News
Lembeh Foundation: Working with Lembeh Communities for Sustainable Solutions
Conservation, sustainability and community are three words which Lembeh Resort in North Sulawesi, Indonesia has always been passionate about. Over the years the resort has taken measures to reduce their plastic waste and become more environmentally sustainable in all of their operations but this has now been taken to another level by a team of Lembeh Resort staff who have founded the “Lembeh Foundation”.
The Lembeh Foundation is an independent registered Indonesian charitable organization which is working along side local communities on Lembeh Island to provide environmental and economically sustainable solutions to waste management. The core aims of the Lembeh Foundation are to reduce plastic waste, provide education and economic benefits while improving the health and sustainability of local communities.
Lembeh Foundation is currently focusing on two major projects; a trash bank and associated “Funplastic” pilot initiative, and the construction and creation of a green library learning center. Both of these projects are taking place in the village of Pintu Kota Kecil which is located on the west side of Lembeh Island. Pintu Kota Kecil has around 300 residents and in recent years had become overwhelmed by plastic waste with little or no education or solutions to relieving the problem.
The Trash Bank.
The “Bank Sampah” (trash bank) is already under construction using funds which have been donated to the Foundation. This pioneering scheme on Lembeh Island will provide villagers with a place to take their sorted and cleaned plastic waste in return for cash. Collected plastics will be shredded and compressed into blocks which will be used for a multitude of purposes including building blocks and molded items which can be sold. The Lembeh Foundation is already holding workshops in village communities to teach locals how to repurpose plastic waste into saleable items. The aim of the trash bank project is to not only reduce and re-use plastic waste but to provide an economic benefit to the community in doing so.
Early stages of the Green Library construction.
The Green Library is also under construction and with the second floor nearing completion it will shortly be receiving its first students. Pintu Kota Kecil does not have a village school and the Green Library, which is located adjacent to the village church, will be multi-functional and fulfil a much needed role in the community. Children will be able to attend and learn about the environment and importance of conservation through a variety of resources including books from the eco-education organization, Green-Books. Obtaining Green Library status has involved months of dedication from Helen Pananggung who has been spearheading the project. Helen, is passionate about educating future generations and creating awareness about the environment, wildlife and ecology of Lembeh Island.
The Green Library now.
Funding for the construction of the Green Library has been raised entirely through donations which Helen has been a huge part of raising. Helen co-ordinates the village Sunday School Choir to perform at barbecue evenings for the guests at Lembeh Resort. Guests are able to purchase memory sticks of the singing and all proceeds go to the Lembeh Foundation.
Green Guru Helen working with local children.
Helen has been holding twice monthly classes, activities and projects with the children of the village as part of the application process for becoming a Green Library. Over the last 4 months Helen and the village children have learnt about endemic wildlife species, plastic pollution and solutions such as upcycling and repurposing (which will be carried out in tandem with the Lembeh Foundation Trash Bank project).
Since the founding of the Lembeh Foundation, life in Pintu Kota Kecil village has changed beyond what could have ever been initially conceived. The village previously consumed vast amounts of single-use plastics from water bottles, plastic cups and straws, plastic bags and plastic wrapped produce. All Lembeh Foundation workshops have been used as demonstrations as to how these items can be eradicated by other, more sustainable and cost effective, options. When events are now held in the village there is no single use plastic to be seen – the local people have adapted to using large refillable water containers, re-usable plates and cutlery and the need for a drinking straw has seemingly disappeared.
Clean Up Day at Lembeh Resort.
The pilot schemes in Pintu Kota Kecil are just the beginning for the Lembeh Foundation, which also supports communities in two other Lembeh Island villages, Batu Riri and Pintu Kota Besar. In all three villages the Lembeh Foundation continues projects initiated over the years by Lembeh Resort, including the annual provision of school supplies and school uniforms to families which otherwise could not afford them.
Clean Up Day Volunteers.
While the Lembeh Foundation was founded by staff from Lembeh Resort, they were delighted to receive independent status from the Indonesian Government in 2018. As an independent charity, Lembeh Foundation hopes to incorporate other resorts in the Lembeh Strait who will work in tandem, with their own neighbouring villages.
Team Lembeh Foundation.
“The Lembeh Foundation is a blue print project which we hope can be rolled out beyond our local communities, to the rest of North Sulawesi and Indonesia”, Petra Schmiedl, Founding member of the Lembeh Foundation.
In the meantime, as the construction of the first trash bank and green library near completion, the people of Pintu Kota Kecil are looking forward to a cleaner, greener, healthier and more prosperous future.
Providing sustainable options for local communities.
If you would like to make a contribution to the Lembeh Foundation, donations can easily be made via credit card or transfer. Please contact info@lembehfoundation.org for a donation form and further information. Lembeh Foundation provides confirmation of all donations which may be used for tax purposes.
The Ocean Cleanup, the global non-profit project, has removed a verified all-time total of ten million kilograms (22 million lbs.) of trash from oceans and rivers around the world – approximately the same weight as the Eiffel Tower.
To complete its mission of ridding the oceans of plastic, The Ocean Cleanup uses a dual strategy: cleaning up the Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP) to remove the plastic already afloat in the oceans, while stopping the flow of plastic from the world’s most polluting rivers.
