Gejala Diabetes

Diabetes adalah suatu penyakit kronis yang terjadi ketika kadar gula dalam tubuh kita terlalu tinggi serta pankreas tidak mampu memproduksi insulin untuk menstabilkannya. Atau bisa juga terjadi, tubuh tidak bisa lagi menyerap insulin tersebut. Glukosa darah adalah sumber energi yang diserap sel untuk menjalankan fungsi-fungsi yang ada dalam tubuh kita. Tingkat gula darah yang tinggi melebihi normal dalam jangka panjang akan mengakibatkan kerusakan pada berbagai jaringan dan organ tubuh.  

Kita perlu menjalankan gaya hidup sehat seperti mengkonsumsi makanan bergizi, tidak terlalu manis, rajin berolah-raga secara teratur dan mengetahui gejala diabetes sejak dini.

Dari gejala-gejala yang sering kita bahas saat lagi bersama di kantor, "kawan, saya lelah," hingga tanda-tanda lain yang kita tidak ingin orang lain ketahui seperti, e-hem, disfungsi ereksi - gejala diabetes kadang terlalu ringan tetapi serius.

Menjelajah alam adalah salah satu jenis olah raga yang baik bagi kesehatan pikiran dan tubuh kita.  

Fatigue - Kelelahan

Tentu banyak hal menjadi penyebab kelelahan, termasuk penjelasan yang paling sederhana bahwa Anda kurang tidur. Kelelahan hampir selalu datang bersamaan dengan diabetes karena tubuh berusaha dan menggunakan bahan bakar yang dimilikinya.

Jika Anda mendapati bahwa Anda sangat lelah setelah makan, ketika Anda perlu lebih banyak energi, ini adalah tanda yang kuat bahwa ada diabetes.

Lapar dan haus yang berlebihan

Apa yang terjadi adalah tubuh kewalahan dengan tugas memproses glukosa dalam aliran darahmu. Air ditarik dari sel untuk membersihkan kelebihannya, tetapi di dalam proses itu, nutrisi-nutrisi penting yang dibutuhkan tubuhmu, termasuk glukosa, ikut hilang.

Hasilnya adalah sebuah siklus dehidrasi dan lapar yang hanya menyebabkan seseorang lebih sering makan dan minum.

Sering Kencing

Karena air ditarik dari semua sel untuk membilas kelebihan glukosa, ginjal menjadi kewalahan mencoba menyaring dan menyerapnya. Sebagai akibatnya Anda akan lebih sering ke toilet.

Dari semua itu kencing akan membuat tubuh sangat terdehidrasi, ini adalah masalah 24/7 yang akan mempengaruhi tidur Anda sepanjang malam.

Yeast Infections

Infeksi ragi paling sering terjadi pada jaringan vagina, tapi bukan berarti pria sama sekali bebas dari penyakit ini. Ragi memakan gula yang berlebih, yang bisa keluar dari keringat, urin, dan dahak.

Oleh karena itu, infeksi ragi atau jamur ini ditemukan hampir di mana saja di kulit, terutama di tempat-tempat yang lembab.

Ditambah lagi dengan sistem kekebalan tubuh yang menurun, jamur akan sulit dikendalikan pada pasien diabetik.

Disfungsi Ereksi

Disfungsi ereksi pada pria dengan diabetes yang tidak terkendali nampaknya diakibatkan oleh rusaknya pembuluh saraf dan darah. Meskipun malu untuk dibahas, disfungsi ereksi mempengaruhi penderita dan partnernya.

Mungkin hal terakhir yang Anda perlukan ketika merasa sakit dari diabetes yang tidak terkendali adalah hubungan yang tidak bahagia dengan pasangan, jadi singkirkan rasa malu dan segera pergi dokter.

Penglihatan yang kabur

Diabetes berdampak pada penglihatan yang kabur karena mata bergantung pada cairan di dalam dan di sekitarnya untuk berfungsi dengan baik. Lensa yang terdehidrasi akan mengerut dan berusaha untuk fokus. Kondisi ini bisa diperbaiki dengan manajemen diabetes yang benar.

Tapi jika dibiarkan terus, diabetes akan menyebabkan kerusakan saraf. Ketika pembuluh baru berusaha membentuk di atas pembuluh-pembuluh yang rusak, ini akan mengarah ke kebutaan permanen.

Radang yang lama sembuh

Sudahkah Anda perhatikan luka-luka kecil atau radang tenggorokan yang lama sekali sembuh? Penyembuhan yang lambat adalah indikasi diabetes.

Tidaknya sistem penyembuhan yang terganggu karena upaya tubuh untuk membuang kelebihan glukosa, tetapi sejumlah infeksi yang terjadi suka terhadap gula dan akan memanfaatkan ketersediannya.

