An insight view upon Balinese waste management system
In my previous article I mentioned the ignorance of the Balinese people about the impact of non-organic materials on mother earth. And beyond that, the passivity of the Balinese government towards waste management. But what’s needed? What can help to make a valuable transition towards a healthier island? To figure out these questions, we need some background information about the current situation here in Bali.
‘The government is not making any efforts, why should we?’
As said before people are still handling pack-material similar to decades before when everything was organically wrapped. Due to ignorance about the impact of non-organic material on our earth, they nowadays tend to do the same. Due to the lack of pressure from the government, they don’t feel any need to change. ‘The government is not making a big deal out of it, so why should we’ is a phrase which indicates the lack of importance given to this matter. Besides that, a collective stigma on cleaning other one’s waste seems to be relevant; it’s a huge downgrade on the social scale.
A lack of need
It seems like the government doesn’t prioritize waste management. Although when there is money involved, measures will be taken. Look at Kuta. A dump store existing of plastic and rubbish is the morning sight when tides enters. In order to maintain the endless wave of tourists, government provides beachcleaners every morning collecting the waste. Why is it possible over there? Is the financial need to little in rural areas or remoted villages? Well there happen to be some initiatives and funds provided for villages to arrange their own waste management, but generally projects seem to stop after a certain period of time.
No after-care
There is no control, reporting of after-care which makes continuity challengeable. Not more than once people ran away with the funded money which generally initiates the end of project. It reveals the fact that money is available, but a lack of sustainable plans to fund it in a proper way.
It’s how Bali works
It’s a lovely state of being. Limited regulations, a laidback attitude, little pressure from above. But on the other hand, the lack of pressure and control, makes it hard to implement rules or guidelines. People are not used to be restricted or socially controlled from upper hand. It’s such another way around in, for example my country (the Netherlands) where signals could even restrict me from walking beside the pathway. Everything is being controlled, organized and regulated. In one hand, beautiful; everybody knows it’s way around, streets are spotlessly clean and in case of an accident it’s always clear who to blame. I don’t know what’s better. What I do know, is that change is needed in order to capture the beauty of this island.
The four entrepreneurial questions we ask ourselves when we set up a 21st century initiative
The 21st century is unique in our history of entrepreneurship. Our entrepreneurial mission has transformed. Within the core human values driven democracy, referred to as Sustainocracy, we create innovative value continuously, together with a large diversity of partners. These innovations did not exist before because they address issues that have reached our awareness and need for change to produce sustainable human and societal progress. Once available they become of economic and political interest due to the trade-ability and transformative characteristics of each innovation in multiple formats and with many trade supporters. We have called this way of working the 4 x Win discipline since we ask ourselves four basic, values driven questions:
First: What does our entrepreneurship contribute to the wellness of the human being?
This is a difficult and transformative question. In our current care driven economies we try to make people dependent on services, social securities and technologies out of political or economic interests. Entrepreneurship is hence an economic instrument, not humanitarian even if we try to convince ourselves it is. As a consequence people become less alert, lazy, subordinate, disengaged and non-productive. We tend to take away their self reflection, creativity and wit to favor our own financial wellness. This is not the 21st century entrepreneurship.
Our entrepreneurship is not a money driven occupation, it is core human values driven, creative and meaningful. Collective self-sufficiency is a core human value in Sustainocracy in which people do meaningful things in and for the community that fullfill basic and general needs. So our entrepreneurship should help people be able to take responsibility for their own quality of life rather than taking it away from them. We then see their health, their engagement and productivity increase which is good for them, society and the economy. Our entrepreneurship is hence focused on helping people create their own wellness.
Second: How do we contribute to society?
Also this is a difficult one to answer. Who are we trying to please? In our current society the public dominance is mastered by political and economic interests. Our Sustainocratic foundation however is focused on our human values. This represents a different kind of accountability for both the citizens, governance and entrepreneurship. When the 5 core human values are respected than the society itself will be resilient to all kinds of issues. We therefor need to enhance society from a core values point of view, not political or economic. Then we see that politics and economics show interest and start relating to the sustainocratic values to sustain themselves and their initiatives. Which is good. So by being creative in the field of core human values we also gradually transform the political and economic discourse. We contribute to social cohesion, public engagement and political and economic management of wellness. In fact we created a leadership movement of change within a managed culture of political economic conservatism.
Third: How does our natural environment benefit?
