MENGURUS BERKAS PENDAFTARAN DI UI TIDAK RAMAH LINGKUNGAN

UI sebagai kampus terkemuka di Indonesia memiliki rencana baru, dalam rangka Global Warming yang sedang ramai dan menjadi sorotan saat ini, yaitu menjadi Green Campus. Hal ini sudah mulai terlihat dengan dibuatnya jalur sepeda yang sangat nyaman. Rutenya dimulai dari depan Gerbatama UI sampai ke tiap Fakultas/Kampus. Universitas yang memiliki lahan terpadu yang paling luas dibandingkan Universitas negeri lainnya di Indonesia ini, memang patut merasa wajib mengembangkan 'bicycle road', selain menjadi contoh bagi perguruan tinggi lainnya, juga merupakan alternatif bagi mereka yang ingin berwisata sambil tracking bersepeda. Hutan UI sangatlah luas, kehijauannya masih terjaga, oleh karena itu di hari libur banyak warga yang hobi berolahraga merutinkan untuk lari pagi melewati kampus UI.
Usaha rektor terbaru Prof. Gumilar memang patut diacungi jempol. Peralihan penggunaan dari paper work menjadi paper less (via online) menggunakan account SIAK-NG bagi tiap mahasiswa juga merupakan kemudahan tersendiri. Kini di tiap semester mahasiswa cukup melakukan registrasi akademik secara online, dan dosen juga bisa memberikan persetujuannya tanpa perlu datang ke kampus. Tentu saja hal ini berlaku bagi mahasiswa/i yang tidak memiliki masalah dalam mata kuliah yang boleh diambilnya.

Hanya saja masih ada hal lain yg belum mengikuti prinsip paper less ini, yaitu peraturan administrasi sewaktu pendaftaran di UI sangat-lah boros kertas. Dalam setiap pendaftaran, pemborosan ratusan lembar kertas diperlukan untuk menjadi syarat berkas-berkas kelengkapan. Ambil contoh yang kecil, yaitu saat pendaftaran praseminar, seminar dan sidang di salah satu Departemen saja. Bermacam-macam surat keterangan harus di buat, mulai dari surat keterangan telah lulus semua mata kuliah, surat keterangan bebas alat/pinjaman lab, surat keterangan dari ketua program, surat keterangan dari ketua departemen, surat keterangan telah menyelesaikan penelitian, surat keterangan telah mengikuti praseminar, surat keterangan telah mengikuti seminar dan siap mengikuti sidang, dan masih banyak lagi daftar surat keterangan yang harus dibuat. Itu baru untuk satu tahap, misalnya untuk mengikuti praseminar. Saat mengikuti seminar dan lalu sidang, semua surat-surat keterangan itu harus dibuat ulang lagi dan di tandatangani oleh orang/pihak yang sama pula. Sungguh suatu kegiatan yang konyol dan menjemukan untuk Universitas sekaliber UI sekalipun.
Dan yang sungguh menjengkelkan, ada saja staff/karyawan yang membuatnya jadi semakin sulit, sehingga pemborosan kertas pun semakin menjadi-jadi. Ada saja alasan yang dibuat untuk menolak surat keterangan yang telah dibuat oleh mahasiswa. Mulai dari format tulisan yang tidak sesuai, harus pakai kop surat departemen, penempatan tanda tangan, sampai hal yang amat sepele, seperti tanda titik atau koma yang ada. Jika sudah begitu maka, kertas surat keterangan tersebut menjadi tidak berguna lagi.
Yang paling menjengkelkan, jika surat keterangan tersebut sudah ditandatangani oleh dosen yang bersangkutan, lantas tiba-tiba ditolak begitu saja karena alasan sepele, penempatan tandatangan yang tadinya di pinggir kiri harusnya ditengah. Padahal dosen tersebut susah setengah mati untuk ditemui. Akibatnya selanjutnya seperti efek domino, berkas persyaratan tidak lengkap, harus menunggu dosen lagi, sampai gagal mengikuti sidang tepat pada waktunya.

Memang secara teknis dan administratif itu semua wajib ada, sekaligus menjadi bukti kesiapan mahasiswa/i untuk lanjut ke tahap berikutnya. Namun alangkah baiknya jika dilakukan penyederhanaan semua surat keterangan tersebut. Misalnya, surat keterangan telah lulus semua mata kuliah cukup dilampirkan transkrip nilai. Lalu surat keterangan siap praseminar/seminar dan selesai penelitian bisa digabung menjadi satu.

Saran terakhir, adanya SK rektor yang mewajibkan semua staf dan karyawan untuk lebih berpihak kepada mahasiswa/i. Karena walau bagaimanapun uang semester kami menjadi gaji bagi mereka.

Help reduce emissions

The problem are certainly very serious, and urgent action is clearly required. However the situation is far from hopeless and there are real workable solutions.
Government policies both at home and abroad will play a critical role in the realization of remedies, but there is much individual can do to help reduce the risks of irreversible damage from climate change.
We all need to take stock of our own Carbon Footprint - the measure of the impact human activities have on the environment in terms of the amount of green house gases produced, measured in units of carbon dioxide.
An average Indonesian creates nearly 1.7 tons of CO2 every year. a figure which, by the way, is dwarfed by the enormous 20 tons generated by an average American.