Hilangnya berat badan yang tidak bisa dijelaskan

Andaikan ada bisa makan sebanyak apapun dan berat tubuhmu tetap berkurang , kedengaran seperti mimpi. Tapi, ini sebenarnya adalah mimpi buruk karena tubuh Anda gagal mendapat bahan bakar dari makanan yang Anda santap dan sebagai gantinya, membakar lemak untuk bertahan hidup.

berlanjut ...

Sumber: Health and Human Research hhdresearch.org

Makanan dengan Nutrisi Anti Stress

Ilustrasi makanan yang sering dijumpai
di mall-mall di Indonesia

Ketika kita sedang bepergian setiap hari, sepenuhnya mengandalkan kafé-kafé, dan warung di mall atau di pinggir jalan untuk makan, hal ini akan mengganggu manajemen gula darah, sistem kekebalan dan pencernaan kita. Jika kita tidak memilih makanan secara bijaksana, hal tersebut akan terjadi.
Memahami bagaimana tingkat gula darah berfluktuasi sepanjang hari adalah hal utama yang menentukan bagaimana kita makan dengan baik. Apa yang kita makan akan mempengaruhi kondisi tubuh kita dan apa yang kita rasakan. Kemudian, kalau kita bisa menggabungkan makanan yang meningkatkan daya tahan tubuh dengan yang melawan racun (toxin) maka tubuh kita dapat berfungsi dengan baik secara emosional maupun biologis.
Ketika berada di kota besar yang penuh polusi, kemacetan, dan tingkat stress yang tinggi, kita bisa secara bijaksana memilih makanan sehat di toko atau restoran. Mari kita lihat gaya hidup di kota dari seseorang yang sibuk dengan usahanya sendiri atau bekerja di kantor. Karena tidak memiliki waktu untuk sarapan di rumah, ia akan mampir di warung makan pinggir jalan atau di dekat tempat kerjanya. Mungkin dia akan membeli kopi/ teh manis, makan kue tradisional, nasi rawon atau nasi goreng. Meskipun rasanya enak, energi dan gula yang disuplai oleh makanan itu kadang berlebihan.

Hindari Sarapan Pagi dengan Gula yang berlebihan
Jika Anda hanya bepergian keliling kota sambil duduk di dalam mobil, kemudian mampir di salon kecantikan, tukang pangkas rambut serta toko baju, sarapan pagi Anda yang cocok adalah sepotong kue tradisional, atau roti, serta teh tawar. Mengganti minuman panas yang terlalu manis dengan yoghurt, air putih juga baik. Jika Anda akan bepergian ke lokasi wisata dengan berjalan kaki yang lama di dalam hutan yang berbukit dan banyak tanjakan terjalnya di bawah terik matahari, maka makanan yang mengandung karbohidrat seperti nasi goreng, pisang goreng atau roti panggang isi selai adalah pilihan yang baik. Jangan lupa membawa sebotol air mineral, biskuit, dan minuman pengganti ion tubuh seperti pocari sweat di dalam tas.

Nutrisi anti-stress
Bepergian di kota yang padat penduduk, dan semrawut bisa mengakibatkan seseorang mengalami stress. Ada banyak makanan yang mengandung nutrient-nutrient bermanfaat bagi tubuh untuk melawan stress. Ketika seseorang stress, kelenjar adrenal dalam tubuhnya akan melepas adrenalin, yang kemudian akan melepas gula darah yang tersimpan sebagai energi; hal ini memicu pelepasan insulin yang berguna untuk menjaga agar tingkat gula darah tidak naik terlalu tinggi.
Jadi makanan mana yang cocok untuk melawan efek negatif dari stress? Nutrisi utama yang dibutuhkan untuk kehidupan masyarakat urban adalah yang mengandung magnesium dan vitamin C. Keduanya mendukung kelenjar adrenal dan dibutuhkan terus-menerus. Pada jam-jam sibuk dan saat menggunakan transportasi publik, jalan terburu-buru untuk mengejar bus, berbondong-bondong di bandara untuk nail pesawat, atau kereta api adalah stress yang umumnya dialami seseorang yang sedang bepergian baik di dalam kota besar, antar kota maupun ke tempat-tempat jauh.

