22 November 2025 | Online: Zoom Webinar | 125 Participants
Reported by Ni Putu Mas Swandewi and Luh Anggreni
The Green Lens webinar is a strategic step in supporting environmental sustainability in Bali by addressing the challenges of plastic waste mismanagement. This activity focuses on strengthening the digital literacy of the younger generation so they have a comprehensive understanding of the concept of sustainability and the dangers of plastic waste for the future. This activity serves as an instrument to map the asynchrony between government policies, on-the-ground waste management, and low public awareness. Through this webinar series, it is hoped that concrete actions will emerge from the younger generation in educating others and making smart choices for a more sustainable earth.
Key Takeaways
- Bridging the Gap Between Policy and Practice: The activity highlighted a clear discrepancy between formal waste management regulations and their on-the-ground implementation. While systems such as TPA and TPS3R are well-established in policy documents, their operational effectiveness at the community level remains limited, underscoring the need for stronger monitoring, local capacity building, and practical enforcement mechanisms.
- Youth as Catalysts for Change Through Digital Engagement: Young people emerged as key agents in addressing plastic pollution. Through improved digital literacy and environmental education, the younger generation demonstrated strong potential to drive behavior change, raise public awareness online, and adopt more sustainable daily practices.
- Strengthening Cross-Sector Collaboration for Sustainable Solutions: The discussions emphasized the urgent need for closer coordination among government authorities, tourism stakeholders, and local communities. Addressing the environmental pressures of overtourism—particularly waste management challenges in Bali—requires integrated, cross-sector approaches rather than isolated interventions.
Main Highlights
- Date: 22 November 2025
- Venue or location: Online Zoom webinar
- Organizer: Webinar Team and Community Development Team
- Participants: Student, University Student, General Public, Tourism Actors in Bali Province
- No. of participants: 125 participants
Activities Implemented
Pre-Activity Preparation
Prior to the implementation of the activity, the Talk Sustainable team conducted a series of structured preparations to ensure the program’s relevance and effectiveness. The team first developed a detailed Terms of Reference (ToR) to define the overall theme, “Plastic in a Tourism Paradise” framing the discussion around the intersection of plastic pollution and tourism pressures. This was followed by the identification and coordination of competent speakers with expertise in environmental regulation and community-based action. Technical preparations were also completed, including setting up the Zoom webinar platform, preparing presentation materials, and organizing the participant registration system. To ensure alignment of content and objectives, a briefing session with the speakers was held on 21 November 2025, allowing for coordination on key discussion points and material coverage.
Main Activities
The webinar officially commenced at 09:30 WITA, beginning with an opening session led by the Master of Ceremony, followed by a prayer and welcoming remarks from the Director of Avirama Foundation.
The first session, delivered by Griya Luhu, focused on system-level analysis of waste management in Bali. The speaker explained the existing waste management framework, including TPA and TPS/TPS3R, and examined the underlying causes of regulatory gaps between official policies and their implementation in practice.
The second session, presented by Sungai Watch, shifted the discussion toward action and community engagement. This session highlighted upstream challenges such as waste mixing and community resistance, while also offering practical recommendations for concrete actions that can be undertaken by youth and local communities. Each session concluded with a 15-minute question-and-answer segment, during which participants actively engaged by raising questions and sharing concerns related to waste management in their respective environments. The activity concluded with the presentation of certificates to the speakers, followed by a documentation session.
Outcome
The activity successfully strengthened participants’ understanding of waste management systems and environmental regulations in Bali, with 125 participants gaining clearer insights into existing structures and their legal implications. Through the discussions, participants were also able to identify concrete upstream solutions to address persistent challenges such as waste mixing and illegal dumping at the community level. In addition, young participants demonstrated a strong commitment to applying digital literacy skills to support sustainability campaigns, recognizing the role of online platforms in raising awareness, influencing behaviour change, and amplifying environmental advocacy efforts.
Feedback
“The material regarding regulatory gaps was very eye-opening. It turns out that good policies are not enough without supervision on the ground.” – (Student Participant)
“This webinar provided inspiration for us tourism actors to be stricter in managing plastic waste in tourist areas.” – (Tourism Actor Participant)
Based on the diagram, this diagram shows how effective the webinar was in increasing participant knowledge. Green (Scale 4 & 5): Indicates the majority of participants felt very knowledgeable and aware of the issues discussed after attending the webinar. The “Increased Awareness” and “Role of the Young Generation” aspects received very positive responses.
