Matthew Boms, the International Manager of The Climate Reality Project visited Indonesia to meet with climate leaders from Sunday, April 23, 2017 to Friday, April 28, 2017.
 
To celebrate the Earth Day 2017 and to welcome Matthew, The Climate Reality Project Indonesia with its 300 climate leaders had a number of Acts of Leadership involving climate leaders and their networks.

Climate Reality Indonesia posted some of its activities with Mathew on this website as an inspiration for climate leaders in planning their Acts of Leadership. 

Please click here for a 4-minute video clip for a summary of the activities.

Sunday 23 April 2017                    
1. Earthly Yoga for Earth Day
2. Plant-based Brunch
3. Natural Dyes for Eco-friendly Crafts
 
Monday 24 April 2017                    
4. Youth Climate Day 
 
Tuesday 25 April 2017                  
5. Nature Trekking, Tebing Keraton 
6. Climate Change and Sustainable Design
 
Wednesday 26 April 2017            
7. Journey on Climate Change
8. Media Meet on Climate Change 
9. Civil Society Dinner
 
Thursday 27 April 2017                
10. Mitigating Climate Change through Trees
11. Strengthening Branch Office
12. US and Indonesia Youth Leadership for the Environment and Sustainability 
13. Sustainable Community Development
14. Live Dialogue at MNC News - World Hour
 
Friday 28 April 2017                       
15. Live Interview at Voice of Indonesia 
16. Office of the President’s Special Envoy for Climate Change
17. Presidential Communication Team and The State Palace
18. Climate Actions on the Ground

Note:
Irma Haryadi, an artist and a climate leader trained in Jakarta in 2011, made a portrait of Matthew Boms from fabric scraps with no paint at all.

About Matthew Boms

Based in Washington DC, Matthew supports the Climate Reality’s  international branches in Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Europe, India, Indonesia, Mexico, the Philippines and South Africa. 
 
Currently there are almost 12,000 climate reality leaders, in the age range of 6 to 84, who have been trained by The Honorable Al Gore and The Climate Reality Project, representing 135 countries.
 
Previously, Matthew served as communications manager for the Communitas Coalition in New York, securing a goal for cities in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
 
Prior, he was a media producer for Stakeholder Forum, leading several print, radio, and video projects at the United Nations. During this time, he consulted regional governments in Argentina on technology investments for primary schools. Matthew also conducted socio-financial research for Usura Cero, Nicaragua's national microcredit program.
 
A certified yoga teacher, Matthew teaches and practices Bhakti yoga and Vipassana meditation. He is an avid hockey player and cyclist.
 
Fluent in Spanish, he holds an MSc in Local Economic Development from the London School of Economics and Political Science, and a BA in Development Studies from Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts.

Taman Suropati
Sunday, April 23, 2017
07.00 – 08.30 AM
 
Initiated by Yuddhi Widdyantoro, Yoga Gembira (Social Yoga Club) is an open community for anyone interested in yoga, well-being, holistic health, social movements that bring people to betterment.
 
Yoga Gembira with 350.org Indonesia, CIRI (Citra Kartini Indonesia) and The Climate Reality Project Indonesia organized a yoga event and a climate talk in Taman Suropati, a beautiful park in the center of Jakarta.
 
Mathew Boms led the practice, assisted by Yudhi Widdyantoro and Metta Anggriani, a yoga instructor and a climate leader trained in Jakarta in 2011. Among the more than 100 attendees were several Indonesian climate leaders who regularly practice yoga.
 
The climate talk centered around Climate Reality activities and the spiritual aspects of protecting the earth.
 
350.org believes in a safe climate and a better future — a just, prosperous, and equitable world built with the power of ordinary people. Its online campaigns, grassroots organizing, and mass public actions bring together a global network active in over 188 countries.
 
CIRI (Citra kartini Indonesia) facilitates economic empowerment for women. Among the group’s programs are practical training sessions to help women set up their own home businesses, including providing them with free “Coding Mum” short courses.  CIRI believes that women play an important role in battling climate change. That belief manifests itself as set of green activities for women.

