Bali, the ‘Island of the Gods’, is the gateway for most tourists visiting Indonesia and is also a popular destination for domestic tourism. Spurred on by the concerning amount of rubbish in Bali, Coca-Cola Amatil Indonesia (CCAI) and Quiksilver Indonesia (QS) took real action in helping to keep Bali beaches clean and green by initiating the Bali Beach Clean Up (BBCU) in 2007, a daily clean-up programme across five iconic beaches of Bali.
“The waste problem in Bali’s beaches is a problem that can be found in many communities across Indonesia, a problem that belongs to all parts of the society. Since 2007 Coca-Cola Amatil and Quiksilver commenced the BBCU to set an example of how corporates can be part of the solution, especially in the areas they operate. We believe that the positive spirit behind BBCU is contagious, and we sincerely hope that more people and organisations will contribute to improving our environment,” says Kadir Gunduz, President Director of CCAI.
Through BBCU, CCAI and QS clean-up 9.7 kilometres of shoreline in Kuta, Legian, Seminyak, Jimbaran, and Kedonganan every day. The programme employ 78 cleaning crew, provided 150 new bins per year, 4 beach tractors, 2 automated beach rakes, and 3 garbage trucks. As at June this year the BBCU has collected and removed more than 31 million kilograms of rubbish from these beaches since it started in 2007. The effort is the result of great collaboration between CCAI, QS, Bali government, and local community leaders.
Incorporated in the Bali Beach Clean Up, is the support for the development of the Kuta Beach Sea Turtle Conservation (KBSTC). In the first 6 years of our corporate support we have managed to increase the number of turtle eggs collected to 122,230 – this is a significant increase from the previous 6 years of the KBSTC operating without support were eggs collected only totalled 1,947. In total over 130,000 baby sea turtles have been released to the wild as a result of the support from Coca-Cola and Quiksilver, again, collaborating with community leaders and ofcourse, KBSTC.
The continuous effort and contribution of BBCU is recognised in 2016 by the United Nations World Tourism Organization in the 12th UNWTO Awards for ‘Excellence and Innovation in Tourism’, where BBCU became the first runner up for “Innovation in Enterprises” category. By raising awareness and minimizing the rubbish on the beaches of Bali, BBCU also supports the tourism industry, the surf lifesaving industry and the Kuta Beach Sea Turtle Conservation (KBSTC).
Complementing the daily BBCU that has been contributing some impacts, CCAI and QS also hold the annual Bali’s Big Eco Weekend (BBEW) to drive awareness and more supports from everyone in Bali to keep the beaches clean and green.
Bali’s Big Eco Weekend 2016 exhibits the progress of BBCU and inspires others to think and do what we can for a sustainable environment through various eco-activities, including Padma Chellenge, #ROXYFitness 3K run, #ROXYFitness Yoga, Coke Kicks, lifesavers race, sand sculpture, beach clean-up, and the most-awaited sea turtle hatchlings release.
“Today, we invite everyone to participate and witness the release of 1,000 sea turtle hatchlings back to their natural habitat, hoping that this joyful event will serve as a platform for educating more people about sea turtle conservation,” says Paul Hutson, CEO of Quiksilver Southeast Asia.
Bali’s Big Eco Weekend 2016 proudly welcome I Ketut Suiasa, Vice-Regent of Badung, A.A. Gede Alit Sastrawan, Head of Bali Environmental Agency, IB. Ngurah Wijaya, Head of Bali Tourism Board, Cokorda Raka Dharmawan, Head of Badung Tourism Agency,Belinda Pritasari (Miss Earth Indonesia 2015), and Quiksilver global athletes—including world champions Mark Richards (4 times International Professional Surfers World Champion), Tom Carroll (2 times Professional Surfers World Champion), Matt Hoy (10 years World Championship Tour Competitor), and local legends, Rizal Tanjung, Ketut Menda, and Gemala Hanafiah. Also participating in Bali’s Big Eco Weekend 2016 were key communities, among them Kopernik, Earth Hour, Rebelines, and Sobat Bumi.
Those who cannot attend the event can still support Bali’s Big Eco Weekend 2016 through Bali’s Big Eco Golf, a fundraising activity to contribute in the cleanliness of Bali’s beaches, which will be held in September 2016. Follow @BaliEcoWeekend on Twitter for the latest update, or visit http://apps.coca-colaamatil.co.id/bbew.
Bali’s Big Eco Weekend 2016 is sponsored by Coca-Cola Amatil Indonesia, Quiksilver Indonesia, Telkom Indonesia, Australian Consulate General Bali, and supported by Virgin Australia, MNC Group, and El John Foundation.
