How Bali is becoming even greener

Some eco-conscious entrepreneurs on Indonesia's Island of the Gods are working to build a future in tune with nature
By Tannia Vera & Robert Michael Poole 13 December, 2010


The Heart of School at Green School, Bali.
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In Indonesia, the concept of green living is starting to take hold.

This archipelago of more than 17,000 islands stretched along the equator is home to Bali, one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world, and it has seen resorts, tourist facilities, ugly hotels, clubs and all the trimmings that go with those developed over the last several decades.

Now, the island is not only pushing a trend to create structures that preserve the natural environment, it is also establishing new forms of education.

A school, new housing and an affordable luxury holiday retreat show how fast the movement is progressing.

Click "View Gallery" above for more images.

green living bali school
The grass is not greener on the other side when in Bali.
Cleaning up

The modern concept of sustainable, or “green” living, began in 1954 when Helen and Scott Nearing published “Living the Good Life.”

As the world’s population has grown -– to around 7 billion today –- and new technologies have been invented, the environments that we live in have been effected in many adverse ways.

Though some scientists, governments, companies and especially environmental organizations like Greenpeace have sought to confront the wider issues, individuals who simply want to live a more sustainable personal life have sought their own ecologically sound lifestyles.

In Bali entrepreneurial projects are now springing up to meet that demand.

Sixty-four projects recently competed in the Tri Hita Karana Awards, which recognize environmental management.

According to local environmental consultant Gove DePuy, founder of a green youth culture movement called PT Akarumput, "growth is most obvious in the 'buzz' at this point. Magazine articles, people discussing renewable materials in the cafes and restaurants, green-themed festivals like Ubud's Earth Day Festival.

"But along with that has come actual change. More people refuse plastic bags in the grocery stores, Hypermart now offers cloth bags at the register, Bali's first Green building supply store (Little Tree) has opened its doors and Bali now has a chapter of the World Green Building Council," says DePuy.

Organic food is being bought more often for both personal and commercial use, eco-hotels, resorts and green residential homes have shifted construction materials from concrete to sustainable materials like straw and bamboo, which, as DePuy says "makes a huge dent in the amount of resources consumed by older, less efficient construction."

Power to the various projects meanwhile is increasingly being generated by highly visible solar panels, water, geothermal, and wind sources.

green living bali school
Students discuss upcoming performances in the theater at Green School.
Green education

Inhabited mainly by Hindus, Bali and its culture is founded on the fundamental Sanskrit phrase "Tri Hita Karana."

Roughly translated, it means “to keep the harmony and balance between human to God, human-to-human and human to environment.”

"Human to environment" has been the guiding light for a number of eco-friendly property developers, with many implementing environmentally-friendly methods of construction while still serving the growing demand of Bali’s tourism industry to cope with increasing numbers of visitors -- temporary and permanent.

Green School is one such example. Built almost entirely of bamboo, Green School is redefining what children’s education is about.

Founded in 2008, the school teaches pre-school students through to grade 10, with grades 11 and 12 to be added in the next two years. Located between Denpasar and Ubud, the private school was founded and built by long term residents John and Cynthia Hardy who sold off their own successful local jewelry store before starting the school.

Its curriculum has a central core of English, Math, and Science but it also aims to prepare its pupils to be the green leaders of tomorrow via green studies and creative arts teaching.


Environmental leaders of tomorrow

green living bali school
At entrance lies a playground and cafe.
According to the Green School manifesto, it aims to be “the number one model of sustainability in education in the world."

"This generation of children will be the first to grow up learning about environmental issues from their early years,” says Chris Thompson, father of two young students at the school, aged 4 and 7.

The background of families enrolling suggests the school has a wide appeal, with students from 45 countries attending, and parents with diverse career backgrounds. Chris Thompson is an experienced media consultant who sits on boards in Abu Dhabi and Singapore advising on investment, growth and development strategies.

“We need new leaders to bring change to the world. But these students don't need to become environmentalists to help the world," he says.

"They simply need to have a consciousness about the challenges so that they may apply them in whatever profession they may choose," says Thompson.
Inflatable classrooms

green living bali school
When the humidity gets too much, a blow-up classroom keeps the coolness inside.
During our visit to the school in November 2010, we discovered its vast complex of classrooms.

There are both open-walled classrooms and even inflatable balloon-like classrooms to cope with the occasional extreme heat of the tropical forest, a hydro power vortex energy source to keep the school self-sufficient, organic plantation fields so kids can learn to grow their own produce and a conservation center of endangered avian species for children to observe and study directly rather than just read textbooks.

"Our aim is for environmentally off-grid power sourcing," says head of admissions and enrollment Ben Macrory.

