Clean Up Bali 2000 targets precious coastline

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)