Melati Wijsen - The Future is Youth-Driven

Back in 2013 at only 10 and 12 years of age, Isabel and Melati Wijsen looked around them and were compelled to help fight the plastic epidemic in Bali. With the help of their family and close friends the pair began by speaking at schools and inspiring other young people to join them in raising awareness and campaigning against the use of plastics. Now, five years later, Bye Bye Plastic Bags has boomed into a large organization that inspires thousands of other like-minded individuals to stand up and tackle the plastic pollution problem gripping the island.

Isabel and Melati also founded One Island One Voice, a Bali-based network of organizations focused on waste prevention and management. In 2017 Isabel and Melati began Mountain Mamas, a social enterprise focused on empowering local women in the village of Wanagiri Kauh. Recently graduating a year early, Melati has decided to take the coming year to focus on several exiting upcoming projects and continue learning through experience.

What inspired you?

There were two major things at play. What started it all off was a lesson at school about change makers and world leaders such as Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandella, and Jane Gooddall. I remember going home with my sister that day thinking about what we could do right now as kids living on the island of Bali. We didn’t want to wait until we were older to make a difference, we wanted to start now. The second thing at play was a huge awakening in ourselves. We are Bali babies, born and raised on this island. We live in a house in the middle of the rice fields just 100 meters from the ocean. It wasn’t rocket science to see the negative impact of plastic on our island and at some point enough is enough. We looked at different issues we could tackle in Bali but the one thing that really connected wit us was plastic waste because it was a part of our daily lives. That was when we learned that 40 other countries in the world had tackled the plastic problem with bans and taxes and that is when we thought if they can do it Bali can do it too.

Without a plan, budget, strategy, or agenda but pure passion and intention at 10 and 12 years old we went out there and the first thing we did was give a talk to school students learning our first lesson: teamwork. We can’t do it by ourselves. From there it grew into a massive youth-led movement to get people in Bali to say no to plastic bags. At that age I imagine it must have been difficult to get things off the ground. What are some of the biggest obstacles you faced?

I think we made it as far as we did and reached a lot of our milestones and achievements because of our age and because of the great people that have supported us and our cause. I think because what we are talking about with Bye Bye Plastic Bags is not new, its not something no one has tried to do before. There are many campaigns to end single use plastics and to care more about the ocean. The voice of our generation is powerful and it is a wakeup call for every walk of life.

Having said that we also came upon a lot of challenges because a lot of the things we needed to accomplish were not in our field of expertise. There was a time when we realized everyone thought we were cute and inspiring but nothing beyond that and that is when we wanted to prove that we were serious. We were here to see it through. That was challenging but through our actions and through mentorships from various sorts of people from businesses to environmental lawyers, I think we have overcome many of our obstacles.

One of the hardest challenges we have had to deal with as young changemakers is actually dealing with politicians and the government. I think at such a young age, having to learn and understand so many different forms of our own language, legalese, political speak and such, was one of the biggest challenges. We have had a lot of pro bono environmental lawyers who have done an amazing job in holding our hands through every process. Even in the government we found incredible local heroes trying to help us navigate the system.

How did you manage to grow an NGO in Bali and complete your studies?

There were three main factors there. The first is the way we were raised and our family, in a sense that our parents have always been our biggest support and provided us the space to really explore all the crazy ideas that we had. Before BBPB it was building a treehouse in our garden or making a bazaar. They nurtured that natural space for us to explore and were always right behind us, supporting us in any way.

The second is our education. This is exactly what the Green School wanted its students to do. They really did believe in our philosophy, that BBPB is a school of life. We are learning so many things. There were really beautiful opportunities where the Green School allowed us to take the things we were learning about plastic bags and translated that into school credit. There was a nice balance. I often spent five hours a day after school working on BBPB, but I could have an hour or two at school where I could work on BBPB. The school has been a huge community of support and I think if I had been in any other school I wouldn’t have been able to be who I am today.

Thirdly – the team. As I said before lesson number 1 was teamwork. We have standout volunteers like Sara Soulier who has been growing the movement with us, for years. We have a group of 30 student volunteers all around Bali from local to international schools. And this year we have seen a huge rise in local student participation which is awesome. There are alot more local kids now than international kids and I think that is mainly because of our media campaigns on national tv. The One Island One Voice beach cleanup we organized this year had 20,000 volunteers and 85% were locals. Again, none of that would have been possible without the team, as that was my last semester in high school. As leader, delegating has been one of the biggest skills I have had to learn.

Now you are graduated. What’s next?

I graduated high school a year early, and I have this one year off which I have filled with a lot of different learning experiences, from working on OIOV, commitment to social media campaigns I plan to start up, and various hands on experiences which I believe have a lot of educational value. I just signed on to a couple of online university courses, which I am doing on the side, but the entire reason to graduate a year early was to be able to focus on our next project which is the development of a platform for young changemakers to provide them with the tools they need to go back out there in the world and be that young changemaker and have their voices heard.