Makanan kaya magnesium

• Tahu dan tempe
• Kacang-kacangan
• Sayuran berdaun hijau
• Ikan
• Alpukat
• dan lain-lain

Makanan kaya vitamin C

• Jeruk
• Nanas
• Mangga
• Kiwi
• Pepaya
• Strawbery
• Pisang
• Buah-buahan segar lainnya
• Cabe Merah

Makanan kaya vitamin B

• Sayuran hijau
• Beras merah
• Produk mengandung susu
• Telur
• Hati
• Jagung
• Kacang kedelai
• Wheatgerm
• Bijih bunga matahari
• Lentils

Nutrisi anti stress juga bermanfaat bagi siapa saja yang melakukan perjalan penuh tantangan di alam terbuka.
Saat ini dunia kita sedang dihadapkan pada penyebaran virus corona atau Covid-19 yang menjangkau hampir seluruh negara di dunia. Oleh karena itu pemerintah masing-masing negara menerapkan pembatasan pergerakkan penduduk dan meminta setiap orang untuk tetap berada di rumah selama wabah penyakit ini masih berlangsung.
Karena terlalu lama tinggal di dalam rumah, orang mulai bosan dan stress. Selain menikmati sejumlah makanan anti stress, yang tersebut di atas, setiap orang dapat melakukan aktivitas lain seperti menulis, menggambar, olah raga dalam ruangan seperti basket mini, senam atau membersihkan rumah dan memperbaiki peralatan rumah tangga yang rusak.

Sumber:

• Surviving the City: Maximum Health for Urban Living
• Foodnetwork.com
• Health.com

Obat Anti Parasitik Nampaknya Efektif dalam Menyembuhkan Viruscorona

Ilmuan Australia menerbitkan sebuah laporan yang menunjukkan bahwa obat anti parasitik dapat menurunkan beban virus hingga 5.000 kali dalam sebuah kultur sel yang terinfeksi virus Covid-19.

Obat Anti Parasitik Ivermectin

Ilmuan Australia telah menerbitkan penelitian yang menunjukkan bahwa ivermectin, sebuah obat anti-parasitik yang disetujui yang tersedia di seluruh dunia, sangat efektif dalam melawan virus Covid-19 ketika diberikan kepada kultur cell yang terinfeksi. Pandemi viruscorona telah menginfeksi lebih dari satu juta orang di seluruh dunia dan menyebabkan lebih dari 50.000 kematian. Hingga saat ini belum ada vaksin atau treatment untuk menyembuhkan penyakit tersebut.

Ivermectin mengurangi beban coronavirus in vitro

Studi kerja sama yang dipimpin oleh Biomedicine Discovery Institute (BDI) dari Universitas Monash dengan Peter Doherty Institute of Infection and Immunity menunjukkan bahwa ivermectin mengurangi RNA viral Covid-19 yang ada di dalam kultur sel hingga 93% setelah 24 jam dan hingga 99.8% setelah 48 jam - kurang lebih pengurangan RNA Viruscorona hingga 5.000 kali, menunjukkan bahwa perawatan dengan Ivermectin mengarah pada hilangnya "semua bahan viral yang mendasar."

Dr. Kylie Wagstaff dari Institut Penemuan Obatbio Monash mengatakan,"Kami menemukan bahwa satu dosis tunggal pada dasarnya bisa menghilangkan semua RNA viral dalam 48 jam dan bahkan dalam 24 jam benar-benar ada pengurangan jumlah virus tersebut."

Dr. Wagstaff memperingatkan bahwa uji-coba tersebut dilakukan invitro dan pengujian perlu dilakukan pada manusia untuk melihat apakah obat tersebut benar-benar efektif dalam melawan Covid-19.

Anti Viral yang efektif mungkin adalah kunci dalam melawan Covid-19

Laporan tersebut mengatakan bahwa pengembangan anti-viral yang efektif terhadap viruskorona, jika diberikan lebih awal pada pasien yang terinfeksi dapat membatasi beban viralnya, menghentikan perkembangan penyakit tersebut dan mencegah penyebarannya. Mereka percaya bahwa ivermectin bisa menjadi antiviral yang bermanfaat dalam melawan Covid-19.

Ivermectin sedang dipelajari juga sebagai perawatan yang potensial bagi sejumlah virus lain termasuk demam berdarah, HIV, dan Zika. Obat tersebut berada dalam daftar obat-obat mendasar WHO untuk perawatan infeksi parasit termasuk beberapa di antaranya adalah kutu kepala, skabies (penyakit kulit menular yang sangat gatal disebabkan oleh tungau keci), riverblindness, threadworm (gejala cacing benang) dan whipworm (cacing cambuk).

Sumber berita: Anti-parasite drug ivermectin shown to be effective against coronavirus.

