Nearly 90% of Indonesia’s 260 million people identify as Muslim. The country also has some of the greatest expanses of rainforests, wetlands and mangroves — carbon-rich environments that are quickly disappearing in the shadow of industry. With that in mind, Vice President Jusuf Kalla recently announced that his administration will establish 1,000 ‘eco-mosques.’ “The environmentally friendly mosque or ‘eco-mosque’ program is expected to instill mosques with a concern about the mutual relationship between living things and the environment for the sustainable livelihoods of us all,” said the Vice President in a statement.
According to Thomson Reuters Foundation, the initiative “will help the mosques to source renewable energy, manage their water and food needs sustainably, reduce and recycle waste and provide environmental education.” Hening Parlan, coordinator for environment and disaster management at Aisyiyah, says eco-mosques could help fight climate change. “Because merely adapting to climate change isn’t enough. This movement is aimed to make all Muslims aware that climate change is threatening our lives.”
