Quiksilver Indonesia And Coca-Cola Amatil Indonesia Hold Bali’s Big Eco Weekend 2016

Legian, 10th August 2016 — Known as the ‘Island of the Gods’, Bali represents Indonesia on the global stage. As Bali has become more and more popular, the number of residents and visitors continues to rise, bringing with it a serious waste problem. Spurred by the concerning amount of rubbish in Bali, Coca-Cola Amatil Indonesia (CCAI) and Quiksilver Indonesia (QS) took real action to keep Bali’s beaches clean and green by initiating Bali Beach Clean Up (BBCU) in 2007, a daily clean-up program on five of Bali’s most iconic beaches.

Through BBCU, CCAI and QS daily clean 9.7 kilometres of shoreline in Kuta, Legian, Seminyak, Jimbaran, and Kedonganan. The program has 78 cleaning crew, 150 new bins placements per year, 4 beach tractors, 2 barber surf rakes, and 3 garbage trucks. As of this year, BBCU has collected more than 31 million kilograms rubbish from these beaches, achieved through strong collaboration between CCAI, QS, Bali government, and local communities.
“The waste problem belongs to all parts of society and it requires a good collaboration between the government and private sector, working hand in hand, to continue to make improvements. We believe that the positive spirit behind Bali Beach Clean Up is contagious, and we sincerely hope that more people and organizations will move towards the same goal for our environment, a much better one,” says Kadir Gunduz, President Director, Coca-Cola Amatil Indonesia.
The continuous effort and contribution of BBCU was recognised by the United Nation World Tourism Organization in the 12th UNWTO Awards for Excellence and Innovation in Tourism, where BBCU became the first runner up in the “Innovation in Enterprises” category. By raising awareness and minimizing the impact of rubbish on the tropical beaches of Bali, the BBCU program also supports the tourism industry, the Bali surf lifesaving teams and the Kuta Beach Sea Turtle Conservation (KBSTC).
As a continuation of Bali Beach Clean Up, in 2010 CCAI and QS strengthened its commitment to support a safe environment by building the Kuta Beach Sea Turtle Conservation Centre (KBSTC). Since then, the number of turtles released has significantly increased from 1,947 turtles between 2002 to 2008, to 122,230 turtles between 2009 to 2015.
While the regular Bali Beach Clean Up has been the driving force of the program, through Bali’s Big Eco Weekend (BBEW), CCAI and QS are trying to drive more support from everyone in Bali to keep Bali’s beaches clean and green. This year, Bali’s Big Eco Weekend 2016 was held at Padma Beach, Legian, Bali, on Saturday (30/7).

Inviting tourists, communities, and local government, Bali’s Big Eco Weekend 2016 exhibited the progress of BBCU and provided inspiration to think about what we can for a sustainable environment through various beach related activities, including the #ROXYFitness 3K Run, Surf and Yoga, Coke Kicks, lifesavers race, sand sculpture exhibition, beach clean-up, Padma Challenge surf event and the release of 1300 sea turtles.
“Today, we invite everyone to participate and witness the release of 1,300 sea turtle hatchlings back to their habitat, hoping that this joyful event will serve as a platform for educating more people about sea turtle conservation,” said Paul Hutson, CEO of PT Quiksilver Indonesia.

Bali’s Big Eco Weekend 2016 proudly welcomed I Ketut Suiasa, Deputy Badung Regent, A.A. Gede Alit Sastrawan, Head of Bali Environmental Agency, IB. Ngurah Wijaya, Head of Bali Tourism Board, Cokorda Raka Dharmawan, Head of Badung Tourism Agency,Belinda Pritasari (Miss Earth Indonesia 2015), and Quiksilver global athletes—including world champions Mark Richards (4 time World Champion), Tom Carroll (2 time World Champion), Matt Hoy (10 years World Championship Tour Competitor). Also participating in Bali’s Big Eco Weekend 2016 were key communities, among them Kopernik, Earth Hour, Rebelines, and Sobat Bumi.
Those who couldn’t attend the event can still support Bali’s Big Eco Weekend 2016 through Bali’s Big Eco Golf Day, a fundraising activity to contribute in the cleanliness of Bali’s beaches, which will be held in September 2016. Follow @BaliEcoWeekend on Twitter for the latest updates, or visit http://apps.coca-colaamatil.co.id/bbew.
Bali’s Big Eco Weekend 2016 was sponsored by Telkom Indonesia, Australian Consulate General Bali, and supported by Virgin Australia, MNC Group, Padma Hotels, and El John Foundation.