June 5 is World Environment Day, with more than a billion people embracing new ways to sustainably conserve our resources and protect the environment.
Speaking at the Ubud Food Festival, energy and waste expert Aretha Aprilia said that consumers are proven agents of change. She named a few cultural roadblocks to reforming Indonesia’s food waste problem (second in quantity only to Saudi Arabia’s), such as the tradition of cooking excessive quantities for wedding guests (superstitious guarantee of the couple’s prosperity). A firm personal decision to strengthen our 3 R’s, says Aretha, is the key to the solution.
Time-honored Recycle, Reduce, and Re-use has recently been expanded to acknowledge the high value of plastic: Reinvent/Rethink, Refuse, Reduce, Reuse/Repair, Recycle, Replace/Rebuy. Rebuy is a green purchasing practice that includes buying items made from recycled material but also considers point of purchase… e.g., does it REALLY need to be jetted to you now? A shopper passing up any styrofoam-packed herbs would be an instance of Refuse. Investing in traditions like rattan furniture over plastic weaves would be an example of Rethink.
Environmentalism is becoming part of Bali’s culture, and if it’s been too troublesome to remember your cloth shopping bags and your reusable containers for take-away, or to say, “no straw, please,” maybe it’s time for a little inspiration. Check these out!
Ever heard the term, Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)? We’re going to start seeing this a lot. Future Farmers Indonesia is a movement that re-teaches Bali’s youth the organic farming practices which have been disappearing under decades of chemical fertilizer and hybrid stocks. Your household can subscribe to delivery of their Bagi Bumi boxes of organic fruits and veggies, and that is community support. Contact info@futurefarmersindonesia.com. Subscribers get weekend farm visit privileges!
Consider taking visiting friends to Buda Organic Farm instead of a resort buffet (where massive amounts of food usually go to waste). Sedasa Lodge in Berawa offers private group (max 10) tours up to the pesticide-free mountain farm, where the young and friendly Chef Buda leads everyone through shaded orchards and colorful fields, ending with an all-hands creation of a delicious organic feast picked by YOU. Essential to book ahead. 081933111245 for the farm, and info@sedasa.com or 0887 3873123 goes to tour reservations.
KulKul Farm is a great organic agricultural resource with tours on Mondays. Buy their organic produce and products, or sign up to for a workshop like home apothecary, bamboo construction, and permaculture (even a cramped villa side yard can grow some farm-to-fork goodness). I learned my organic pest control at KulKul. Make advance contact through kul@kulkulfarm.com or maria@kulkulfarm.com.
Seminyak’s Potato Head Beach Club Sustainable Sunday free monthly cultural projects for families and kids are great one-hour activities. Bio soap making is the 7 July session, with no advance booking needed. Go to ptthead.com/bali for info on event start times. These are in partnership with the Green School.
Never visited Green School’s campus? Go to www.greenschool.org/book-a-tour/ . Tour fees help fund scholarship for local students, and you’ll get to see for yourself what the excitement is all about.
Sister entity Green Camp tailor-makes adventurous, short-term experiential camps for school groups, families, and children 7 to 17. Sustainability and cultural appreciation are hallmarks of Green Camp. Curated activities include bamboo construction and river rafting, all fostering deep connections to nature, self, and each other. Check out www.greenschool.org/community .
An intimate wedding of art, culture, and nature is the Festival Tepi Sawah in Pejeng, Gianyar, July 6 and 7. In a serene paddyside setting, choose amongst music and art workshops, environmental sessions for kids, lots of great cultural performances and some of Indonesia’s finest musicians. The festival features a unique marketplace of handicrafts and items for a greener lifestyle. Go to Facebook Festival Tepi Sawah, or WhatsApp festival founder Ethi Widiyanto at +628123909334. Tickets sold through Eventbrite.com.
Cutting-edge Denpasar art gallery CushCush is currently honoring the very young artists, craftspeople, and designers who participated in the popular Charcoal for Kids series of design and architecture workshops. Visiting the exhibition might help you decide if it’s a worthwhile activity next year for your children. WhatsApp ahead to gallery director Sagung +6281805542430 or Merlins +6281289152130 or e-mail: balilagilagi@gmail.com Through 31 July.
Now, about that shopping bag? MOV shoe store on Jl Mertasari 99, Kerobokan, has uber-cool Japanese boro stitchery bags by Sin & Sun Sewing Syndicate. Preview on Instagram account: snsss.co.
More art and culture alerts:
Massive Contemporary Art happening ArtJog is on in Jogjakarta 25 July – 25 August. ArtJog.co.id
Raw Chocolatier Certification courses (Level 1) June 23 – 26. hello@elevatedcacao.com
41st Bali Arts Festival kicks off June 16 at the Werdhi Budaya Art Centre, Jl Nusa Indah, Denpasar. Ends July 13 or 14 or 15, depending on various sources.
Bamboo U’s bamboo construction course, June 14 – 25. marketing@bamboou.com
By Renee Melchert Thorpe
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