Bali’s Own Version of ESG

Sustainability is, thankfully, all the rage these days, as people finally get to grips with their personal and corporate responsibilities to the planet and to the communities in which they live. Some people measure their personal carbon footprint to try to limit the damage they do to the environment through travelling by plane, train or

Alistair G. Speirs

Homogenisation, Dilution and Disorganisation

Sounds like a food processing factory, doesn’t it? But that’s not what I’m talking about; it all refers to our much loved, but not much cared for, destinations, here in Indonesia, and to a great extent, all over the world.  I used to be in the insurance business and we spent a lot of time

Branding the ‘Perfect Island’

Do you instinctively know if something is right or possibly more easily feel it when something is wrong? Do you stop and go “hmmm, that ain’t quite right”. Or are you a “shrugger” and just say it’s really not your business? I’m afraid I am very much one of the former. I spend a lot

Ramadan, and the Upholding of Tolerance in Bali

The holy month of Ramadan begins on 23 March. So, it is a perfect occasion to ponder about the way religious tolerance functions (or mis-functions) in Bali. I am using these two words because it is part of conventional wisdom – or rather of conventional politics —to assess that religious tolerance is a given reality.

Duality & the Commercialisation of the Spirit

The commercialisation of Eastern spirituality began in the USA. “In America is the place, the people, the opportunity for everything new,” wrote Swami Vivekananda before he left India in 1893.  Vivekananda had learned from his guru, Sri Ramakrishna, that the world’s religions “are but various phases of one eternal religion”, and the spiritual essence could

Bali’s New Year Resolutions

This article is available as a Podcast episode. Listen here: 2022 was an important year of recovery for Bali and, with a sigh of relief, we can see that the economy has bounced back and that the business, communities and individuals are not only surviving, but thriving! How far we have come from the desperate

War, Art and Peace: Bali as an Example of Balance for World Leaders

Bali is Indonesia’s window to the world. This role comes into full bloom with more and more global events taking place on the island, such as the the IMF and G20 summits. Whilst Bali participates in international affairs, on the other side of the coin, the world, too, participates in Bali’s affairs. In fact, Bali’s

50 Thrifty Ways to Help Save Bali and the Planet

Every day we make choices in our lives that affect the environment, the climate and other species that we share in this amazing world with. But there’s actually a lot more that we can do to reduce our environmental footprint to leave more room – and better conditions – for wild animals and plants. Of course,

NB July 22 - Personal Perspective AGS

Maintaining the Balance of Nurture

No, it’s not a typo, it’s just a play on words, hopefully with a deeper meaning, which I will try to explain! We are all now so conscious of the whole climate change factors, the constant babble about bringing emissions down to zero, reducing energy usage, converting to renewables, recycling, repurposing and refusing, etc. etc.,

Echo Beach Destruction Thumb

Bulldozing the Bali Soul

Note: This is a community submitted Op-ed. An independent article written by Carole Favre and submitted to NOW! Bali for publishing upon review and approval. I’m reading, feet up, my Kindle in one hand. I hear clapping. I look up and see a child being lifted by two adults, his arms shooting up in the

Restarting Bali

Restarting Bali, The Little Picture

We are now beginning to see a few good initiatives taking place for the reopening of Bali. There are flights coming in — thanks to Garuda Indonesia, as well as Singapore Airlines, who have been huge supporters over the years which most will not remember, but they gave away 1000 seats after the Bali bombings

What Will Indonesia’s New Capital City Do For Bali?

The recent decision by Indonesia’s parliament to endorse and fund President Jokowi’s bold plan to create a new capital city for Indonesia in East Kalimantan sets the project firmly into gear. Welcome to “Nusantara”.  Pride of place, of course, goes to Bali’s own Nyoman Nuarta who has designed the new Presidential Palace and Parliament Buildings

Now Bali
SUBSCRIBE TO OUR MONTHLY NEWSLETTER TO GET THE LATEST UPDATES. SUBSCRIBE