"Sixty regional leaders have expressed their commitment to creating safe, convenient, productive and sustainable regions. The mayors and district heads have signed the charter of green house commitment," Spatial Planning Director General Imam S. Ernawi said here on Tuesday.
The signing was witnessed Deputy Minister of Public Works Ahmad Hermanto Dardak.
Among the cities joining in the commitment are Medan (North Sumatra), Yogyakarta (central of Java), Makasar (South Sulawesi), Mataram (West Nusa Tenggara), Bandar Lampung (Lampung, Sumatra), Sukoharjo (Central Java), and Tasikmalaya (West Java).
"The mayors and district heads have committed to allocating adequate budgets for green city action plan. The public works ministry will facilitate the district city administrations in implementing the action plan," Imam said.
According to him, green cities are cities which are environmentally friendly, and can use their water and mineral resources efficiently and effectively, reduce wastes, apply integrated transportation, guarantee the health of natural and artificial environment based on the city planning which is in accordance with the sustainable development principle.
Banda Aceh Mayor Mawardy Nurdin, who has also signed the green city commitment charter, the government and the people as well as their networking have applied the green city environmental standard gradually from the planning until the designing of healthy and comfortable city.
"There have been many NGOs and business entities which have become the partners of the government and the people of Banda Aceh to create a convenient, pleasant and beautiful city," Mawardy said.
A green and sustainable city is a community of residents, neighbors, workers, and visitors who strive together to balance ecological, economic, and social needs to ensure a clean, healthy and safe environment for all members of society and for generations to come. (*)
Editor: Aditia Maruli Radja
Copyright © ANTARA 2011