The school is also home to what is thought to be the largest permanent bamboo building in the world, known as The Heart of School (click "View Gallery" above for pictures).
Celebrity donors

green living bali school
The gymnasium at Green School, like most of the structures, has no walls.
Names of donors to the school as well as the names of the first student of the school are carved in the bamboo poles that hold up the multi-level structure. Among the names, celebrity donors Sir Richard Branson, Donna Karan and Miss Japan 2009: Emiri Miyasaka.

Ben Macrory says the school now has 203 students representing 45 nations. It also has a scholarship program for local Balinese.

The program is intended to stimulate awareness of green issues among the local community by making the education affordable to Balinese. Regular fees range from US$5,000-10,000 per year.

green living bali school
The Grade 5 classroom at Green School fits into its surroundings.
Read more: How Bali is becoming even greener | CNNGo.com http://www.cnngo.com/explorations/escape/wear-your-tree-your-sleeve-green-living-bali-291359#ixzz17yJlru5k

Green property becomes global requirement

Burhanuddin Abe, Contributor, Jakarta | Thu, 11/18/2010 9:41 AM

Environmentally friendly properties are now more than a requirement, green and energy saving properties have become a global trend that is revolutionizing the property industry and have become a symbol of technological progress as well.

The green property industry began in the early 1990s with the related criteria starting in England in 1993 and was made popular in the United States by the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) which issues a certificate called Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED).

Soon developers began to apply an ecological framework in their properties. This was in line with the global demand for green and energy saving buildings which in the long term will reduce the exploitation of natural resources.

“Sooner or later environmentally friendly properties will be the consumers’ main requirement especially in major cities and the property industry has an important role in developing such projects,” said Stephanus D. Satriyo, associate director for property and facilities management of PT Cushman & Wakefield Indonesia.

Well, how about developers here in Indonesia? Are they really concerned about the issue? Unfortunately not totally, because it is still under discussion. Moreover major tenants, like multinational corporations, are not demanding “green” buildings for their office space here.

Actually such major tenants are in a good bargaining position to demand a green building as they use huge spaces for their offices and pay a lot of rent.

However, in Indonesia we now have the Green Building Council of Indonesia (GBCI) which was established in 2009 comprising professional construction service providers, developers, education and research institutions, professional associations and individual members concerned about the
environment.

GBCI is a member of World Green Building Council (WGBC) with headquarters in Toronto, Canada, which currently has 64 countries as members and only acknowledges the existence of one GBC in each country.

GBCI conducts various extensive awareness and education activities for the public and provides Green Building Certification in Indonesia based on an evaluation standard that is uniquely Indonesian and is called Greenship.

The construction of such green buildings in Indonesia will be sustainable ecologically, energy saving, economically efficient, competitive and socially responsible as a global citizen.

In short such green buildings will greatly contribute to our sustained existence on planet earth.

However, as GBCI is only one year old it has not been able to do much. This is understandable as green buildings are comparatively more costly than conventional buildings. To obtain the green certificate there are numerous prerequisites. The construction must not damage the environment, the materials used must be environmentally friendly (conforming with the reduce, reuse and recycle principle), and be water and energy efficient.

Undeniably a small number of developers have started to construct green buildings and some offices and apartments are called green buildings although they only include a number of green aspects, such as a green area that is more spacious than the area of the building, the air conditioning is no longer centralized and the water is recycled.

Unfortunately in Indonesia there is no building that is totally green to date, because until now no building has been certified as a green building.

The fact is there is no demand for green buildings yet. Moreover there is a misperception that
such environmentally friendly buildings are costly and not feasible business wise.

In developed countries the view point is totally different. Green buildings are not only supported and appreciated but have a high resale value.

Actually this trend is not limited to developed countries. In Mexico, India, China and Vietnam green buildings have already been constructed based on Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), initiated by the Green Building Council of the United States.

Properties are enjoying positive growth worldwide, but the demand for green properties here in Indonesia is still at the discussion stage.

Indeed eco property was the main focus of the 61st World Congress of the International Real Estate Federation (FIABCI) in Bali from May 24 to May 28 this year. The congress titled “Save the World: Green Shoots for Sustainable Real Estate” was probably a turning point for all stakeholders in the property business to make a real contribution toward sustainable existence.

Although at present there is no real demand for green buildings it is possible that in three or four years multinational corporations that are concerned about the environment will demand buildings with green certificates.

Indeed there is also the impression that the government pays little attention to this matter as no regional administration or government has issued any related regulations although eco-property issues emerged five years ago.

Chairman of the Association of Housing Development in Indonesia (Apersi) Eddy Ganefo said that the central as well as the regional governments should actually be proactive in the formulation and application of regulations on eco property so that developers have proper guidance. “It has been very slow to date while many countries are already applying this concept to reduce global warming,” he told Koran Jakarta.

He said there should be sanctions as well as incentives like discounts in the permits and Land and Building tax discounts (PBB) and banks can lower their interest rates for home loans for such green buildings or apartments.

Eddy said that the incentives were important because green properties are huge investments so developers can be persuaded to implement this concept by reducing their production costs.