Marine Life in Sansapor

During the Pacific War, Sansapor was a small village. It became the base for American forces who landed there in 1944 to fight the Japanese forces in the region. Warships, fighter planes and bombers were stationed in the islands of Amsterdam and Middleburg as well as the nearby Werur village. The war has been over for very long time. Sansapor is now called Sausapor and has become a small coastal town. In this peaceful environment, coral reef in Sansapor waters has grown again teeming with a lot of marine life. This can also be seen in the above islands.

Adventure in Tambrauw regency of Indonesia

Two hours by speed boat from Sausapor to the east, there is a beach called Jen Womom. It is the nesting ground of leatherback - the largest species of sea turtle. The nesting season has come. Hundreds of leatherback and other species of sea turtles land on the beach to lay their eggs.

The rainforest around Sausapor town is also a highly recommended destination for visitors who like trekking. It is the habitat of a lot of unique tropical plants including arboreal and terrestrial orchids, glowing mushrooms, bamboo, and hardwood trees. I used to see a terrestrial orchid  flower that was emitting fragrant smell. Its petals were white.
I organized a number of rainforest and coral reef tours to Sausapor region several years ago especially in Syuan river, and Syugrar river. We spent 4 to 5 days camping there. It was a nice experience, we did riverwalk trips and watched Blyth's Hornbill, Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, Palm Cockatoo, Black-capped Lory, Little Egret, Grey Crow, and a lot of other birds that live in West Papua's forest.

Tambrauw regency has got a lot of beautiful sceneries both in the mountains and coastal areas.
Indonesia has closed access to foreign tourists who want to travel around this country due to rapid spread of coronavirus. In the future, when this "Covid-19" storm has been over, visitors can visit this regency again.

Riverwalk, Birdwatching and Camping Tour in Rainforest of Manokwari

I organize riverwalk and camping tour in several rainforest areas of West Papua such as in Waigeo island, Tambrauw regency and in Manokwari. Tourists like the activity because they are able to watch birds, insects, reptiles, and mammals that live along the banks of the river.

The duration of the tour is around 3 to 5 days. Before doing the tour, I buy food materials such as rice, smoked fish, eggs, tempe (fermented soybean cake), fruits and some vegetables. I also prepare dome tents, mattrasses, a big sheet of plastic tarp, cooking and eating utensils, binoculars, spotting scope with tripod, camera, and solar powered lights. There are jungle vegetables that we harvest when we stay in the forest. Some of them include ganemo, kangkung, or sayur paku (fern leaves that are edible as vegetables).

Riverwalk Tour in Manokwari

Watching birds and other animals along the banks of the river is easy because there are a lot of open spaces. Birds such as Blyth's hornbill, and Sulphur-crested Cockatoo often fly over the river.

Nesting Season of Leatherback Turtle

We are now at the end of March 2020 - the time where massive spread of Corona-virus disease is reaching all corners of the world. Human is now struggling to survive.  Travel industry is one of the economic sectors that is severly hit by this pandemic. Millions of people become jobless. 

We are going to enter April. Soon, on the other side of the globe, the nesting season of Leatherback turtles will come. It is the time where mother turtles swim to the beach to lay eggs. They can now lay their eggs in peace. No flashes of cameras from tourists and researchers will distract them. Unfortunately, there are still soa-soa monitor lizards, dogs, crocodiles, and boars that are waiting for them at these remote beaches.

Leatherback turtle of Tambrauw regency

In Indonesia, there are several beaches where these giant turtles like to come to lay eggs. They are Warebar beach in Waigeo island of Raja Ampat archipelago; Jen Womom and Wermon in the northern coast of Tambrauw regency. It takes around 45 to 55 days for the eggs to hatch. Personally, I used to see newly hatched baby turtles at Jen Womom and Warebar. They were beautiful creatures.

Pigeons and Fruit Doves in West Papua's Forest

Pigeons and fruit doves are important animals for the ecosystem of tropical rainforest in West Papua. They feed on fruits and drop their seeds throughout the forest. They are seed dispersers. They are the ones that grow the forest.
Various species of pigeons and fruit doves live in tropical rainforest of Papua from lowland to higher montane region. Here are some of them:

• Pinon Imperial Pigeon - I have seen the bird since I was a child in my parents' clove garden. Years later, when I guided a British lady on an adventure trip to see wild animals, flowers and unique tropical plants in lowland forest of Manokwari, I saw the bird again and took picture of it for the first time. I used Nikon Coolpix P500 with its 30× optical zoom. It was my first point and shoot camera. The bird is often hunted by local people as the source of protein for them. We stayed for several nights in a simple basecamp near a river. 

Pinon Imperial Pigeon

Cockatoos and Parrots in West Papua

New Guinea Vulturine Parrot in Ases Valley of Tambrauw Mountains

There are a lot of parrots and cockatoos in West Papua. I usually see them when I guide birdwatching visitors on tours in Raja Ampat, Sorong, Tambrauw and Manokwari. Most of the pictures in this blog post were taken using Canon 200D with Tamron 150-600 mm G2 lens.

