Bali spa industry told to be environmentally friendly

The Jakarta Post, Fri, 12/05/2008 6:36 PM  

The landscape of spas on Bali seems to change almost hourly given the recent rapid establishment of new spas and hotels. 

The Bali Spa and Wellness Association therefore chose the theme "Nurture, knowledge and network" for its annual seminar on Thursday, where experts discussed various issues catching the attention of the spa industry, such as how spas can become more environmentally friendly. 

"Do you know where your water flows to after the spa treatment? Do you know how much money you could save only by putting a timer onto your hot stone and water heaters?" Amanda Pummer from the Green Asia Group asked. 

Hesitant answers came from the mostly female group. 

Thirty percent of the energy in Bali is consumed by hotels, most of which have luxurious spa areas. Independent spas have not been included in the calculations. 

Amanda said she believed the Bali spa industry could lead the way in "green" spas in Asia by starting with small actions. 

"If we start to measure, we can start to manage. Take your chief engineer with you and start measuring all the outputs of the spa, be it water, gas or electricity." 

The former hotelier encouraged participants by saying that precious groundwater and luxurious water treatments could be eco-friendly if the usage, design and treatment were considered. 

Everybody in the room agreed that Bali must be protected from the environmental impacts of the tourism industry -- but where exactly environmental thinking begins is still hard to say. 

"Once hoteliers and spa managers have raised their awareness, we can design smart spas that in the long term save energy and money by having a look at things like lighting and air conditioning systems," spa designer Fabrice Garrigues said. 

Not all members put the environment at the top of their list. 

"Taking a closer look into hotel investment trends, hotels become the objects of short-term calculations," The Pullman Legian manager Robin Deb said. 

"There is a reduced interest of the hotel developer to increase investment such as in a green spa when there is no long-term economic value following from the hotel's operation." 

Maya Ubud Hotel, which is surrounded by a green jungle, takes a proactive role in supporting the island. 

"We don*t use any plastic bottles and our water is reused for gardening after being treated. The whole team is encouraged by management to think a little greener," spa manager Rini said during the seminar. 

Bali is suffering from the effects of improper disposal of nonorganic waste with an increasing amount of plastics, paper and -- especially in spas -- oil, which continues to be a serious issue. 

"Education in schools but also in hotels needs to be one of our priorities," said Paola Cannucciari from eco-Bali.