As a matter of fact basically developers welcome the concept of green buildings, while at the same time many things have to be prepared, such as guidelines, equipment and other related standards. GCBI is expected to disseminate information on the green building concept. But most importantly green buildings are not only the responsibility of developers but all of us to preserve mother earth.

Environmentally Friendly, Energy saving

What is delightful about green property is the energy saving building design, for example aerodynamic skyscrapers that are stable in the face of wind pressure and the use of filters to absorb sunlight to save on electricity and air conditioner use.

The recycle, reuse and reinvest technology also saves energy. Some of the criteria of environment friendly property is they should save energy, use clean water and process waste, have quality air and atmosphere and energy management.

Today there are many eco friendly products available, for example Dulux.

The go green trend is also widespread in the paint industry. Using Solar Reflectivity Technology, Dulux Weathershield Keep Cool can reduce the absorption of sunlight so that the temperature of the walls inside the building is reduced by 5 degrees Centigrade hence saving a 15 percent saving on electricity is possible per year.

This high quality paint is committed to being a green product. Currently almost all Dulux products have been given the Singapore Green Label certificate to indicate that they are environmentally friendly.

Heat from the sun and rain can damage exterior walls; fungi can grow on the walls and the color can fade. To solve this problem Akzonobel Paints has come up with Dulux Weathershield Max and Pro.

Both paints have Triple Protect formula and contain 100 percent Acrylic Latex which is elastic. The paints can close thin and small cracks so that water does not go inside.

Latex protects the wall from the heat and weather. Latex is made from rubber and is very elastic. One can easily clean any stain on it. It is also combined with Acrylic or Polyvinyl.

Dulux Weathershield is based on Elastoshield technology that covers cracks and prevents dampness or the growth of fungi. Color Lock inside Dulux Weathershield Max can protect walls from ultra violet rays.

Yes, indeed global warming has made almost everyone concerned about the preservation of the
environment.

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2010/11/18/green-property-becomes-global-requirement.html

Bali Pushing for Ambitious Switch to Organic Farming Methods by 2013

Made Arya Kencana | November 17, 2010


Denpasar. The Bali administration has announced it would allocate Rp 10.3 billion ($1.1 million) to help local farmers adopt organic farming methods by 2013.

Ten farmers’ collectives applied for the program when the administration first rolled it out in 2009, and received Rp 200 million each to change their operations to comply with organic farming standards.

They also used the money to buy 20 head of cattle each.

This year, 50 collectives have applied for the program, according to Made Putra Suryawan, head of the Bali Agricultural Office.

Under the program, the administration guides the farmers on how to integrate their crop and livestock farming operations through developing biogas collectors, compost-processing units and reforestation efforts.

“The farmers who participated in 2009 now produce their own compost and biogas for their own household needs,” Putra said on Wednesday.

He added that in 2011, his office expected to enlist 100 farmers’ collectives from across the island, mainly known as a resort.

“By 2013, we hope to have helped 350 collectives successfully practice organic farming, so that Bali will be known as an organic island,” he said.

Putra added that under the program, the administration hoped to ensure that 70 percent of the island’s produce was grown organically by 2013.

One of the steps toward achieving this will be phasing out the current subsidy on chemical fertilizers and promote the use of organic varieties.

This year, half of the provincial fertilizer subsidy of Rp 4 billion has been allocated to organic fertilizers, Putra said.

“Next year, we’ll provide a Rp 3 billion subsidy for organic fertilizers and Rp 1 billion for chemical fertilizers,” he said.

“In 2012, chemical fertilizers will no longer be subsidized by the administration.”

He added that with organic produce fetching higher prices at the market than regular crops, the switch would also result in a boost in income for local farmers.

However, a coalition of nongovernmental organizations has blasted the administration’s target for making the switch to organic farming by 2013 as overly ambitious.

Kauci Gunanjar, director of the Manikaya Foundation, said an island-wide switch to organic farming would require a lengthy and sustained education campaign that could last more than five years, given the farmers’ decades-long dependence on chemical fertilizers.

Worst Environmental Disaster in Decades Threatening Sanur Beach and Bali

Please pass this message on all who rely on tourism, fishing, diving , water sports and are concerned about Bali’ environment..

There has been a large ship on the reef off Sanur beach for the last three weeks.

As a former Captain I am well aware that this ship probably is carrying thousands upon thousands of liters of diesel oil in its hull.

Eventually the hull be breached and that fuel will come straight upon Sanur beach.

If nothing is being done about it we have the worst environmental disaster of the last several decades.

It will destroy tourism and fishing in Sanur for months or years to come.

We must act quickly to put pressure on government officials and the owners of the ship to pump the fuel out of the boat immediately and get rid of all other hazardous wastes that will come up on the beaches as the hull is breached.

Please contact me via mobile in regards to this at 08123814014