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Surfing Legend Mark Richard Returns to Bali after 30 Years to Support Big Bali Eco Weekend Environmental Effort

Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 1 July, 2011 : – - Kuta, Bali — Australian 5-time World Champion Surfing Legend Mark Richards joined fellow previous surfing world champions Martin Potter and Cheyne Horan as well as Pipeline Master Jake Paterson in a press conference at the Harris Hotel on world famous Kuta Beach on Friday afternoon July 1st to support the inaugural Big Bali Eco Weekend environmental event that will take place on Kuta Beach this weekend on July 2-3rd.

“I haven’t been to Bali since 1980,” said Richards during the press conference, “and to say it has changed a lot is a huge understatement. I hardly recognized the place, with the heavy traffic, big buildings and cars and motorbikes everywhere. But was hasn’t changed are the waves, which is what made Bali the tourist destination that it is today.

“I have such great memories of Bali and I hope that we can start to change things by making the public, politicians and business aware of their responsibility to the environment with this event. As surfers we all love this place and don’t want it destroyed, but rather returned to a more natural state so we and future generations can continue to enjoy it.”

Potter and Horan echoed Richard’s sentiments, expressing their support for the effort to bring Bali back to a more natural and clean condition, with Horan giving Steve Palmer kudo’s saying “Every since I can remember, Steve has always been at the forefront of the environmental efforts here in Bali to clean things up, trying to get the government on board.

Today we had the Governor of Bali and also the Minister of the Environment in the same room and listening to us, a first and very significant step in the right direction. Congratulations to Steve and the rest of the team and thanks for the invitation to come here and be a part of this event.”

The press conference was officially opened by Coca-Cola Amatil Indonesia President Director Peter Kelly, with additional speeches by Quiksilver Indonesia CEO Paul Hutson, Martin Potter, Jake Paterson, Bruce Waterfield, and last year’s King of the Grom winner Andre Julian.

Earlier in the day, also at the Harris Hotel, the Bali Clean and Green Muliti-Stakeholder Networking for Solutions Forum was held and was officially opened by Indonesia’s Minister of the Environment Prof. DR. Ir. Gusti Muh. Hatta and the Governor of Bali I Made Mangku Pastika. It is the first in a series of events whose purpose is to bring all the stakeholders together to create practical solutions to the current environmental challenges Bali faces, starting with waste management.

The Big Bali Eco Weekend is a combined effort by Coca-Cola Amatil Indonesia and Quiksilver Indonesia to heighten awareness of the environmental issues facing Bali and to generate support for their efforts to clean up the beaches, preserve the turtle population, clean up the water supply and educate the local population on how to properly dispose of their trash.

Indonesian Environment Minister Calls for Trash Control in Bali as Major Step in Making Bali ‘Clean and Green’

Gusti Muhammad Hatta, the Minister of the Environment, has voiced his full support to a program of the provincial government’s “Bali Clean and Green” – especially in the control of trash in Bali.

According to the State News Agency Antara, the Minister, who spoke at a press conference launching “Bali Clean and Green – Stakeholder for Solutions Forum” at the Harris Resort Kuta on Friday, July 1, 2011, said: “The Ministry of the Environment completely supports the government of Bali’s program, particularly as it applies to the perpetual problem of trash. It is for this reason that I have come to Bali.”

The Ministry has formulated trash control policies and is working to educate the public on the need to reduce waste and handle trash correctly.

Governor Pastika said he hope that community leaders would not merely make a show of their desire to make Bali clean and green, but take concrete steps to save Bali’s environment. “I hope this movement will be the first giant step. We don’t need to debate; let’s get to the core of the issue,” said Pastika.

The governor called on the public to reduce the use of plastics, by reducing their use of plastic bags by one piece per day, and by demonstrating their commitment to cleanliness by throwing trash in the correct place.

Said the governor: “Reducing the use of plastic by one piece per day can be very meaningful. We have to force people to stop making the use of plastic a part of their lives. If we force them now, later it will become a habit.”

The governor said a provincial law on trash has been written and is awaiting ratification by the provincial House of Representatives (DPRD-Bali) and final implementation.

The Bali Clean and Green Multi-Stakeholder Group is an alliance comprised of non-government organizations, local communities, and businesses. The groups are supported by the chief of Bali Environmental Agency (BLH-Bali), A.A.G.A. Sastrawan.