Hiking Tour in Sorong

Early this week, I ran a hiking tour for a British couple, Alan and Jill, who wanted to watch birds, insects, and reptiles and see landscape of Sorong's rainforest. We left Swissbel hotel at 05.30 to a place in the outskirts of the city. In the morning, the streets were not crowded. So, our car could move faster. Arriving at our destination, we continued our trip on foot by hiking up slopes that led us to hills. The morning sunlight began to iluminate trees around us. 

Hiking tour in Sorong

Sulawesi Hanging Parrot

When I guided a Dutch lady on nature and birding tour in North Sulawesi province of Indonesia, I took a lot of pictures of birds in the forest, farmland, and mountains. One of them was Sulawesi Hanging Parrot (Loriculus stigmatus). We saw both male and female in a papaya tree. The birds were eating one of the riped fruits that was still hanging in the tree.

A female Sulawesi Hanging Parrot

Butterflyfish and Angelfish in Raja Ampat

When I go to Raja Ampat to guide tourist(s) on a birdwatching, sightseeing and snorkeling tour, I always, provide time to explore the coral reef of the archipelago and to take pictures of its reef fish. Early this month, I visited Raja Ampat with an American tourist. We stayed in the southern region of Waigeo island and did some tours to its nearby beaches and islands. We enjoyed snorkeling every day. I brought a compact camera Fujifilm XQ2 with its waterproof case. Using this small device, I could take pictures of coral reef, fish, and other interesting marine creatures. There were a lot of species of colorful fish.

Angelfish and Butterflyfish

Dendrobium antennatum

Here is the picture of Dendrobium antennatum that I saw in a homestay in Raja Ampat. This orchid flower is locally called anggrek kelinci (anggrek means orchid and kelinci means rabbit). Its natural habitat was coastal rainforest. In wikipedia, it says that the flower plant is called the Green Antelope Orchid.

Rabbit Orchid (Dendrobium antennatum) in Raja Ampat archipelago

I used to see the orchids in Manokwari, and Kaimana in Papua Barat province of Indonesia. Here, people usually grow the flower plant by attaching and tying it onto the trunk of a tree. In the above photograph, the owner tied it on the wooden post of the jetty. 

The backyard of the homestay where I stayed was a huge rainforest. This orchid, I think, was taken from the forest. The hill forest itself was the natural habitat of a lot of species of tropical plants, insects, reptiles, mammals, and birds. 

Christmas Tree Worm in Waigeo island

I stayed for nearly a week in that homestay guiding an American visitor on a snorkeling and birdwatching tour in Raja Ampat. We watched a lot of tropical birds including Red Bird of Paradise, and Wilson's Bird of Paradise as well as Beach Kingfisher, Rufous-bellied Kookaburra, and Palm Cockatoo. In the coral reef, we saw Clown Anemonefish, Clark's Anemonefish, Moorish Idol, Striped Surgeonfish, Saddleback Butterflyfish, Emperor Angelfish and a lot more.

Snorkeling and Birdwatching Tour

Early this month I guided a solo traveler to Raja Ampat islands in West Papua province of Indonesia. We spent nearly 1 week enjoying snorkeling, and birdwatching in some tropical islands and their coral reef areas to see various kinds of fish. To take pictures of marine life, I brought my Fujifilm XQ2 and its waterproof case. The camera is small enough when inserted into my travel bag. 

Kabui bay of Raja Ampat

Night Walk in the Rainforest

I like to conduct night walk in the rainforest when I guide tourists. Usually the activity is carried out after dinner. There are a lot of interesting things that we can see while exploring the trunk of trees or the leaves of shrub plants that grow on both sides of the paths that we walk through.

Russian tourists were having night walk tour in Susnguakti forest guided by Charles Roring and a local villager

Preventing Wildfires

Coastal Rainforest in Tambrauw Mountains

Recent wildfires in Australia and other parts of the world have raised questions about ways that we can do to prevent wildfires. Around 90% of them are caused by human activities. Wildfires can only happen if there are 3 important components:

• Heat: Sun, lightning, eruption from a volcano, man-made fire from matches or campfire, and cigarette butts,
• Flammable materials (dry wood, leaves) on the forest floor,
• Oxygen.

Massive wildfires can spread quickly to all corners of the forest, to farmlands, and residential areas. Smokes that are emitted are blown by the wind to far away places including to big cities. For instance, wildfires in Sumatra island of Indonesia emitted toxic haze that reached cities in Sumatra, Singapore and Malaysia. City dwellers reported respiratory ilnesses. Thick smokes in the sky forced airlines to cancel or delay flights to affected cities.

