Here in Lombok we want to be a part of changing Lombok’s beautiful nature for the better. We believe luxury and sustainability go hand in hand, with us as a luxury service provider committed to fair and sustainable business practices that develop our immediate local community and extend to those we work with beyond beautiful Lombok.
We have changed our business practices in many different ways to drive greater sustainability in hospitality, five of which are detailed in the next blog.
Enjoy the reading!
Olivier
REUSABLE WATER BOTTLES
Upon check-in, each guest of The Lombok Lodge Boutique Hotel, Medana Bay, as well as the brand new Private Villa Estate, Gondang Beach, will receive a refillable water bottle, which guests may use during their stay and take home as a memento of their vacation.
As a guest of The Lombok Lodge Hospitality Services, you can ask to have your water bottle refilled with water of your choice at any time; ice cold water or your healthy detox water of the day.
Additionally, as part of our sustainability efforts, we have also completely eliminated the use of plastic water bottles. Guests at The Lombok Lodge and Private Villa Estate can find glass water bottles for free, empty ones are collected and recycled.
PAPAW STRAWS
Using plastic products and disposing of them seems trivial, especially disposable plastic straws, given its small size and low weight. As small as it may seem, plastic products are not biodegradable; they will outlive us, as well as many future generations.
Plastic straws have been around since the 1960s and have had negative effects on our planet for over 50 years. It is estimated that by 2050 there will be more plastic than fish! In particular, single-use plastic straws are non-biodegradable and difficult to recycle due to their low weight, as they cannot successfully pass through recycling equipment. Therefore, you need to find other alternatives to plastic straws.
Papaya straws have a double benefit; it supports our environment and also generates extra income for papaya farmers, as they are the raw material suppliers. Papaya leaves are often lost during harvesting because they are minimally used. Then they were left to biodegrade. However, papaya leaves are becoming more popular as we move towards more sustainable alternatives to plastic straws.
One thing to note is that papaya straws are surprisingly complicated to make. First, the papaya leaf is cut from the tree and then from the stem, leaving holes at both ends of the stem. The bitter taste can be removed by boiling it in salted water with turmeric. This has removed the bitter taste from the stalk and will also completely kill any germs or bacteria. Afterwards, they are air-dried, as drying in the sun causes the papaya stem to shrink and lose its natural colour.
ORGANIC GARDENS
IN PRIVATE VILLA ESTATE, GONDANG BEACH
To support the local environment, we grow our own vegetables! Lombok Lodge ‘Organic Gardens by The Sea’ is located on our brand new private estate. Carrots, cherry tomatoes, spinach, variety of lettuce, eggplant, Lombok chilli, sweet potatoes and many vegetables used by chef Jiwa and his team for cooking.
Did you know we have our own cashew trees and roast our own organic cashews? Did you know that Chef Jiwa’s roast The Lombok Lodge produces super healthy cocoa beans from our own cocoa tree? Did you know about our (spineless) bee farm in The Private Villa Estate where we can harvest delicious organic honey to use for cooking and making tea?
Each private villa has its own coconut grove and also its own organic garden, with different vegetables and other plants to choose from. The gardeners of The Lombok Lodge tend to the plants every day with the utmost care and passion.
AT THE BOUTIQUE HOTEL BAIA DI MEDANA
Don’t miss a visit to ‘The Organic Tea Garden’ at The Lombok Lodge Boutique Hotel, Medana Bay. We grow plants and herbs such as mint, Lombok Matcha (Moringa), hibiscus, rosella and many more, all of which are used to make our home-brewed teas.
In the Tea Lounge – located in the Organic Tea Garden, guests can sit and enjoy their traditional afternoon tea, amongst the plants from which it is produced.
THE ZERO WASTE PHILOSOPHY OF CHEF SOUL
RESPONSIBLE CONSUMPTION AND PRODUCTION
Following his passion for efficient kitchen management principles, our chef Jiwa Raga has revitalized his kitchen by introducing the Zero-Waste philosophy. Very little goes to waste in his cooking.