We have had the privilege of being on the frontlines of such a big movement and the one thing we have learned over the past five years is the recognition that there are so many likeminded young and bright people around the world, so we want to connect and empower them.

How did you think of calling for a ban or tax on plastic bags?

We knew it was something that many countries around the world did. It was a very spur of the moment, passion-driven idea. To us it made sense. You saw plastic everywhere. How can you stop seeing plastic everywhere? It was as simple as saying no to it from the beginning and eliminating it from our lifestyle. We looked at something we use everyday of our lives. What’s a simple thing that we use but don’t actually need, whose alternatives are already there or is a matter of mindset? We could have started with straws or bottles but bags are such an iconic thing. People use plastic bags without thinking twice about it because they need to carry their other plastic-wrapped items. Now it has really grown as a symbol, as you can see in the OIOV Komitmen initiative. We tackle a lot of different items, but we started with plastic bags because it serves as a powerful symbol which we can use to convince people to start today with taking the power within themselves and saying no to plastic bags. Government-wise it is something they can tackle because it is something other governments have done before.

You also started your own pilot village program 4 years ago in Pererenan. What problems do you face when you don’t have government efforts to stem the problem?

We have worked with local, regional, and national government. One of the biggest challenges in our pilot village has been maintaining public support. If we don’t have support for a tax or price on plastic bags then consumers are not likely to participate. They react to price and the costs of obtaining goods and services. We need a system that outlives the quickly changing government. We need a system that is stronger than our weak politicians. If change within the government comes as simple as a change in mayor, then the public is confused and the project goes go back to square one.  Environmental change takes time and it needs strong systems that allow for the change to happen. Indonesia is a follower country. We look up to people in authority and we do as we are told or based on examples we are given. We faced this in Pererenan when the head of the village changed and we faced this problem when the governor changed. 

Before we first started the pilot village program we had to go through a six-month socialization period, where almost every day we sat with women in the village and held school presentations. There was a lot of awareness buildup but a change in government brought us back to square on and we had to reintegrate the idea of saying no to plastic bags, which also cost us more time and commitment. In the end these are all valuable lessons and we continue to better understand how to actually shape and create a system that is capable of outliving weak links and weak politicians. 

On the issue of plastic bags, what alternative carrier bags can be produced in Indonesia?

It’s not happening in Bali yet, and this is a project we are trying to work with some young scientists. We are looking at using products from the environment to create alternatives, however there are also exciting alternatives. At Mountain Mamas for example we try to create a social impact as well. BBPB last year founded a social enterprise empowering women to create alternative bags from recycled or donated materials, and this was a very circular system in the sense that every conference we spoke at and workshop we gave we kept hearing this key term: circular economy, circular systems.

We thought we would set something up that would sustain BBPB as an NGO but also give back to the community. We set up a pilot village on the slopes of mount Batukaru and work with 30-40 women. At first we donated sewing machines and materials from our own closets, but now we work with big names like the Hilton hotels who donate rejected sheets and towels which we will use in our next production line for the bags. The idea is instead of giving the women a fixed salary, they come instead to our space and get paid for every bag they make based on one of our three designs. We purchase these bags from them and sell them in retail stores at a higher price. 50% of profits goes back to BBPB and 50% goes back to the village itself, not the women. This way we can use the production as the budget for three key elements: the setup of a waste management system, education, and healthcare packages for families. It’s a very well-rounded circular system.

We are looking to apply this model in other locations not only in Indonesia but the world. It’s a system and a business model that’s modern and works in today’s world. It is fully based and led by the people involved and benefits them in return.

Do you think the Indonesian government is going to act to create a price tag for plastic bags? I think the government, on a local, regional and national level, all recognize that plastic pollution is a reality and they need to do something. Whether it’s a full ban or a price on plastic bags, I think it is up to them. We have proven on our side that it is legally possible for Bali. We have the autonomy, the regulations are set in place for us to go forward, and it is economically more beneficial. You are losing a revenue stream of 53 million dollars a year due to plastic pollution in the tourism industry alone. Its practical to implement, 40 other countries have done it. It will quickly become a trend in Bali. We know from a grassroots organization perspective, the people and businesses of Bali are ready for it. There is a big awakening happening.  We need the government to be brave and to dare to regulate the plastics industry.

This year the government is feeling a ton of pressure in a good way because there’s been such a buildup of momentum and 2018 is the year that’s gone viral in which Bali was to become plastic bag free. We are months in and we haven’t seen anything happen, however in October when Bali is going to be host to all these large international conferences such as the World Bank conference and such. It will be so busy on the island that it will be an incredible opportunity for Bali to demonstrate they can be the island showcase for the rest of Indonesia to follow.