To prevent bushfires or wildfires from happening again in the future, we must make sure that at least 1 or 2 components that I mention above can be removed or controlled. It is obvious that we cannot remove oxygen from the huge forest area. So, the components that we can remove or control are man-made heat source and the flammable materials. 

To prevent man-made heat source from being introduced into the forest, we need to provide educational information in public spaces. It can be a big infographic board installed at the entrance gate to a forest, which says that campers must put off their campfire with water. Notice boards can also contain infographics that ban smokers from tossing their cigarrete butts into the roadside bush. 

We need water to extinguish fire. Water tankers and firefighting devices are needed to stop massive forest fires. This could be carried out in forest areas that are accessible by roads. Wildfires that happen in remote mountaineous region can be stopped using water bomber airplanes or helicopters. Modern aerial firefighting aircraft such as Beriev Be-200 can quickly refill its tanks while flying low on the surface of a lake or sea. Older amphibious aircrafts, the PBY Catalina and Canadair CL-215, are also used as water bombers.
Roads inside the Forest
Countries that have got rainforest near residential areas build roads into the forests which they can use for recreational  or ecotourism purposes, thinning of forest, removing debris and putting off forest fire. The roads themselves also function as fire brakes. 

Using Forest Debris as Biomass Fuel
To remove flammable forest debris from rainforest, we can extract the fallen branches, twigs and leaves on forest floor, and use them as materials for house constructions and furniture making. The biomass can also be used as fuel for power plant. The simplest way is by using firewood as fuels for biomass cooking stoves. Wood as fuel for home cooking can be cut into small pieces or turned into pellets. The introduction of LPG cooking stoves that use cheaper and "cleaner fossil fuel" has pushed biomass cooking stoves out of the market.
Proper public education about the advantage of using biomass fuels for home cooking in preventing forest fire can significantly increase the market share of this biomass cooking stove again.
Livestock Animal as Firefighter

Bringing livestock to forest, and bush areas for grazing can effectively create fire-brake zones that prevent future accidental wildfires.
Artificial Water Reservoirs
Some countries build hundreds of water reservoirs or man-made lakes using recycled water to support their agricultural industry. The same water can also be used to extinguish wildfires if it occurs again in the region. - written by Charles Roring

We need rainforest

Everyone of us needs rainforest whether we realize it or not. Tropical rainforest absorbs carbon dioxide gases that we emit when we breath, or when we drive our cars and motorcycles or when we cook in the kitchen  and warm our rooms using firewood, gas or kerosene. During the day when the sunlight reaches the forest, it is used by trees to perform photosynthesis. With the help of sunlight, plants turn carbon dioxide and water into sugar and oxygen. The oxygen that is released into the atmosphere will later be used by all living organisms to survive.
In recent years, the long-term rise of the earth's temperature, famously known as global warming, has attracted the attention of international communities. Tropical rainforests play vital role in absorbing green house gases. More people now visit rainforest as tourists who want to see the beauty of its biodiversity and scenery or as researchers who want to know more about the complex relationships of organisms that live inside the rainforest.
Our understanding about rainforest is getting better now with the availability of videos, uploaded in video sharing websites like Youtube and Facebook by people who visit rainforests. The videos can be about birds, reptiles, mammals, insects or the life of indigenous people in the rainforest.

Tropical Rainforest in Indonesia

Our Renewable Resources for Everything
Construction and Household Materials
Rainforest produce trees that are exploited by humans to make various kinds of timber products. When they are sent to furniture industry, they will be turned into office and dining tables, chairs, bookshelves, cabinets, photo-frame, dressing table, and a lot more. Wood is still a very important materials for house and building constructions. Tribes who live near or in the forest take wood, bamboo, rattan, leaves, and other kinds of fiber to build houses and household equipment. Traditional fisherman often go to the forest to cut trees as their raw materials for making boats.
Resources for Foods

When we walk inside rainforest, we will see various kinds of plants. There are the ones that produce fruits such as mango, matoa, rambutan, durian, langsat, jackfruit and a lot more. There are also bamboo shoot, mushrooms, and young leaves or buds from such plants as fern, gnetum gnemon that are used as  vegetables. For carbohydrates or staple foods, the indigenous people in South-east Asia harvest sago flour, banana, cassava, and bread fruit. Aren and coconut trees produce sap that can be used to make palm sugar. The same sap can also be fermented and distilled to make alcoholic liquor.
Rainforest is the source of protein. Tribes still go to rainforest to set-up traps or to hunt animals such as deer, boar, or wallaby. They catch fish in the river by using hook and line, fishing spears or traps.
Traditional Medicines
Indigenous people who live in and around the forest go to the forest to get plants that can be used to make herbal medicines. Hundreds of species of flower plants have got oils that can be extracted for making essential oils. They are important ingredients for food, medicine and cosmetics.

