Bali’s Big Eco Weekend Inspires Hundreds
But last weekend, the 9-kilometer stretch of beach was filled with famous surfers and environmentalists alike, all getting their hands dirty for a good cause.
“My life depends on the tourists, I want them to keep coming to Bali,” said Made Irawati, 40-year-old volunteer who has participated in the event since its inception in 2008.
“It’s our job to make sure the beach and the environment are clean and safe.”
For the past six years, Bali’s Big Eco Weekend, has served as one of the country’s volunteering linchpins, banding people from all walks of life, from tourists and locals to children and professional surfers all to clean up the beach.
Unfortunately, overconsumption and an overall lack of education have begun to choke Bali’s world-famous beaches. Kilometers of shoreline are riddled with trash. But thanks to events like Bali’s Eco Weekend, things are looking up.
With a red “Help Me to Pick Up Trash” banner draped over her shoulders, 21-year-old volunteer Vera was easy to spot during the beach clean-up activities.
“I joined this movement because I care about the beach and want to do something for our environment to make it better,” said Vera, who joined up with a few of her friends to spend the day spreading awareness and educating the public about ways to reduce consumption and dispose of waste properly.
“A clean beach simply means more to everyone.”
“Bali is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Indonesia and it should be a priority for everyone to help conserve its beauty,” said Heriyanto Agung Putra, executive vice president of human capital and corporate affairs for Garuda Indonesia, one of the event’s sponsors. “That’s why we initiated ‘One Passenger, One Tree,’ a program designed at finding a solution to conservation issues.”
The weekend kicked off in front of the Kuta Beach Sea Turtle Conservation center with a crowd of eager children wearing turtle costumes scattered up and down the beach helping assemble volunteer teams.
Saturday’s events included the release of baby sea turtles into the sea, cleaning the beach — complete with the incentive of a trash collection competition — as well as tree planting.
Meanwhile, on Sunday people had the option of spectating on the sand at The Quiksilver Uluwatu Challenge surf competition, including a meet-and-greet with legendary surfers Mark Richards and Tom Carroll.
Eighty lucky surfers spent the day surfing and mingling on the beach with the crowd. Then, as the sun began to set, hundreds of enthusiastic people waded into the sea to release 1,000 baby sea turtles into their natural habitat.
Bali’s Big Eco Weekend cofounder Bruce Waterfield said this year’s event was aimed at not only educating the public about reducing waste and recycling, but also presenting viable economic options for ways to switch from consumption to conservation.
“This year’s event is simpler than last year, we want to educate people about trash and how to properly dispose of it, both locals and tourists,” Bruce said.
“A clean beach means more tourists will come, and by encouraging a sea turtle egg conservation program we’ll help grow the local economy.”
Founders and supporters know their struggle is a long and difficult one, but they’ve made great strides in encouraging both tourists and the local community alike to appreciate their environment and help pitch in to do the right thing for Mother Nature whenever they can.
“We hope one day we won’t need programs like this. In the future, we’d like for there to be no trash that we need to pick up,” Bruce said.
Source: thejakartaglobe.com
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