be part of the eco-defenders and help bali to survive merciless deforestation
Jerinx is best known as the charismatic drummer-slash-spokesman for the ever-popular Indonesian band “Superman is Dead”. An astute businessman and clothing designer, he has been involved in changing the scene in Bali for many years, acting as a driving force against conformity through his musical expression and his dedication and love for his home of Bali, specifically his own neighbourhood, Kuta.
Recently, after joining forces with WAHLI – Indonesia’s Friends of the Earth organisation – to protest against the destruction of the sensitive mangrove area behind the airport and surrounding Serangan Island, Jerinx decided to create an organisation called “Eco-Defenders” that could help come up with creative solutions and lend support to those who want to preserve the island’s natural beauty for everyone.
His initial inspiration drew from an allegation by the opposition that those protesting the destruction of the mangroves were simply paid troublemakers. “This was so far from the truth, but because these people have power it looks to outsiders like it may be true. So my idea was to get this issue out of the way, and for Eco-Defenders to actually pay them. We will pay for their coffee, for their office lighting. We have seen their office, and they don’t have a lot. Sometimes they sleep there, and we can help to get them a little better food, more comfortable beds. Then when the detractors say ‘Hey they are paid’, we can say ‘yes they are, so what? Let’s move on to why Eco-defenders are paying them to be there’.”
Jerinx elaborated more on how tourists, visitors and people in general can help out without getting caught up in protests. “There are two very simple things any tourist can do. One, when you buy stuff, check it out. Is it from here, made here, designed here? Is it Bali beneficial? Make choices about what you buy and support our home-grown labels and brands. Make sure whatever you buy you reduce the amount of plastic waste. Say no to those bags; people will get the message.”
Yet the easiest thing of all he tells me with that smile he is famous for is to “Tell the Balinese how much you love their island. Not for the fast food, the malls and the outlet shopping, but for its beauty. We are a pretty simple people. We come from generations of doing what we are told is good to do. But someone came along and told us that tourists like all this crap, and so the Balinese thought, OK let’s give it to them. But do tourists really want Bali to become another strip mall, another place to get cheap clothes, and that’s it? I don’t think they do. In fact I know they don’t because half the people I speak to say ‘How do you stop this? We are losing Bali’.”
And when you think about what champion surfer Kelly Slater said, about Bali’s beach pollution problem, you see the power of words. Use words to create the biggest message possible. Tell every shopkeeper “No I don’t want that plastic bag”; every taxi driver “Your island is beautiful”; every waiter in a cafe “I want the Indonesian menu”. Get the message across that this place is beautiful. The mangroves don’t need to be destroyed for yet another spa, the rice fields don’t need to make way for a villa compound, and the white sandy beaches don’t need to be an ashtray for the world’s cigarette butts. “Help us to help you enjoy our paradise island before it’s too late. All you got to do is say something."