This is exciting; I am sitting in a laundry in Sanur, talking with Wayan, originally from Payangan in Ubud, and her Finnish husband Tomas, about soap nuts. Soap nuts come from the Arborio sapindus tree and were grown productively throughout Indonesia until the chemical revolution of the 1960s and the great land sell-off of the 1970s. I have heard friends from America talk about these nuts and how, in the States, they import them at great cost from Indonesia and how great they are as a natural soap substitute. In Indonesia though, the things seem to be as rare as truffles. Well, until now that is.

Cinta Alam Organic Laundry

After extensive research into the type of business they could pursue that would allow them to make a living, while also remaining true to their strong belief in the importance of preserving local communities and the environment, Wayan and Tomas decided to open the Cinta Alam Organic Laundry. Cinta Alam (which means Love of Nature in Indonesian) offers a full laundry service with some major differences: Their all-natural soap powder is as far from the typical laundry service’s chemical compounds as you can get. Their stain remover is made from a special kind of salt, and fragrance comes from a few drops of a pure essential oil of your choice. Your finished laundry is packaged in brown paper rather than single-use plastic wrapping that goes straight in the rubbish bin.

The staff at Cinta Alam wash everything—from sheets, towels, and blankets to delicate items that require a hand wash. They care for, dry, and press your fragile items just as you wish and, if you live in the Sanur area, they will even deliver your laundry to you for free. With prices in the same range as that of any commercial laundry, Cinta Alam possesses a decent competitive edge. The owners hope to be able to open more Cinta Alam laundries in other areas of Bali.

So who chooses an all-natural laundry service? People who seek solutions to the impact that daily life, including laundry, has on the island’s precious resources, as well as on the human body itself. The common chemical powders that heat on contact with water and skin, and that contain bleaching ingredients and color brighteners, often create skin irritations, despite thorough rinsing. Moreover, that familiar bleachy smell can linger unpleasantly on beds and towels, despite the addition of fragrance rinses and scented ironing sprays.

Cinta Alam Laundry now offers an all-natural solution to these problems, and it’s a win-win situation for all—staff, customers, and nature. But will this natural approach really get my laundry as clean as I’m used to? Will those sheets really turn snowy white, and will colors remain bright? After testing out the laundry service personally, I’m pleased to report that no compromise has been made between cleanliness and environmental friendliness.

Recently, during the course of my day and prior to my visit to Cinta Alam, I had spilled a splash of salad dressing on both my shirt and skirt. The dressing, oil-based and well-mixed with a lovely, dark balsamic vinegar, had made a real mess of my white shirt and caramel skirt. After changing into a spare set of clothing, I handed over my test pieces to the staff at Cinta Alam. I felt like an actor in a bad detergent commercial, as I proffered my two items and asked if the soap nuts and salt would really shift the stains without harming my precious items of clothing.

Of course, unlike a soap powder advert, the clock did not spin forward to the next day. But I was quickly delivered a paper-wrapped package that contained sweet smelling (I had chosen cempaka as my signature scent), freshly presented, and beautifully pressed clothing, devoid of a single stain.

Years of hardship forced the fishing communities to degrade the reefs of Northwest Bali, in the region of Pemuteran. As the economic crisis and the resulting threat of poverty weighed heavily on the tiny communities, they turned to dynamite and cyanide to produce greater numbers of fish for sale, unaware that these destructive practices would harm and endanger the reef. The small fishing industry competed against fishermen from neighboring Java for their daily share of the market.

When the seas warmed as a result of climate factors, including the impact of El Niño in 1998, the reef, which was already under threat of degradation, began to deteriorate and die. Fifteen years ago it was a place of very little life, and the entire North Coast was threatened by its extinction.

Fortunately, through foresight and scientific exploration, Pemuteran was rescued. Yayasan Karang Lestari (the Sustainable Reef Foundation) created the Pemuteran Artificial Reef project to preserve the marine environment in the region. The Karang Lestari Project was launched in June 2000 through the initiative of Yos Amerta, Dr. Tomas Goreau and Professor Hilbertz. The first protective reef structure was set in place in 2000, and since then, the project has found support from the owner of the Taman Sari Resort. Now the project, supported by teams of divers, designers, and villagers, is blossoming.

The restoration of coral employs a method that allows the reefs to survive and recover from damage in an initiative called the Biorock Process. Electric currents are pulsated through metal frameworks, which encourage limestone to accumulate. This, in turn, encourages coral growth.

Coral reefs built with the Biorock Process are now successfully growing in the Maldives and Papua New Guinea, and the most recent development of this technology has taken the project off the grid and into solar power. The Coral Goddess, the name for the latest project created between Karang Lestari and The Marine Foundation, uses solar panels to harness the energy she needs to pulsate life into the structures that promote coral growth.

The Coral Goddess

The other benefit to the area is the appeal of the Coral Goddess to tourists, who come to visit her in her garden. Positive contributions to the growth of coral in this region include the provision for sustainable tourism or eco-tourism, as well as educational tourism. Recently, a group of thirty young students from the Bali International School visited the Coral Goddess and the Bio Rock Education Centre and met with project coordinators Rani, Celia and Komang. They gained insight into some basic principles of a marine environment and enjoyed the rest of the day in the ocean. Those who chose to swim made their way in snorkels and flippers to visit the Goddess, while the rest took a trip on a glass-bottomed boat. This type of tourism also improves life for the local people of Permuteran, who can take pride in the efforts they have contributed to the Karang Lestari Project and to the future of their coastal home.

The Taman Sari, the Marine Foundation and Karang Lestari welcome visitors to the BioRock and Coral Goddess Gardens and are able to arrange educational talks and multimedia presentations of their work. They also create specially crafted signature structures for individuals and groups that can be placed in the coral gardens to support the growth of even more corals.

With an increase in coral growth, the entire marine environment is improved, as life beneath the sea becomes once more part of the delicate web of balance that is a marine ecosystem. No one life form can out-balance another without stressing the fabric of interdependence. The local villagers now better understand this fact. They have a deeper appreciation for their environment and a strong interest in preserving for themselves and future generations a way of life that cares for the marine environment, whilst farming it in ways that are sustainable and profitable.