(8/7/2010)
Jakarta Globe reports that 28 hotels in Bali and Lombok have volunteered to undergo environmental audits by Indonesia's environment ministry.
The 18 star-rated hotels in Bali and 10 in Lombok are a small minority of the 157 star-rated hotels in Bali and 2,000 more inns, home stays and villas operating in Bali. According to Raden Sudirman, head of an inter-provincial environmental task force, "these were the only establishments environmentally conscientious enough to submit to the assessment."
Environmental audits are also regularly conducted at Indonesian mining firms, manufacturing facilities and forestry companies.
Sudirman said that in the future assessments and audits would become obligatory for all hotels and would encompass waste disposal, soil and water management and corporate social responsibility programs.
One the assessment is completed, companies will receive a color coding ranging from "gold" for excellence to "black" for poor environmental practice. Companies receiving two "black" ratings will face severe sanctions from the government.
Perry Markus representing the Bali chapter of the Indonesian Hotel and Restaurant Association (PHRI) said he support obligatory assessment as a means of boosting Bali's desire to adopt good environmental practice.
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