DE LOMBOK LODGE BEE LODGES
Since 2021 we have been producing our honey together with Nyoman, The Lombok Lodge Beekeeper and Honey Producer. The honey produced from the beehives on the grounds of The Lombok Lodge’s brand new Private Villa Estate is used in the kitchen for various dishes, in our breakfast buffet, but also for sale. Read more on The Lombok Lodge Liquid Gold blog post.
FROM LOMBOK LODGE VANILLA
Currently, Chef Jiwa is supporting local Lombok farmers in Narmada and Gondang to join our organic vanilla movement.
LOCAL COMMUNITY SUPPORT
LOCAL PRODUCTS
Another important part of ‘The Lombok Lodge Hospitality’ philosophy is that we adopt more sustainable practices in the sense that we source many products locally. This discourages the transportation of goods from other islands/countries, which plays a major role in the air pollution issue.
In addition to supporting local farmers by purchasing additional papaya leaf supplies, we also do our best to support the local fishermen of Medana Bay. Very often the local fishermen come directly to Chef Jiwa – Executive Chef of The Lombok Lodge Concepts – to offer us their catch of the day, such as mahi-mahi, yellowfin tuna or red snapper. In this way, we try to support the local community by providing them with additional sources of income and avoiding unsustainable modes of transport by buying food products locally. By buying local food such as fish, we also ensure that we are not buying food that has been produced unsustainably elsewhere.
LOCAL EMPLOYMENT
Actively supported at The Lombok Lodge. The food grown in our permaculture gardens – and all other delicious produce – is made on site by the villagers, who produce everything in small batches to capture the true flavor of each ingredient. Healthy delights!
THE LOMBOK LODGE COLLECTION – SUSTAINABLE CRAFTSMANSHIP
Made by the community, for the community. Both in The Lombok Lodge boutiques and in our online store, we support Lombok’s many talented eco-craftsmen. Only sustainable and eco-friendly productions are offered, all with a strong focus on involving women and communities in poverty.
From coconut cutlery and coconut candles to coconut bowls and jewellery, our coconut eco-craftsmen reinvent the possibilities of simple coconut every day. From cheeky planters to beautiful vases, The Lombok Lodge Pottery Artisan has just the right product for your design style and gives you the chance to take home a piece of Lombok history. Lombok Lodge’s talented ‘Weaving Artisan’ offers unique handmade products of hand-woven fabrics using natural dyes, while at the same time empowering women in Sembalun Valley Village, East Lombok.
Little gifts, with lots of love, from beautiful Lombok. Because sometimes “the smallest things take up the most space in your heart”.
All products of “The Lombok Lodge Collection” are organic. Crafted by local Lombok artisans who are passionate about creating unique and original works. At The Lombok Lodge, we work with local communities – women and men around Lombok – and develop their skills and talents to transform coconuts into ECO products. Pay ethically, provide jobs and improve the lifestyle of local people.
All our products are aware of our planet, made through a sustainable process with a strong vision of using biodegradable materials, an environmentally friendly process and the manual skills of our craftsmen.
LOMBOK LODGE TIPS FOR A CONSCIOUS TRAVEL
1. Pack light, this will help reduce aircraft weight and reduce CO2 emissions.
2. Use your own reusable water bottle/bottle
3. Don’t accept plastic bottles or straws, but choose places that use alternatives such as glass and paper.
4. Make sure electricity such as air conditioning and lights are turned off when you are not in your room.
IT MUST BE NOW
itmustbeNOW.com is a hotelier legacy project to help hoteliers grow. NOW – https://www.itmustbenow.com – defines sustainability as the well-being of people and our planet. It is development and action that takes responsibility for our total impact on the community and the environment, to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. The goal is to support the 17 global goals and be climate positive this decade.
NOW raises the bar on reporting standards, makes sustainability a SOP and the core of all strategies, prepares future hospitality and tourism leaders to understand sustainable solutions with accountability and transparency, clean growth and the need to be positive for the climate this decade.
Big thanks to Ms. Alexa and Mr. Onno Poortier – Founders and CEOs of ITMUSTBENOW.COM
Olivier Olaerts
EHL Lausanne student
Hotel management school in Lausanne
Hospitality Management School in Switzerland.
#Class2027
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