Our current lifestyle and political economic steering produce pollution, destruction of our natural habitat and the restroing capabilities of our environment. In fact we are a parasite of our host, planet Earth. Our entrepreneurship is hence focused on turning this around to become a symbiotic partner of the environment of which we are part and of which we depend. How do we deal with innovation to take away, avoid and eliminate our polluting activities? How do we use natural resources in a cyclic way? What can we learn from our living environment that presents solutions which took over 4 billion years to evolve and often show must better results than whatever our human wit can come up with. Whatever we do in our entrepreneurial spirit it should not damage but heal and interact with our natural reality.
Fourth: How do we generate enough money as means for our continuity?
Within our entrepreneurial processes we distinguish two clear patterns. The first one is the creative part of thinking of meaningful innovations that make a difference within our Sustainocratic mission. Since we create something that cannot be bought, simply because it does not exist yet, we can only invest in our venture. As we use our 4xWin method to guide us we enter the path of other entrepreneurial members of society who have no business interests but do have societal or environmental challenges (government) or intellectual interest (universities) to deal with. Business partners are interested in participating to see if they can lay hands of the innovations to include them in their commercial activities as soon as they become visible and tangible. In this phase these partners invest money and their own talented contribution to effectively design our innovations. Money is a means here.
As soon as the innovations come to existence they have a number of properties that can be fragmented again among the participating partners: new products, services, policy modifications, new knowledge and experiences, educational values, etc. All these can be incorporated in economic patterns of social cost savings as well as business development. Each enlargement of the use of the innovations contributes to both the economic growth as well as the overall global change for resilience. Money is again a means to provide continuity through new investment patterns or the creation of an innovation fund (royalties or donations) for continuity of both the 4xWin processes as the continuous delivery of meaningful entrepreneurship. Our innovative drive is therefore the main attractive force for the diversity of partners to participate with investment of resources and financial means.
4xWIN as mirroring tool
We have now noticed that employees, stakeholders and investors start using the 4xWin criteria to see if the company they work for (or with) is producing integral value. If not than people ask themselves if they want to work there or invest in it? Salary or divident is often not enough anymore and people want to get reassurance of their own meaningful contribution to society and the multiple positive reciprocity of their engagement.
The Balinese transition towards plastic packaging
Plastic cans all over the place when I´m making my way from Canggu to Candidasa, both located on paradise island Bali. Thousands of young people marching to celebrate liberation day with lots of happy people along the road to support them. I ask my driver indignantly about this trash on the street. ‘Because there are no public bins and the government don’t want to spend money on waste collecting’.
Plastic rivers
It catched my eye immediately when I entered Canggu a couple of days ago. There happened to be rubbish all over the place, mainly plastic. A lot of plastic. And initially I blamed the tourists for not caring about other one’s property. But on a short notice the Swiss lady, with whom I spend my nights with, informed me differently; it are primarily locals who created the public trash bins. But why?
Ignorancy
Well the main reason seems to be the lack of awareness among the people. And especially the older ones. Still recently all packaging was made out of organic materials which could be thrown on the streets easily. Nature took care of it. With tourism a rapid transition occurs and plastic became the main pack-material. But Balinese still handle it similar: they don’t have any idea which impact plastic has on the environment. There is no education. You can compare it with Australia 30 years ago. Beaches were full of plastic and other dump, but during the years awareness entered, people were being educated and informed properly which supported the clean beaches Australia knows nowadays.
Waste collecting system
And even though awareness about sustainability, recycling and permaculture increases rapidly also here in Bali, there is still a lot to gain. But the government needs to take it’s share. Starting with public bins for example, so people are optioned. But with bins, a waste collecting system is needed and that’s were it hurts.
Start small
But it’s a big mission, I know. In the meantime, small steps can be taken. Take this lovely Swiss lady who organizes ‘play-days’ in remote mountain villages every 3 months. Together with locals kids she cleans the streets on a playfull way, what not only creates awareness among those little guys, but automatically involves their parents. On day 2 local political headliners are invited so developments and bottlenecks can be discussed.
It’s all about awareness
So besides heading for big improvements, small steps can be taken, just by showing own creative initiative. Start with a bag, picking up plastic or other waste from the streets or the woods. It’s all about awareness. It’s not only cleaning up, but also inspire other people, creating more consciousness about the possibilities. We can change the world, we just have to take the first step ourself!
Sustainocracy, the new democracy 