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six degrees » altitude

bali

six degreesMeet six committed eco-warriors, who are

addressing Bali’s environmental challenges in their own unique ways

the traditionalist

the green builder

the paper maker

the pro-trash talker

the conservationist

the bamboo advocate

Words: sAMANTHA CooMBErPHoToGrAPHY: dAvid BurdEN

Tom Talucci gives The Thumbs-up To fellow eco-warrior paola cannuciari

paola cannuciari supporTs fellow eco change maker kali sari

THE CONSERVATIONIST

Paola CannuciariOCCupATION: JOINT-fOuNdER Of ECOBAlI

“Saraswati Papers produces beautiful recycled paper products”

Italian Paola Cannuciari has lived for 22 years on Indonesia’s archipelago, working in conservation and waste management. In 2006, together with Balinese husband Ketut and a third environmentalist partner, she founded ecoBali — a pioneering social entrepreneurial company promoting responsible waste disposal and sustainable waste management.

“Supporting ecoBali is investing in Bali, but you can also be a responsible tourist: reduce plastic consumption, dispose of waste properly, demand hotel eco-practices and bring your own shopping bag!”

THE TRAdITIONAlIST

Tom Talucci OCCupATION: CREATIVE dIRECTOR/ CO-fOuNdER Of dESA SENI, A VIllAgE RESORT ANd ENVIRONmENTAl CONSulTANT

“ecoBali offers responsible recycling solutions plus environmental education”

A Bali resident for more than 13 years, American Tom Talucci co-founded Desa Seni, A Village Resort, in 2005 amid Canggu’s rice fields. “I want to preserve Indonesian arts, culture and traditions, and offer guests a first-hand cultural experience,” he says.

This award-winning boutique eco-resort is sustainable and totally organic; 40% of its land is set aside for organic farming to provide food for its restaurant and it has rain catchment systems, in-resort energy and systems to reduce and recycle.

“Bali is on the eco-path; the challenge is the catch-up!”

Desa Seni is a little piece of

Bali, maintaining its spirit and

traditional life

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six degrees » altitude

kali sari Talks up fellow masTer recycler olivier pouillon

THE pApER mAKER

Kali Sari OCCupATION: CHEf-RESTAuRATEuR ANd fOuNdER Of SARASwATI pApERS

“Olivier Pouillon, who runs Bali Recycling waste management company, is tireless in his work”

A resident for three decades, Australian Kali Sari has long recognised that Bali struggles with environmental problems arising

from its development. A desire to give back — “Bali is my life” — led Sari to establish Saraswati Papers in 1995 (inspired by Saraswati, Hindu goddess of beauty, knowledge and poetry), supported by the Wisnu environmental foundation.

At Saraswati Papers, which incorporates a garden-fronted factory and boutique store, papers are handcrafted by village women, using 100% recycled paper collected from across Bali, coloured with locally sourced natural dyes and

textured with sustainable plant fibres. The earth-friendly paper products include journals, photo albums, greetings cards and wedding stationery.

“We should work together with the Balinese for change, even making small contributions — showing you can make beautiful products out of rubbish!”

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six degrees » altitude

olivier pouillon gives a leg up To fellow eco-enTrepreneur chrisTian friTz

chrisTan friTz champions fellow greenie pablo fourcard

THE gREEN BuIldER Christian FritzOCCupATION: CO-fOuNdER Of lITTlE TREE ANd SOCIO-ECO ENTREpRENEuR

“Bambooku offers products made from sustainable bamboo fibres”

Austrian-German Christian Fritz co-founded Little Tree in 2009 to help islanders build in environmentally friendly ways. This one-stop, green shop showcases high-quality, eco-friendly building materials and home supplies from eco-certified woods to zero toxic emission paints, and is Indonesia’s biggest supplier of sustainable packaging.

Fritz’s “green team” includes 15 small expert companies, providing services from environmental assessment to installations. “Buildings make a considerable impact on the environment; we should utilise the local environment to reduce our impact on nature.”

THE pRO-TRASH TAlKER

Olivier Pouillon OCCupATION: fOuNdER Of CV. pEdulI BAlI (BAlI RECyClINg)

“Little Tree helps builders create sustainable green designs, preventing future environmental headaches”

With more than 17 years’ experience working in the environmental field, including managing solid waste pollution in Indonesia, American long-term Bali resident Olivier Pouillon lives and breathes waste. Believing “proper waste management is essential to our ecosystems, health, economy and future”, he established CV. Peduli Bali (Bali Recycling) in Ubud in 2010 — Bali’s first fully licensed waste management, recycling facility and hazardous waste processing facility. With its “zero waste” philosophy, Puillon says: “There’s no such thing as waste, everything is a potential resource!”

BIg TREE fARmTour South-East

Asia’s first organic, artisanal chocolate

factory and largest all-bamboo

structure.

KARmA KANdARA SpA

perched on cliff tops, this

award-winning spa uses organic

spa products made with

locally sourced ingredients.

super cool

BAlI ASlI RESTAuRANT

This community-friendly

establishment with a unique culinary school promotes authentic 100% organic Balinese

cuisine.

BAlI ECO wAlKINg TOuRSGet back to nature

with a small, low-key group to discover farming

communities.

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altitude » six degrees

JeTsTar has greaT low fares To bali. visiT JeTsTar.com

THE BAmBOO AdVOCATE Pablo FourcardOCCupATION: CREATIVE mINd ANd VISIONARy Of BAmBOOKu

“Bamboo combines with modern technology to offer a wonderful new textile”

With a childhood spent between France, Bali and Australia, Pablo Fourcard grew up surrounded by nature and beauty, which sowed the seeds for environmental respect. He settled in Bali in 1984 and, having been introduced to bamboo samples from China, found his eco-calling as the creative force behind new company Bambooku. “Textiles are one of the worst environmental

take me there

desa seni, a village resorT

saraswaTi papers

liTTle Tree

ecobali

cv. peduli bali (bali recycling)

bambooku

Jl. Subak Sari #13, Pantai Berawa, Canggu, tel. +62 (0) 361 844 6392,

desaseni.com

Jl. Raya Batu Belig 100, Kerobokan, tel: +62 (0) 361 473 2117, saraswatipapers.

com

Jl. Sunset Road #112X, Kuta, tel: +62 (0) 361 752 133, littletreebali.com

Jl. Banjar Beluran #3, Kerobokan, tel: +62 (0) 361 790 7314, eco-bali.com

Ubud, tel: +62 (0) 819 9996 2239, balirecycling.com

Jl. Merthanadi #90, Kerobokan, tel: +62 (0) 361 780 7836, bambooku.com

polluters: cotton is not sustainable, so bamboo is a great alternative,” he explains.

Meaning “my bamboo” in Indonesian, Bambooku produces luxuriously soft, organic and sustainable bamboo-inspired products. As Bali is a major holiday destination, Bambooku focuses on the island’s hospitality business, providing 100%-certified bamboo towels and bed linens to eco-conscious hotels, villas and spas. A retail section includes funky attire featuring boxer shorts and pyjamas.

“If all Bali hotels could switch to bamboo products, what a difference this could make!”

“Cotton is not sustainable so bamboo is a great alternative”