What I did this winter changed my life. I spent three months living, working and exploring in Melbourne and Sydney, Australia. In some of my free time I began to research Bali. I had been fascinated with the place for years and I was planning a month long visit before I returned to the US. I knew I wanted to have an alternative vacation where I really got to know the locals. While googling eco things in Bali, I immediately happened upon a couple from Australia, John and Cath. They were working on their Eco Stay in the mountains set to open just before the new year and needed someone to home school their six year old son. I replied to the ad and also mentioned my experience in Marketing an Public Relations. The very next morning, I found a response email in my inbox. Unfortunately they already had a tutor, but they wanted me to come stay with them to help promote and generate interest in their new business venture. I immediately accepted and a month and a half later I was on my way.
Bali was such an eye opener for me. I had never been to a third world country and I wasn’t sure what exactly to expect. When I arrived, the sun had already set and there was an unfamiliar thick smell of leaded gasoline in the air. Traffic was jam packed as motor bikes filled with families of five weaved in and out of the non existent lanes. As the roads got bumpier when we entered the villages outside of town, I thought this might be a good place for a LandRover commercial.
Once I arrived at Bali Eco Stay two hours into the mountains, it was like I had entered another world. I went to sleep and when I awoke, I got my first fresh breath and stunning view of Bali. As John took me around the property, he showed me how their permaculture sustainability system worked. The Eco Stay is hydropowered by the Pelaton Wheel, a water turbine, the first of its kind in Bali. The water was clean and fresh from the mountains. Large windows and skylights in the rooftops allowed for more natural light during the daytime. They use LED lighting, grow their own vegetable garden and use the crops for the restaurant. The Bungalows are made of Bamboo. Sheets, laundry detergent, shampoos and soaps are all environmentally friendly as well. And all water is recycled using a Grey Water system running off into gardens growing different types of trees. After working with John and Cath for just a few days, I had already dramatically changed the way I was living. And it was pretty easy.
I knew I wanted to do something bigger when I arrived home so I began brainstorming. I thought the best way to get going and promote awareness would be to start an eco blog. When I told several people my ideas about what green things are going on in Nantucket, the response I got intrigued me. Almost every person said that there was not enough going on and I would not have enough information to write about. I do see plenty of things business owners and organizations are doing in order to promote a greener Nantucket, but unfortunately it’s not enough and it is something we need to change.
I am challenging myself to an eco summer by being a little greener and friendlier to the environment and researching new green things that can fit into our island society. So here I am. Just one person. Trying to provoke change within myself. Educating myself every day on a greener, more earth friendly lifestyle. And I hope that with my change others will be inspired to do things as well. Beginning small and thinking big. I want to make our world a better place for generations to come. It started with a tree I planted with my mom and dad on Earth day in Illinois.
Please follow my blog and see what I’m up to and what inspiration I find right here on Nantucket. Please email me if you have a topic or tip you would like to see discussed. (kellogg.kristen@gmail.com) And also share what you are doing to be greener!
Here’s to a Greener summer!
