A trip to the Mentawai is always about the journey not just an arrival destination, that’s why we always incorporate a stopover in Bali. The Garuda flight that aligns with the Mentawai Fast Ferry fly’s via Denpasar so perfect excuse for a few days in Bali to break up the […]
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It’s not too late to organise your next family holiday and join Barton Lynch, plus a bunch of other absolutely awesome people, at Kandui Villas from 9-16th October. Intimate coaching from ex world champion Barton Lynch highlights this event. He will be providing expert advice on performance and technique, plus […]
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Did you know June is Workplace Giving Month? Do you even know what this is? Workplace Giving is a joint relationship between employers, employees and charities. Individuals contribute a small portion of their pre-tax salary to charity and receive the tax benefit straight away rather than waiting until the end […]
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Our planet is drowning in plastic pollution! While plastic has many important uses, we have become addicted to single-use or disposable plastic — with severe environmental consequences. Around the world, one million plastic drinking bottles are purchased every minute, while up to 5 trillion single-use plastic bags are used worldwide […]
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With the surf season up and running, the resorts are accepting their first guests and surf charter boats are regularly stopping in at our local break Telescopes, it means we also get a nice flow of overland surfers visiting our village. Most are on their way down to the surf […]
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It has been a tough challenge to get organisations on board with our recycling programme. At every place we visit, whether it is schools, government offices, shops, resorts, hotels or homes, we offer the same, free, pick-up service. We are also happy to train staff on how to sort their […]
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The ocean is an integral part the lives of the people in the Mentawai Islands, they depend on it for their livelihood. The location of our Centre, being so close to the beach, means we have the opportunity to try and clear up plastic waste from the ocean that has […]
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We recently had a community beach clean and outdoor cinema event. Below is a pie chart of the beach waste we picked up from the clean. Of this plastic waste, we are able to recycle the plastic bottles, plastic cups and plastic lids, which equates to around 40%. The rest is sadly burnt. Chance […]
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Apparently people want products that are good for the environment — that’s the takeaway from the Adidas ocean plastic product line. The clothing brand sold 1 million of its UltraBoost running shoes made from plastic recovered from the oceans last year, selling out of its product line and potentially setting […]
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All single-use plastic must be phased out by 2030. Ordering take-out, picking up groceries, buying a soft drink — these are all activities that will change over the next decade in Taiwan when the island nation imposes a blanket ban on single-use plastic bags, straws, and cups, according to the […]
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We recently had a community beach clean and outdoor cinema event. Below is a pie chart of the beach waste we picked up from the clean. Of this plastic waste, we are able to recycle the plastic bottles, plastic cups and plastic lids, which equates to around 40%. The rest […]
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Warning: Graphic Content At a small fishing village in Lombok is one of Indonesia’s most notorious fish markets – Tanjung Luar. Here sharks are the target species. Surprisingly, Indonesia is the largest shark catching nation in the world. There are many problems faced in the protection of endangered species, but […]
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Here’s a cold hard fact… Every single plastic straw you have ever used in your life is still on this planet now! Plastic is not biodegradable. That straw you had in your cocktail, the ones you gave out at parties, weddings, events – that straw – it’s still here somewhere. […]
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It has been a busy few weeks for our Environmental Programme. Awera Resort have continued their support with our programmes. It was good to sit down more informally with their staff and chat about some of the environmental issues that the Mentawai Islands faces. Aimar and Mikael, the owners, say […]
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After a recent beach clean, we got chatting to a couple of Mums waiting for their children to finish their English classes. One of the Mums said she could help us as she is related to many of the Heads of the government. Since then she has helped us to […]
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For the three months since we started keeping records at our recycling collection point, we have compiled, cleaned and sorted over 300kg of plastic. This has all been sent back to the mainland for recycling. The chart below shows the breakdown of what we have sent back:
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North Sipora in the Mentawai Islands covers an area of 383km2, 192km2 of which is still forested. It supports a population of just over 12,000, the most populated region in the Mentawai Islands living in a total of 29 villages. There is currently no plastic waste management system in place […]
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I can’t believe how fast 2018 has already taken off at breakneck speed!! I can only image how quick this year will disappear, but I’m looking forward to sharing all our accomplishments throughout the year as our team grows and progresses ahead with all our future goals. Without the ongoing […]
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Plastic is bad. But also so damn convenient. We use it to keep our morning coffee warm during surf checks, we tote groceries home in plastic bags for post-surf grinds, even some of our surf wax comes wrapped in plastic. In short it’s part of our daily surf life. But […]
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It’s lovely to have the opportunity to share a happy story. We met Juhen about 6 months ago when he started hanging out at the Centre, when we tried to communicate with him to find out why he didn’t attend the local school, he would just look at us blankly. […]
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We’ve had two new staff members join the team this year, and both Rani and Josie are proving they are a valuable asset to the team and community. Due to the popularity of our environmental programs, Rani is assisting Tom and Karen in delivering these to the local schools and […]
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With the Mentawai Education and Conservation Centre opening again after the holidays, our teachers Tom and Karen were greeted with some familiar smiling faces at the beginning of August as they were preparing for classes that started that week. With the girls surf sessions up and running and plans in […]
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May 2016 – What a great way to spend a lazy Sunday afternoon! We invited some of our adult students to help us paint a frame for our new photo wall here at the Collaboration Centre, it was also an opportunity for them to practice their English! May 2016 – […]
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April 2016 – This course has seen an increase in the number of adult registrations for our English classes which is great news. We have made a real effort to also offer our adult students various themed events and activities including movie nights, painting parties, and beach clean ups. These […]
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