Now, imagine every citizen of Indonesia was able to reduce their Carbon Footprint by, say, 5 percent in a year. With a population of 240000million, that would represent a reduction in CO2 emissions of 240000 tons. That's more than the total amount of CO2 emitted by Timor-Leste in a whole year.

from GREEN WATCH

Emissions from energy and industrial sectors are realtively small, but are growing very rapidly. The cost for Indonesia of an unbrideled climate change is potentially enormous. If we do nothing to reduce harmful greenhouse gases, particularly CO2, leading scientists predict six key consequences for World, which make for some pretty scary reading:
First, Indonesia will experience temperature increases.
Second, the country will experience increase rainfall.
Third, sea level rises will inundate productive shore-lines, effecting farming and coasting livelihoods.
Fouth, food security in Indonesia will be threatened by climate change
Fifth, the warming of ocean water will affect the nation's marine biodiversity
Sixth, climate change will intensify water and insect-borne diseases

WE ALL CAN HELP TO FIGHT CLIMATE CHANGE

We're all hearing a lot about global warming these days. The Bali climate convention helped raise awareness of this important issue among us.

For sure, the science involved is complex, and solutions may often seem beyond our abilities to comprehend, but as member of the human race we have a clear responsibility to protect our planet and to ensure we leave it in good shape for future generations. Thankfully, the topic has been made more understandable by the likes of former U.S vice president Al Gore, who made the popular movie on climate change called An Incovenient Truth. In his must-see movie, Gore explains that our thin layer of atmosphere, reqired for maintaining the temperature on Earth within comfortable bounds, is getting thicker because of huge quantities of human-induced carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. This is trapping a lot of infrared radiation that would otherwise escape out into space, causing our atmosphere and oceans to get dangerously warmer. Sadly, deforestation, the degradation of peat land and forest fire have put Indonesia among the top three largest emitters of greenhouse gases in the world. Emission resulting from deforestation and forest fires are five times those from non-forestry processes.

GREEN HOUSE gases

There're exist numerous chemical compunds called Greenhouse gases that cause global warming. Many occur naturally, including water vapour, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and ozone. Others, with even less inspiring names, like hydro-fluorocarbons, per-fluorocabons, and sulfur hexafluoride, are caused by human activities, including industrial processes, and significantly add to the level of naturally occuring green house gases. Nitrous oxides emissions occur during various agricultural and industrial processes, and when solid waste or fossil fuels are burned. Methane is emitted when organic waste decomposes, whether in landfills or in connection to livestock farming. But it is carbon dioxide (CO2) that is most important of all greenhouse gases as it accounts for around 60 percent of the so-called 'enhanced greenhouse effect'. CO2 is released into the atmosphere by respiration, the burning of solid waste, wood and wood products, fossil fuels, including oil, gas and coal, and deforestation. Every year, humans add over 30 billion tons of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere through these processes, and the amount is estimated to have increased by 30 percent since the industrial revolution beginning around 1750. Humankind wouldn't be viable without CO2, but the future of life on earth is now threatened by producing too much of it.

WARMING CLIMATE A CATARACT BLINDNESS RISK

(Agency France-Press)

Climate change will increase the people of losing their sight through cataracts because of higher levels of ultraviolet rays. The three main factors that lead to cataract blindness are age, smoking, and UV exposure. Climate change will increasethe risk of developing cataracts, this is the statement to mark World Health Day, which has the theme "Protecting health from climate change".
A spokesman for the foundation, which works mostly in developing countries to restore sight to people with cataracts, said the increase exposure to ultraviolet rays would be cauased by depletion of the ozone layer. Although cataracts can be overcome with a relatively routine operation, they are responsible for almost 50 percent of cases of avoidable blindness worldwide.
In terms of cataract blindness, the figures show those who are most at risk of vision loss are people with no access to services to reserve the condition. The foundation stressed the importance of taking prevention measures and protecting the eyesight of children who spend long periods of time outdoors, often without sunglasses.
The solution can be as simple as choosing good sun protection, by wearing things like wide-brimmed hats and sunglasses. In a separate report released, Australian doctors found that climate change would lead to higher rates of some infectious and respiratory diseases as well as more injuries from storms and bushfires.
Doctors from Environment Australia found that over the next decade the healath of children and the elderly would be most at risk from rising temperatures. Climate change is already a reality in our waiting rooms and surgeries - and is set to become a key challenge for our health system over the coming decade, said the report's co-author Graeme Horton said.

DRIVING TIPS FOR DIFFERENT WEATHER CONDITIONS

(Mobile 1 safety Driving Tips)
Congested traffic:
- drive slowly
- do not hit the clutch frequently because it wear ou prematurely.
Rain:
- drive at a conservative speed
- turn on the hazard lamps
- adjust the windshield wipers to the rain's intensity
- turn on the air-conditioner to prevent fogging
Flood:
- while drving through water on the road, do push the gas pedal constantly to avoid the car's engine being turned off, which occurs because the water gets inside the muffler.
- drive slowly to prevent crating waves of water.
- in order to see whether the car can get through the flood, use the muffler as a reference. If the muffler is higher than the water, then the car can pass through the water.
Night time:
- if drowsy, do not drive
- while turning, use the long lamp so the other car on the opposite side is aware of your position. - avoid using the long lamp on a straight path in order not to obstruct the view of the drivers on the opposite side
- control your speed and keep safe distance between your car and the car in front
- in order to prevent fatigue, open the window and breath the fresh air from outside