Institut Teknologi Bandung

The visit is part of the Pedal for Earth campaign, which is a movement aimed at introducing Indonesian bamboo bikes to the global stage. This movement is organized by Spedagi, a company owned by Pertamina, an oil and gas corporation, and the Bamboo Environment Foundation.

The campaign aims to promote bamboo products, now presented in a more innovative light, while also signifying Indonesia's commitment to environmentally friendly energy and sustainable mobility.

VP Corporate Communication of Pertamina, Fadjar Djoko Santoso, responded positively to the participation of the two ITB alumni in the visit to Japan. This also signifies Pertamina's commitment to addressing global issues, one of which includes reducing carbon emissions.

"Wisli Sagara will test the capabilities and reliability of the bamboo bike in the global arena. This further solidifies Pertamina's strong commitment to reducing carbon emissions,” explained Fajar in his official statement.

In this event, Singgih Susilo Kartono has designed the bamboo bike used by Wisli Sagara. Singgih himself crafted the bamboo bike named 'Spedagi' back in 2013. The bamboo bicycle was initially introduced in his hometown, Temanggung, located in East Java.

Subsequently, the bamboo bike gained popularity among the local community, sparking a movement for the revitalization of villages through bamboo product innovation known as the Spedagi Movement.

The product also won a gold award at the G-mark Good Design Award in 2018 in Japan. With this recognition, a community of bamboo bike enthusiasts began to form, not only in Indonesia but also reaching as far as the Land of the Rising Sun.

Moreover, Indonesian President Joko Widodo responded positively and became a loyal user of the Spedagi bamboo bike. President Jokowi even gifted a bamboo bike to Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in 2022.In this visit, Singgih will meet with local bamboo bike enthusiasts, aiming to explore opportunities for collaboration in establishing a bamboo bike factory.

This factory will utilize bamboo grown in Japan and will be operated by Japanese youth. The hope is that this collaboration will advance technology in bamboo bike manufacturing," he said.

Apparently, Singgih also had the opportunity to give lectures at Kuwasawa College of Design, Musashino Art University, and Tokyo College of Cycle Design before heading to Kagoshima, the starting point of The Japanese Odyssey event.

For information, Singgih will participate in a leisure cycling competition around Kagoshima. Meanwhile, Wisli Sagara will participate in the entire 2,700-kilometer Japanese Odyssey event.

This race will take 12 days to complete, passing through 15 checkpoints from the Sakurajima Peninsula to the Ashigezaki Observatory in Hachinohe, Japan.

To overcome various road conditions, Wisli will ride the Spedagi bamboo bike with a new variant named Dalantrasah. This variant is designed for cycling on gravel terrains and covering long distances.

Dalantrasah is painted and designed with Pertamina's official colors. This also highlights Singgih's dedication to his passion for design.

"The Japan Odyssey is unique as it offers various terrains, ranging from smooth urban asphalt roads to mountainous rural areas. It will be challenging but also an intriguing experience for us," expressed Wisli.

In August 2023, Wisli along with two other cyclists from Indonesia successfully completed the prestigious Paris-Brest-Paris race, covering a distance of 1,200 kilometers. On this occasion, Wisli rode the Spedagi bike with the Dalanrata variant (road bike).

Meanwhile, the Chairperson of the Environmental Bamboo Foundation (EBF), Monica Tanuhandaru, stated that bamboo bikes have become an icon for campaigns addressing environmental issues that frequently occur in society.

"The Spedagi bamboo bike has become our campaign icon to promote bamboo as an ecological and economical solution for land restoration, water conservation, carbon emissions, and rural poverty issues in Indonesia," she expressed.

EBF itself has collaborated with 8,000 beneficiaries in 286 villages across 8 provinces in Indonesia to restore degraded land, protect water sources, reduce carbon emissions, restore forestry functions, and establish a bamboo-based industry for the benefit of the community.

In the last three years, the beneficiary communities have produced 3.5 million bamboo seedlings, with 1.9 million of them planted in critical areas around water sources.

Furthermore, the Ministry of Forestry and Environment of the Republic of Indonesia has chosen EBF as a key partner in implementing the national-scale FOLU Net Sink program to significantly reduce carbon emissions.

"Now, we are collaborating with Spedagi and Pertamina to produce affordable bamboo bicycles for students in rural areas and accelerate the adoption of renewable energy based on bamboo," emphasized Monica.

Translator: Firzana Aisya

Editor: Anggi Nurdiani (Management, 2021)