Clean Up Bali 2000 targets precious coastline

DENPASAR, Bali (JP): Several private companies, NGOs, schools, and concerned individuals joined forces this week for Clean Up Bali 2000, a massive event aimed at cleaning Bali's precious yet polluted coastline, and raising the level of people's awareness about significant environmental issues.

"The idea behind the cleanup is simple. Volunteers work together in their own community to carry out local Clean Up activities that will result in a cleaner and healthier place to live," the Clean Up Bali 2000 coordinator Muriel Ydo said here on Tuesday.

The committee, which was set up and which works on a voluntary basis, comprises representatives of local NGOs, such as the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), Bali Fokus, and Bali Kedas, and private companies, namely Bali Hai Diving Adventure and Saritaksu Design Communication.

For several weeks, the committee's members have been working hard to make sure that almost everybody in the island is aware of the coming event. They have also lobbied government agencies and the private sector for help and donations.

It seems that their efforts are not going unnoticed with at least 5,000 people having already volunteered to participate in the event. Moreover, PT Pelabuhan Indonesia (Pelindo)which manages Benoa harbor, several five-star hotels, as well as a number of big diving operators have all agreed to give their support to the cause.

And there are also several schools, such as the Dhyatmika and the Sanur International School that have warmly embraced the event as a chance to give their students field experience in environmental affirmative action.

"We are very happy with the response we have received. It's not just about a cleanup, but also about raising people's awareness, and doing something together," Ydo said.

The event does not only involve cleanup activities, but will be followed by many other activities, such as setting up educational programs for Bali's younger generation, and composting and recycling programs. There will also be a number of competitions to seek innovative ways of reducing, reusing and recycling garbage.

The committee has chosen a number of locations in and around Denpasar, Sanur, Nusa Dua, Tanjung Benoa, Jimbaran, Kuta, Legian, Seminyak, Kerobokan, Tanah Lot, Ubud, and Nusa Lembongan island, where cleanups are scheduled to take place on Sept. 22 through Sept.24.

The Clean Up Bali 2000 will mostly concentrate on waterways (lakes and rivers), beaches and reefs, these being the most polluted and most frequently used areas for disposing of waste and garbage. These places are also used by the majority of the people for all kinds of cleaning activities, recreation, watersports and diving, as well as providing the main resource required for the growing of staple foodstuffs and for life itself.

"Thus the economy of Bali and the well-being of its people heavily depend on these sources of water," she said.

Seas and harbors also have symbolic meaning as they are the links that connect all the nations of our world together. In this era of globalization, Bali and Indonesia can no longer simply look inwards, but have also to look out towards the rest of the world with whom we share this environment, she added.

"It is time for us to work together with international environmental programs, and share experiences and technology so as to deal with the global threat of pollution, garbage, and toxic waste," Ydo stated.

Clean Up Bali 2000 is being held in conjunction with the annual United Nations Environment Program (UNEP)-sponsored Clean Up the World event. The first of these global events was held in 1993 and involved 30 million volunteers in 80 countries. Within five years, Clean Up the World had grown to involve 40 million participants in 120 countries.

"Clean Up the World was inspired by the success of Clean Up Australia, which began in 1989 and is now the biggest community event in the country," she said. (zen)