It’s time to evolve the way we live. It’s time to think seriously about how we interact with the environment so that our children and grand-children can enjoy our natural environments in the same way we can today. Our island is designed to have a ‘net positive’ impact on our surrounding environment, and to showcase solutions to the common problems we face. Energy is key, as is waste management, resource usage, food production, and natural habitat conservation. We also have documentaries on the island that shed light on how we got to this state of affairs in the first place.
Alternative Energy
Energy is one of the most misunderstood phenomena on our planet. Our irresponsible use of fossil fuels and the political power play around energy have caused and continue causing untold suffering. While our transportation needs still rely on fossil fuels, we have converted our island to generate electricity and energy from the sun and the winds, replacing our old diesel generator.
We use an off the grid system, consisting of Japanese-made photovoltaic solar cells and wind turbines as energy generators, and a Sundaya energy storage and distribution system. Our lighting, cooling, and electrical appliances are necessarily efficient. To power our whole island, we use the equivalent of 3-4 old incandescent light bulbs during the day (about 350 watts), and the equivalent of one AC unit at peak energy times (about 1000 watts).
In association with Sundaya, who generously supported our initiative for clean energy, Pulau Macan is pleased to have an entire educational program devoted to energy literacy and a showcase of intelligent energy solutions on the island.
Waste Management
Have you ever wondered what happens after the garbage truck picks up the trash? Well, you can see it on the way to our islands in the Java Sea. Hundreds of thousands of non-biodegradable plastic bags, noodle packets, shampoo and soap packets, Pop-mie noodle bowls, and countless other trash gets dumped out into the sea through Java’s rivers every day.
Our first step here is managing our own waste. That means composting our organic materials (for use in our veggie garden!), recycling our glass, paper, and metals, and disposing of the rest of our trash responsibly.
Our next steps are to recyle our tap and bathing water for our gardens, to introduce an incentive system to buy trash from local fisherman and islanders, and finally to work with NGOs in Jakarta to explore reducing the waste that emerges into the Java Sea from Java’s rivers.
Reef Protection & Clean Up
The local family has been protecting their surrounding reefs for the past twenty years. That’s the main reason our reef is in decent condition. We engage the fisherman that fish upon our reefs and make sure they are treating her with care. We also instruct all our guests to be careful where they tread, and have instituted ‘safe zones’ where people can comfortably wade around in the waters without destroying the reefs or getting stung by sea urchins.
Our island team also regularly cleans up the reef and the islands by removing trash that washes onshore, or gets stuck among the coral.
Through our educational programs, we are monitoring the presence of fish and coral life and studying how we impact the reef over time. We are also experimenting with various methods of bringing back life to the areas where our reef has been damaged or destroyed, including local pioneering initiatives as well as international ones, such as Biorock.
Vegetable, Fruit and Herb Gardening
Despite various attempts, the local islanders haven't yet managed to grow produce on the islands. The salinity in the air, the difficulty in securing fresh water, and the lack of soil have made it impossible to grow anything of nutritional value. In partnership with Lodges Ekologika, an organic farm on the foothills of Mt. Salak in West Java, Pulau Macan has begun growing a variety of produce in a small garden in the middle of the island.
Currently, we are experiencing some success with Papaya, Aloe Vera, Tomatoes, Chilies, Paprika, Ginseng, and Cassava.
Rain-water collection Systems
Despite little rain, we collect rain water from our roof tops for various uses on the island. It goes through a sand and coal water filtration system that make the water quality good enough for tap water, bathing water, and washing. We also filter bathing and tap water for use in our gardens and to water the plants around the island.
Sustainable Livelihoods
As much as possible, we use local staff from the Pulau Seribu region (which consists of a lot of migrated Madurase from the transmigration projects). Our local staff consists of a Madurese extended family, who are some of the most kind, trustworthy, dedicated, and innovative people we know. As we expand, we are hiring Pulau Kelapa or Pulau Pramuka, the two most densely populated islands in the region. We also buy fish from local fisherman who use bamboo traps, an ecologically sensitive way of catching fish. We also work with a designer and local craftsmen to produce and maintain our furniture. Our regional initiatives include promoting eco tourism and driftwood furniture as two alternative livelihoods to fishing.
Natural Building & Use of Local Resources
Where practical and possible, we use local materials for our needs. This includes driftwood that washes ashore, local sustainable timber, and hard wood from old boats in the region. All of our huts make extensive use of driftwood and re-used dock wood. In collaboration with our interior designer, our team of local craftsmen have built sustainable furniture ranging from tables, doors, chairs, and desks.
Nature-Friendly Products
We do our best to use eco friendly products, including soaps, shampoos, cleaning detergents, and items for sale in our little shop. Although many common products are difficult to source in a way that is sustainable, we do our best to find the most ecologically sensitive options.