What better way to start then by saying no to plastic bags? That’s a good first step, and that’s been our narrative with the government who has played along so far. We have heard rumors that a paying for plastic policy will be announced, and the government is having serious conversations on this issue. The government should be involved and should take lead on changing the national curriculum.

What ministries are responsible for driving the change and who can we help to put pressure on, to make your dream for Bali come true?

Susi Pudjiastuti and Sri Mulyani, the maritime and finance ministers respectively. They are the ones that have been the most responsive and the ones I have met with the most. There was massive interest from the finance minister. Lots of seeds have been planted and whatever happens in October will be interesting. Whether or not we take this opportunity to enact real change, or simply clean up the island for the month that these large conferences are being held, is a matter of holding the government accountable.

Its very much about going back to the people. If the government do something and it is just for show, they know the people will be a problem and create pressure. It is our responsibility to ensure the pressure continues after all the conferences happening in October have passed.

Let’s talk about the OIOV network. Could you tell us a little bit about that?

We started OIOV because shortly after launching BBPB we saw that all the NGOs in Bali were fighting for the same vision and goals. If we work together we will have a stronger voice. We are one island and we have to have one voice, to show we have a united front. OIOV quickly became an umbrella and platform for likeminded organizations active in the field of waste management and prevention. What we are right now is a network where people can connect with other people doing things similar to them. What we do is hold conferences annually wherein we invite people and NGOs. It started when we got a Memorandum of Understanding from the governor of Bali giving us the support and commitment to get people to say no to plastic bags. We thought, and I was 14 at the time, that this was going to change the world.

We wanted to use this momentum and the MoU to benefit every single NGO in Bali. OIOV was created because we knew the momentum we were building and we wanted to amplify everybody’s work and efforts under one umbrella and that is the aim of OIOV, to be that amplifier uniting a network of organizations.

I think we are most famous for Bali’s biggest beach cleanup, which really kicked off OIOV again. In 2017 We had 12,00 people participate across 55 locations, collecting 40 tons of plastic in a single day. We weren’t planning on hosting it again this year because it took a lot of time and energy and most of us were on our way to graduating, but after a lot of public demand we did. This year 20,000 people volunteered across 120 locations, collecting 65 tons of plastic in a day.

Indonesia is looking to greatly increase the number of tourists visiting Bali over the next few years, which will undoubtedly increase plastic consumption on the island. Is Bali getting better equipped to deal with the mounting waste issues? What positive solutions do you see?

There is an incredible amount of waste we still have to deal with and still have to learn how to process. While we figure out how to do that I think being better equipped comes from working with the people where consumers are getting plastic waste from. Restaurants, shops, businesses; and this is where it comes back to the OIOV Komitmen in the sense that this is a people-powered movement and we know that this is a huge issue.

Statements like that are exactly why we are doing it, because we are working at the very source, without regulation or national approval, and we are working one on one with restaurants saying hey this is the situation. You have the power as a business here in Bali to cut an incredible amount of waste going to the oceans, rivers, and landfills. So I think that in the first 24 hours of the launch of our Komitmen we had over 100 Bali based businesses sign on, so there is a huge momentum for it and I think businesses will take more leadership than government by stepping up and moving away from the plastic industry.

I think it is one of the trickier parts of the problem. We are getting businesses to say no to plastic and they look for alternatives which are an entirely different challenge. We are still very much in the exploratory phase when it comes to alternatives but this commitment is another great push to incentivize people to start creating real alternatives because there is a huge demand now, more than ever before.

There has been a surge in eco-friendly alternatives in Bali, from bamboo straws to biodegradable plastic alternatives. Is this a step in the right direction?

I think it is. I know that there have been a lot of criticism on alternatives but I also think that at least it is an alternative. Even if it is still 80% plastic that’s at least better than 100%. Nobody expects that overnight a young and dynamic company, an entrepreneur, literally doing something that hasn’t been done before, to find the perfect solution in their first attempt. I think we need to applaud those people and continue supporting them because it is a process of invention, looking at what is out there and what we can create. I think we are in a very new era, and it is still so new to every single person and not one solution will fix everything.

Is it enough to create disposable biodegradable alternatives or should we be looking to change how we consume?

These two things must happen on parallel. It is really hard to change behavior when the solution is inaccessible. I think it is a responsibility split equally between people, businesses, and the government. It has to happen at all levels and we have our roles. The consumer has the responsibility and power to say no to the products they don’t want to use whereas the business has the responsibility to provide products they want to stand behind, and governments need to make sure it is accessible and not so ridiculously priced. The government has to create easy ways for people to adapt to that different lifestyle.

Everything needs to happen and it needs to happen now, but also think that the timing for change has never been better, and I am excited and positive for the future.