Through cleaning operations in the GPGP and in rivers in eight countries, the cumulative total of trash removed has now surpassed ten million kilograms. This milestone demonstrates the acceleration of The Ocean Cleanup’s impact, while underlining the astonishing scale of the plastic pollution problem and the need for continued support and action.
While encouraging for the mission, this milestone is only a staging point: millions more tons of plastic still pollute our oceans and The Ocean Cleanup intends to continue learning, improving and innovating to solve this global catastrophe.
This announcement comes as governments from around the world meet to continue negotiations to develop a new legally binding instrument to end plastic pollution at INC4 in Ottawa, Canada. Representatives of The Ocean Cleanup will be in attendance and the organization will be urging decision-makers to collaborate towards a comprehensive and ambitious global treaty which addresses plastic at all stages of its life cycle and in all marine environments worldwide, including in areas beyond national jurisdiction.
It is encouraging to see that the need for remediation is reflected in the various options for potential treaty provisions. It is essential that the final treaty contains clear targets for the remediation of legacy plastic pollution, and reduction of riverine plastic emissions.
Tackling plastic pollution requires innovative and impactful solutions. The treaty should therefore incentivize the innovation ecosystem by fostering innovations that make maximal use of data, technology and scientific knowledge – such as those designed and deployed by The Ocean Cleanup.
‘After many tough years of trial and error, it’s amazing to see our work is starting to pay off – and I am proud of the team who has brought us to this point.’ said Boyan Slat, Founder and CEO of The Ocean Cleanup. ‘While we still have a long way to go, our recent successes fill us with renewed confidence that the oceans can be cleaned.’
The Ocean Cleanup was founded in 2013 and captured its first plastic in 2019, with the first confirmed catch in the GPGP coming soon after the deployment of Interceptor 001 in Jakarta, Indonesia. After surpassing one million kilograms of trash removed in early 2022, the non-profit project has since progressed to the third iteration of its GPGP cleaning solution, known as System 03, and a network of Interceptors currently covering rivers in eight countries, with more deployments set for 2024.
About The Ocean Cleanup
The Ocean Cleanup is an international non-profit organization that develops and scales technologies to rid the world’s oceans of plastic. They aim to achieve this goal through a dual strategy: stemming the inflow via rivers and cleaning up the legacy plastic that has already accumulated in the ocean. For the latter, The Ocean Cleanup develops large-scale systems to efficiently concentrate the plastic for periodic removal. This plastic is tracked and traced through DNV’s chain of custody model to certify claims of origin when recycling it into new products. To curb the tide via rivers, The Ocean Cleanup has developed Interceptor™ solutions to halt and extract riverine plastic before it reaches the ocean. Founded in 2013 by Boyan Slat, The Ocean Cleanup now employs a broadly multi-disciplined team of approximately 140. The foundation is headquartered in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
For more information, visit: theoceancleanup.com and follow @theoceancleanup on social media.
Marine Life & Conservation
Steve Backshall to headline Shark Trust’s flagship event: For the Love of Sharks
Join a host of amazing, shark loving, speakers including Steve Backshall and the Shark Trust team for an evening celebrating shark conservation at the Royal Geographical Society in London this November.
Date: 29th November 2024
Time: 6-10pm
Location: Royal Geographical Society, London
Tickets: https://www.sharktrust.org/Event/flos24
The event will be a celebration of all things shark. Those lucky enough to get hold of tickets will hear from engaging guest speakers with a passion for sharks.
The line-up includes (*subject to change if unforeseen circumstances arise)
Steve Backshall: One of television’s busiest presenters, BAFTA award-winning wildlife expert Steve has been passionate about the wild world ever since he was young.
Steve’s impressive TV career has taken him all around the world, investigating a wide array of species and environments. Steve has filmed over 100 hours of children’s wildlife programmes with the BAFTA award winning Deadly 60 franchise and recently, with Sky Nature, for his new series ‘Whale with Steve Backshall’. He has been a patron for the Shark Trust for 10 years.
Simon Rogerson: is a photojournalist specialising in natural history, diving and the sea.
He is editor of SCUBA magazine, the official journal of the British Sub-Aqua Club. Simon started his career as a crime reporter but gravitated towards his ‘less depressing’ interest in underwater exploration, joining the staff of DIVE magazine in 1999. In 2005 he was named ‘Editor of the Year’ in the PPA’s Independent Publishing Awards. Simon also works as a freelance writer, contributing frequently to the Sunday Times and Telegraph, in addition to BBC Wildlife, Esquire, and a host of international diving magazines. He is the author of a book, Dive Red Sea, published by Ultimate Sports. Now based in Berkshire, Simon has been a Patron of the Shark Trust for 20 years.
More speakers to be announced soon. Head to the Shark Trust website to learn more.
The evening will also allow guests the final chance to see the Oceanic 31, shark art exhibition. Some of the artwork will be auctioned/raffled at the event, while the rest will be auctioned online to raise money for the Shark Trust Oceanic Programme.
For the Love of Sharks is an evening with something for everyone who is interested and fascinated by sharks. Join the Shark Trust, their Patrons, Trustees and Staff, along with a host of supporters for this celebration of shark conservation.
For more information or to buy a ticket: https://www.sharktrust.org/Event/flos24
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