Now that I have departed from my trip, I have been reflecting on my experience. I have truly enjoyed my time in Indonesia and what I have learned, I will never forget. One thing that sets Indonesia apart from any other place I have been to is the kindness and passion of the people.

Celebrating clean water in the upstream area near Wonosalam village

There also seems to be great efforts being made by schools, organizations, and individuals to drive environmental change.  

Spring monitoring with a local high school Madraasah Aliyah Fraser in Jombang

Macroinvertebrate sampling with the water police

Evaluating the ecotourism package in Wonosalam. We saw many fruit trees that have been planting within the forest to provide the community with food and income.

 

Would you want to travel here? Of course! The ecotourism package in Wonosalam appeals to a variety of tourists

This is Auntie, my homestay mom. She opened up her home and heart to me 🙂

After I returned to Jakarta, we had a meeting with the Ministry of Environment of Jakarta as well as many other government agencies.  It seems the government is working towards implementing big changes in the future.  For example by 2050, 100% of Jakarta’s population will have access to a central wastewater treatment plant, which will severely cut down on river pollution.

The future of Indonesia is full of environmental potential. I do believe that the environmental leaders have some enormous decisions to make, but considering the population growth of the country, they are in a unique situation to be able apply brand new technology to solve some of them.  

I was invited to speak on a talk show called @america with other leading water pollution experts

 

I feel honored to have been able to experience such a wonderful country. Thank you to everyone who has helped me along the way. I will never forget it!!