Our Source of Ground Water

Good and healthy forest in mountainous regions can keep higher percentage of rain water which can later be used by human during dry season. Water is the essence of life. We drink it, we use it when we cook our food, and we use it while taking a bath or washing our clothes. We need water to water our farmlands. We also use water when we wash our motorized vehicles. If we can preserve rainforest, we can continue to survive in this planet.

All living organisms in rainforest are connected in a complex food chain that supports a balanced ecosystem of the rainforest. For instance, when coastal birds catch fish at sea and eat them while sitting on branches of coastal trees, their poops that fall on the ground will become manure that fertilize the forest.
Allso read:

• We use Natural Resources Faster than What the Earth can Replenish
• Butterflies in Susnguakti Forest
• Preventing Wildfires

How to Reduce Dependency On Fossil Fuels

We live in the era where most of our energy needs come from fossil fuels. We travel by cars and motorcycles that use gasoline and diesel fuel, we use electricity at homes from utility companies whose generators run on coal, diesel or compact natural gas. We travel to cities in overseas countries by aircrafts that use jet fuel (avtur). Everyday we emit greenhouse gases that are responsible for global warming. We may used up our oil in the next 50 years and coal in the next 100 years.

Cycling lifestyle is good for our health & environment

There are a lot of things that we can do to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels:

• Conserve Energy - The simplest way to do is by reducing our use of fossil fuels. At nights when we sleep, we turn off the lights in our houses. When we go to nearby shops whose distance is less than 1 km, instead of riding motorcycles, we can walk. When we travel by cars or motorcycles, we can use gps aided navigation software such as google map and waze to help us find the shortest route for us. This free to use application greatly help us in saving fuel. Most of us now use LED lights. This technology converts around 95 percent of electrical energy into lights and only 5 % that becomes heat. We can also install solar thermal collector to heat water at homes instead of using electricity.
• Create fuel efficient vehicles. This can clearly be seen in aviation industry. Aircraft manufacturers such as Boeing, Airbus, Comac, Irkut, and ATR are developing passenger planes that use less fuel. Certain parts of modern aircrafts are made of carbon fiber and other compound materials that are lighter but strong and safe for long flights. Jet Engine manufacturers such as CFM International, Pratt and Whitney,  MTU, Rolls Royce, Aviadvigatel and etc. use advanced materials such as monocrystalline metal compounds, CMC (Ceramic Matrix Composites) to make high bypass jet engines that are lighter, powerful but consume less fuel. In the automotive industry, the trend is also the same. The availability of GPS Navigation Apps such as Google Map and Waze greatly help motorcycle and car drivers to reach their destinations efficiently.
• Take up cycling as our lifestyle - countries like China, the Netherlands, and Denmark, Sweden, Japan, and Norway have got significant percentage of their populations who use bicycles in their daily life. Bicycle manufacturers have improved their products by creating lighter but stronger bikes for their users. There are also with gears that can be used to climb steep slopes. Shimano is one of the leading companies that manufacture derailleur gears for mountain bikes. This technology has greatly helped cyclists when they want to ride their bikes in hilly countries. Electrical bikes with rechargeable batteries are now available in the market. If an owner recharges his or her electric bikes using electricity that is produced by photovoltaic or other renewable energy resources, he or she has reduced the use of fossil fuels.
• Use organic fertilizer - In agricultural sector, we use natural gas to make nitrogen fertilizer. We also use train, large ships, and big trucks that use diesel fuel to transport it from factories to farmlands. We can reduce the use of this synthetic fertilizer or urea by using organic fertilizer. Traditional farmers in Asian countries have done this since ancient times for their rice crops. Certain farmers apply crop rotation methods to increase the productivity of their farmland without significantly increase the use of urea fertilizer.
• Increase the use of renewable energy - Solar power (both photovoltaic and concentrated heat), hydropower, wind, and ocean thermal conversion as well as biomass are needed to completely replace fossil fuels. 

Some readers may disagree when I mention biomass in the last point above because the burning of wood and other organic materials to create heat and generate electricity is not a wise plan. I understand that wood burning will produce carbon dioxide and other toxic gases. However, proper preparation of the fuel materials before burning coupled with good and well thought design of the powerplant can reduce the emission of toxic gases and other harmful particles into the atmosphere. The extraction of scrab lumber, forest debris, and agricultural wastes is important in removing highly flammable debris from the forest and its surroundings. In other words, biomass powerplants that use forest debris play significant roles in reducing forest fire. The extraction of forest debris enhances the health of the forest itself.