Burgreens Dharmawangsa
Sunday, April 23, 2017
11.00 AM – 01.00 PM
 
An Oxford University study in 2015 concluded that a global switch to diets that rely less on meat  and more on fruit and vegetables could save up to 8 million lives by 2050, reduce greenhouse gas emissions by two thirds, and lead to healthcare-related savings and avoided climate damages of US$1.5 trillion.
 
Indonesia is a haven for vegetarians due to its choices of cuisines with vegtables, tofu, and tempe. Vegetarian can easily find eateries with vegetarian options.
 
In Jakarta, a place popular among yuppies is the Burgreens. It is the city’s first organic healthy plant-based eatery and catering operating as a social enterprise. Its mission is to serve customers the healthiest and most sustainable food in town.
 
Climate leader Lia Zakiyyah, a friend of Burgreens’ co-founders/co-owners, Max Mandias and Helga Angelina, introduced climate leaders, including Matthew Boms, to Max Mandias.
 
While enjoying vegan food such as Onigiri Platter, Vegan Hotdog and Tempeh Gomashio, climate leaders learned about how Burgreens makes healthy and more sustainable food delicious, fun, easy, and convenient for everyone. All items on the menu are handcrafted from organic or local natural plant-based ingredients that can satisfy the taste buds in ways unimaginable for healthy food.
 
Matthew Boms presented Climate Reality’s Green Ring to Max Mandias for his commitment to sustainable development.

Rumah Rakuji
Sunday, April 23, 2017
03.00 – 05.00 PM
 
Rumah Rakuji or Rakuji House is a sanctuary for Indonesian cultures, arts, and crafts. Its mission is to promote mostly eco-friendly, variety of crafts made by artisans from Indonesia’s border and remote regions, such as:

• Woven Crafts from the remote Badui Tribe in West Java.
• Traditional fibres ‘Ulap Doyo”, handwoven by the Dayak Benuaq Tribe in East Kalimantan.
• Traditional Plaited ‘Bemban’ Craft, renowned as The Plaited Art of Kings due to its exquisiteness, made by The Dayak Iban Tribe in West Kalimantan.

 
Myra Widiono, the co-founder of Rumah Rakuji, is a climate leader who joined the climate reality leadership corps training in Denver in 2017.
 
Myra presented the works of Rumah Rakuji and showed climate leaders a number of beautiful and traditional arts and crafts from around Indonesia. A discussion followed on a movement that creates natural dyes from abundant natural resources and trains local women artisans how to make and use natural dyes in their works.

Eco Camp, Bandung
Monday, April 24, 11.00 AM – Tuesday, April 25, 2017 11.30 AM
 
The Eco Learning Camp Foundation was established to develop educational activities, conservation, research, community development, and a variety of other creativity-based activities.
 
Among the founders and advisors of Eco Camp is Dr. Ferry Sutrisna Widjaja, a pastor who has participated in climate reality leadership corps training in Melbourne (2009), Nashville (2010) and Jakarta (2011). Ferry was a guest speaker at the Indonesia Segment of the 24 Hours of Reality 2016.
 
The Foundation has non-formal education programs delivered through nature and environmental discourses integrated with knowledge about the relevant science and culture to raise awareness that leads to active participation to protect nature and its environment.
 
On Monday, April 24, the Eco Camp welcomed climate leaders with a tea ceremony illustrating how to eternally appreciate nature, and the universe, through a cup of tea.
 
A series of events themed Youth Climate Day followed with a climate presentation by youth climate leader Nada Zharfania Zuhaira who was trained in 2011 when she was 13. Dr. Emilia Bassar, a climate leader trained in Manila in 2016, showed the young audience how to use games for climate change communications while Ksatria Shambala, the Eco Camp young troops, presented their activities and commitments to the environment.
 
The Eco Camp serves vegetarian food and delighted the audience with its cooking demo followed by a tour to its vegetables garden and tree planting on the Eco Camp ground.
 
On Tuesday early morning, prior to yoga practice and climate talks, climate leaders went trekking to Tebing Keraton. It is a perfect spot in North Bandung  to see the sun rise over a cliff with scenic view of green hills, a winding river, thick forests, rice paddies, and mountains on the horizon.