Our digital discussion series on sustainable tourism continues with an interview with Diane Lion Giustiniani, manager of Bambu Indah hotel in Bali, Indonesia. Bambu Indah is a hotel committed to the Think globally, act locally campaign that aims to protect the planet and empower local communities. In relation to Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 12—Responsible Consumption and Production—Bambu Indah practices various eco-friendly initiatives including the use of a greywater filtration system, recycling waste management and serving locally produced foods.
Sustainability was the main principle that inspired Bambu Indah's founders, John and Cynthia Hardy, to build the hotel in 2007. Bambu Indah (in English: beautiful bamboo) is, in fact, made of bamboo. John Hardy's decision to never cut trees again led him to use bamboo as the main material for Bambu Indah's architectural designs, according to Giustiniani. As a plant, bamboo requires no irrigation and is grown without pesticides or chemical fertilizers.
Bambu Indah uses greywater filtration for its water management. The system collects water from sinks, dishwashers, showers and baths, and then cleans it up and plumbs it straight back into the toilet, washing machine and outside tap. For waste management, the hotel recycles and composts all of its rubbish to divert as much waste as possible from growing landfills.
The hotel's facilities include a pool and a restaurant. For the pool, the hotel uses lava stones and a vegetation regeneration zone to naturally cleanse, filter and oxygenate the water and nurture beneficial bacteria. A water flow system and a high-density polyethylene liner, which can be recycled after a 60-year lifespan, create a natural pool that does not require chlorine, algaecides or cement. The hotel's restaurant servers locally produced foods , most which are harvested from its on-site permaculture gardens.
Tune in to our conversation with Diane Lion Giustiniani here to find out more!