It is not easy to create a modern carbon neautral society that 100% use renewable energy and other environmentally friendly means to survive. We have got the technology to do that. All we need now is strong will and serious commitment to achieve it. 

We Use Natural Resources Faster than What the Earth Can Replenish

Rapid increase of human population has triggered rapid increase in the exploitation of renewable and non-renewable resources. The way we extract natural resources is faster than what nature can replenish. 

Water

In big coastal cities, people drill wells and extract huge amount of groundwater. They use freshwater for their daily household needs. Freshwater is also pumped from coastal aquifer to supply various kinds of industries in and around the cities. Because city dwellers consume water faster than what nature can supply, the negative impact that they suffer is the intrusion of seawater. This will lead to rapid decrease in the supply of potable drinking water.
How to increase water supply
There are 4 ways that we could do to increase our supply of freshwater:

• Reuse or recycle water
• Increase storage
• Conserve water
• Find new sources

The above methods can also be applied to other natural resources. Coastal countries that are facing serious short supply of fresh drinking water tend to build giant desalination plants. Some of them include Ras Al Khair and Shoaiba Power and Desalination Plant in Saudi Arabia; Sorek, Ashkelon, Ashdod, Palmachim, Hadera seawater reverse osmosis desalination plants in Israel; Taweelah and Fujairah desalination plant in UAE. As a matter of fact, there are a lot of other countries that desalinate seawater to get pottable drinking water. These systems are usually expensive to build and energy intensive to operate.

Freshwater river in lowkand area of Manokwari regency

To prevent this phenomenon, safe level groundwater has to be maintained. This can be done through the control and management of freshwater extraction, the creation of catchment areas to absorb rainwater into the ground instead of directing it into canals that lead to the sea. The catchment areas are usually located inside the green zones where there are city parks, and urban forests. In places that have been severely affected by seawater intrusion, the construction of rainwater harvesting systems can be built. The depletion of natural resources is not only limited to ground freshwater but also to other renewable and non renewable resources.

Fossil Fuel

Since the introduction of external and internal combustion engines, our use of fossil fuel is increasing exponentially. We extract coal, oil, and natural gas. They are non renewable resources that will one day deplete. We often see on televisions and in the internet the news about territorial disputes among countries that share borders in places that have got fossil fuel deposits. A clear example of this is the Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait which led to Gulf War from 1990 to 1991. The war was waged by a coalition of armed forces from 35 countries against Iraq. Territorial conflicts over oil fields such as South Sudan and Sudan; Iran and Iraq; civil war in Nigerian delta have caused the loss of a lot of human life. To reduce dependency on fossil fuel, the use of renewable energy has to be encouraged.

Rare Earth Materials

Certain components inside our smart phones, modern electronic devices, and electric vehicles, are made of rare earths such as europium dysprosium,, lanthanum, neodymium, gadolinium, yttrium, terbium, and etc. Very few countries have got large rare earth deposits. China and Australia are now the main exporter of these important materials. The recent trade war between the US and China may lead to problems related to more China's restrictions on the export of these important materials to its competitors.

Overerfishing, Destruction of Coral Reef and Marine Pollution

At sea, large fishing vessels catch enormous amount of fish and other marine animals. Fishing companies that use large trawler vessels and bottom trawling nets have caused massive damages in sea floor ecosystem. The use of explosive and poisonous materials for catching fish also bring damages to our marine environment.
Forest Products and Agricultural Produce

Depletion of resources also happen to renewable ones such as forest products and agricultural produce. The extraction of wood or timber products from tropical rainforest and its conversion into monoculture plantations have caused serious damage to our environment.
For instance, Java, the most populated island in Indonesia. Its forests are not able to supply enough timber materials for people living in the island. Other commodities such as palm oil, rubber, cocoa beans, and coffee have to be imported too. Such products are supplied by other near by islands, i.e. Kalimantan, Sumatra, Sulawesi, Maluku, and Papua. Java is still an important producer of rice, and sugar.  - written by Charles Roring

Renewable Energy Can Support Our Life

This is the photograph of traditional windmills in the Netherlands. Dutch people used them to pump water from wetland over dikes and into rivers. When a wet- or swampy land has been transformed into dry land, it can be used for farming or for building housings, business and office buildings for people. Windmills were also used to grind grains, and to drive sawmills. According to holland dot com, there are more than 1,000 windmills in the country. As cultural heritage of Dutch people, windmills have now become tourist attractions. People make them as museums, or restaurants.

Windmills