Bali sees shift in environmental ideology

Environment Updates

Memorandum of Understanding signed between Quiksilver, Coca-Cola & Garuda

Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 18 December, 2012 : - - At Kuta Beach in Bali this morning, CEO SEA Paul Hutson from Quiksilver Indonesia, Business Services Director Bruce Waterfield from Coca-Cola Amatil Indonesia, and EVP Heriyanto Putra from Garuda Indonesia came together to sign an MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) that signals another giant step forward in the fight to preserve Bali’s environmental future.

Quiksilver Indonesia and Coca-Cola Amatil Indonesia first joined forces in 2008 to help clean up Bali’s beaches, and have now been joined by Indonesia’s flagship Garuda Airlines in a historic benchmark that signals the start of the next phase of Indonesia’s waste management future.

The official introduction of the Barber Surf Rake beach cleaning units that were donated by Garuda Indonesia and the signing of the MOU by the three corporations were the primary impetus for the Bali Beach Clean Up event today, which was opened by speeches from the corporate representatives.

First to take the microphone this morning was Coca-Cola Amatil Indonesia’s Bruce Waterfield, who said, “We are entering a new phase in our efforts to clean up Bali, as having Garuda involved in our program will enable a change not only in how these beaches are presented to domestic and international tourists and local residents by way of the Barber Surf Rake units, but also by becoming an example for other Indonesian corporations to follow.”

He continued, “With a growing population and poor waste management controls across the country, it is up to the industry to work with the government, local communities and industry groups to protect the very source of our existence.  I hope our efforts inspire other organizations to give back, and with passion.”

Waterfield’s speech was followed by Quiksilver’s Paul Hutson, who described the significance of the event from the perspective of a surf brand that has been doing business in Indonesian for many years, saying, “Quiksilver has been Indonesia for over 20 years, doing business in manufacturing, distribution and retail and we are here to stay.  We are in this beach clean up program for the long term, as our future is reliant on the sustainability of healthy tourism and a healthy environment.”

Referring to the Quiksilver-Coca-Cola Amatil partnership that began in 2008 he added, “What we have established here is not designed to be exclusive. If there is any other interest from other companies we are only too happy to share our knowledge and experience in the hope that this type of program can be adopted across other towns and beaches of Indonesia.  We are very proud of our partnership with Coca-Cola Amatil Indonesia and welcome the sponsorship of these two Barber Beach rakes from Garuda, which will enable us to continue to keep Indonesia's beaches cleaner and safer for all of us into the future.” 

Addressing what he felt was the next step in the process, Hutson concluded by saying, “But now we also need to get into the next phase, which is educating people about trash and how to properly dispose of it, both locals and tourists.  That is the very important next step, getting to the root of this waste management issue.”

Mr. Heriyanto Putra, the Executive Vice President of Human Capital and Corporate Affairs at Garuda, was clearly gratified and optimistic. “We would like to express our appreciation to Coca-Cola Amatil and Quiksilver Indonesia for entering into this partnership with Garuda Indonesia, for it is a cooperation that I strongly believe will be of benefit to all participants and to the environment,” he said.  “And I also want to extend our thanks to the local government for their support.”

He continued saying, “In addition to our business as the national flight carrier, we are also concerned with social issues, society and the environment.  This is one of the many important programs that Garuda is implementing.   As we are all aware, Bali is the most popular tourist destination, so it is all of our responsibility to help preserve the nature and beauty of Bali Island. We hope that the donation of these two Barber Surf Rake units will go a long ways towards maintaining the beauty and cleanliness of Bali’s beaches.”

The two revolutionary Barber Surf Rake units were imported from the USA and cost approximately $50,000 USD each, and will be used to groom the beaches of Kuta, Seminyak, Legian, Jimbaran and Kedonganan. 

Also attending the event today was Mr. Stephen Scott from the Australian Embassy in Jakarta.  In his speech he voiced how proud he was to attend and be a part of such a historic event, saying, “On behalf of the Australian Government, thanks very much to Coca-Cola Amatil, Quiksilver Indonesia, and Garuda Indonesia for the opportunity to attend this ceremony.  This is a program that we are very proud to have associated with Australia, as Quiksilver and Coca-Cola Amatil are both Australian companies.”

He then emphasized the significance of Indonesia to Australia, saying, “Bali is a popular and important place for Australians, as we are fast approaching a million Australian visitors coming to Indonesia each year, and about 90% of them come to Bali.  But lately we’ve seen Bali become a bit of a victim of its own success, with the pressures of waste management and other things, so its important for people to step up and do the right thing and preserve the environment for the future generations, so they can enjoy Bali like we do and our parents did in the past.” 

Scott was also delighted to see Garuda Indonesia joining in with the Australian companies, adding, “As we tell the Indonesian government, when you have Australian based companies here you get really good corporate citizens.  It’s not just about how much you can make, its about how much you can give back, and this Bali Beach Clean program is a great example of what we are talking about.    And what makes it even more exciting is to see an Indonesian company like Garuda joining in, further linking Australia and Indonesia.  We fully support this program and wish it every success.”

Today’s speeches were followed by the signing of the MOU between Quiksilver Indonesia, Coca-Cola Amatil Indonesia, and Garuda Indonesia, and followed an exchange of mementos between the representatives of the three companies.

The official ribbon cutting and demonstration of the Barber Surf Rakes preceded the release of baby turtles into the sea from the Kuta Beach Turtle Conservation, which concluded the morning's activities.

Since June of 2008, Quiksilver Indonesia and Coca-Cola Amatil Indonesia have been working together to clean up Bali’s beaches.  The program started small, but working closely with the local communities of Kuta, Legian, Seminyak, Jimbaran and Kedonganan, now there is a 74 person strong dedicated beach cleanup crew, 4 tractors, 3 trucks, and more than 600 trash bin placements.  In this year alone, 4.5 million kilograms of trash has been collected, totaling over 14 million kilograms of trash since the program started.

In addition to their beach clean up efforts, Quiksilver and Coca-Cola Amatil Indonesia also support Bali’s Lifeguards, Indonesia’s professional surfing organization the Coca-Cola Indonesian Surfing Championships (ISC), and the Kuta Beach Turtle Conservation as well as other local Bali environmental organizations such as GUS, the ROLE Foundation and more.

www.quiksilver.com

Source: Quiksilver

Author: Holly Monkman

Tags: Movember, Bali Geckos, Men's Health

Humanitarian: Surfersvillage