesses that implement green initiatives,’ he added.

Energy efficiency is the low-hanging fruit, and can be a fundamental element in our global fight against climate change in developing nations. Currently, about 44% of the total energy in Indonesia is used by industries; therefore energy efficiency in this sector is extremely important and has a major impact.  Although energy efficiency in industrial sector continues to develop and improve in recent years, there are still a lot of potential in energy savings that can be explored.

My laptop bag is generic with 2 short handles and a long shoulder strap. The other day when my daughter was carrying it, she tripped over the shoulder strap, trailing below, and landed knee first on the laptop. The screen was shattered and it was a tough decision on whether to replace the LCD screen or the laptop.

A quick search and a couple of phonecalls revealed that the replacement price of the LCD screen was 25% of a brand new laptop with superior specifications. The laptop was setup with all the software regularly used and had all the data and setting up a new computer with it seemed like a whole lot of time and effort and this led to replacing the screen.

That my friend is just the background to the real problem – e-waste management. At the service center to replace the LCD screen and battery, the technician asked if he could pack the shattered screen and old battery. What would I do with the useless stuff and asked if there was a buyback program or recycling system available. The technician informed me that I had to dispose of the old battery responsibly as it had lithium in it but had no suggestions as to where and how I could do so, expect to store it in a cool, dry place in an anti-static pack.

The battery could be refurbished, however the cost of doing so would be more than that of a brand new battery. So the old parts are generally collected and sold in bulk by weight to e-waste collectors who usually strip them for the metal and sometimes components. Only a small percentage of ewaste is recycled and the rest is dumped into landfills.According to the UN Environment Programme, the worldwide total for  e-waste could be 50 million tons per year.

e-waste

E-waste is a variety of electronic products that have either met the end of their useful life or have been superseded by ‘new & improved’ models or gadgets that include, but are not limited to  computers, televisions, monitors, laptops, cell Phones, VCRs, stereos, copiers, fax machines and so on.

It is a challenge tackle e-waste responsibly as computers and gadgets have increasingly shorter life spans. Recent studies show that the component materials of electronic items threaten human health and the environment, especially water and air. Cathode ray tubes (CRTs), the glass picture tubes found in television and computer monitors, contain five to eight pounds of lead. Computers contain heavy metals such as lead,chromium, nickel and zinc. Plastics used in casings are often difficult to sort and recycle, and can pose a health and safety risk to workers.

Large amounts of e-waste have been sent to countries such as China, India and Kenya, where lower environmental standards and working conditions make processing e-waste more profitable. Around 80 % of the e-waste in the U.S. is exported to Asia. Infact, Guiyu in China is the largest e-waste site on earth with an estimated 150,000 e-waste workers. Indonesia too is a dumping ground for old electronics from developed countries in a trade deemed illegal by the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal, an international treaty addressing the uncontrolled dumping of such materials, which came into force in 1992 and was ratified by Indonesia a year later.

A common statistic online is that a whopping ‘68 percent of consumers stockpile used or unwanted computer equipment in their homes‘. One really effective solution is to sell it. Yes, sell it.

In Indonesia, it is easy to upgrade to a new mobile phone a ‘tukar tambah’ – trade in scheme where the shopkeeper will also move all your contacts and data to the new mobile device. This is a great option to storing the old device at home gathering dust. The same schemes are often available for TV sets and home applicances.

Some dealers also provide a similar trade in service for laptops and computers. Here are some links to such services in jakarta:
1. Buy sell old laptops
2. Sell your old computers
3. Singapore based recycling center

A very infomative presentation on e-waste management in Indonesia here