SUSTAINABILITY
BALI ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION FROM BANANA LEAVES TO PLASTIC BAGS
Many years ago, the traditional Bali packaging – a banana leaf – was replaced by the plastic bag. This change was very rapid and many Indonesians, especially the older generation, could unfortunately not really grasp what this meant for the environment. Instead of banana leaves that decompose really quickly, we now have plastic bags in the ditches, rivers and, finally, in the sea, making environmental protection a key issue on Bali.
BALI’S RAPID DEVELOPMENT
Even if it seems very simple and superficial, the banana leaf example is typical of the entire development of Bali, which in recent years, has shown an amazing pace in all sectors. Every year the number of hotels, cars, mopeds and tourists increase in Bali, mostly concentrated in the south of the island. This rapid development also causes problems, in particular an immense problem with waste disposal, and as a business enterprise, we see it as our duty to make the greatest possible contribution, at least in terms of environmental protection on Bali.
How we Help
In our hotels we started with measurements that are “normal” for western standards, for instance asking our guests to switch off the lights, ventilator or air conditioning if they are not in the room, or to use their towels more often. We have installed a water-saving button for toilet flushing and equipped the entire hotel with energy-saving lamps. The beach clean-up actions that are organised regularly have in the meantime become very popular in Bali and are carried out by us and other business enterprises.
It is, however, more effective to tackle these problems at the source, and so we have banned one-way plastic packaging from our camp kitchens and restaurants and only use reusable containers for portioning and storing food, and for our take-away breakfasts – which is quite expensive in Bali. At the reception at Bali Surf Camp, Seminyak and Canggu, guests can borrow a jute bag when they have shopping to do in the supermarket around the corner.
KIMA Refill Bottles
