Bali’s Environmental Issues

A final reflection on the 2011 Global Spa Summit from GSS Board Member, Susie Ellis:

Bali is a uniquely special place, one that has made a lasting impression on those of us who were able to attend – myself included.  In reflecting on this wonderful country and the time we spent there, I couldn’t help but feel deeply saddened by one thing I have learned: The pollution of the country’s waters, which is exacerbated by the local communities as well as the hotels and resorts, is a real tragedy.  

A few months before the Summit, I received an email from Nora Pouillon, founder of Nora’s Organics (America’s first certified organic restaurant), located in Washington, D.C.  We had met at a conference and she alerted me to this disturbing issue, noting that her son had just moved to Bali and established a waste management company in hopes of becoming part of the solution.  Nora shared several articles with me, including “Trouble in Paradise” by Joe Cochrane at the Wall Street Journal and “Holidays in Hell: Bali’s Ongoing Woes” by Andrew Marshall at Time magazine. You may find them enlightening as I did.

With very little time before the Summit to prepare a good strategy, we nevertheless emailed registered delegates with an interest in environmental and sustainable issues asking for help.  Christopher Dean, chairman of Organic India, stepped up to coordinate an effort; he led the table topic lunch discussion on “Bali’s Environmental Issues,” which was completely full and outlined some next steps, including meeting with keynote speaker John Hardy, who has exemplified all things sustainable through his local Balinese project, the Green School.

While I have now become more cognizant of the issue, nothing made a stronger impression on me than my early morning swims in the ocean in front of the Laguna Resort & Spa. The first day the water seemed warm, clean, and refreshing.  The next day, it was filled with garbage.  Winds, or the tide, must have shifted, bringing candy wrappers, cans, and all sorts of horrors to the breaking waters on the shore.  It grieves me even now to think about it.

Our slogan, “Joining Together.  Shaping the Future.”  has guided the GSS thus far in advancing the spa and wellness industry in a variety of ways.  I can’t help but feel that this phrase can apply to issues, environmental or otherwise, we discover along the way in places that could use our help.

I look forward to our future communications, where we will be turning our attention to the 2012 Summit in Aspen, Colorado.  We will likely see some good examples of environmental stewardship in Aspen.  With each of our Summits taking place in a different part of the world, it is my hope that we can move forward with a continued awareness for the places where we have previously gathered, and look back – and possibly give back in our own way – to those magical places that have inspired us.