Clean Up Karimunjawa

Hey everyone!

Recently my family and I decided to build and open a sustainable hostel on the beautiful tropical island of Karimunjawa. Some of you may know the islands or have been here, but I'm guessing most of you would have never heard of it before. The Karimunjawa archipelago is so small you cannot even see it on google maps (unless you zoom in really close), and is comprised of 27 tiny islands in the Java Sea in Indonesia. It is where my family and I have chosen to build our home and business together, so that we can inspire more people to come and visit these beautiful and raw islands.

However, there is one big problem...pollution.
Indonesia is the second biggest marine polluter after China, and it is certainly noticeable on Karimunjawa. Indonesia is developing at such a high rate that the environmental issues are second to social and economical issues in the country. We cannot change the country, but we can make a difference on this island before its too late.


With your help, we plan to facilitate this change. As you can see, there is a ridiculous amount of plastic washed up on the beaches. Some of this is from the island, and some of this washes onto the shores from Java. These islands are a national park and the ocean around them is filled with beautiful corals and marine life such as turtles, dolphins and reef sharks. This marine life attracts many tourists and conservation groups to the island, bringing along with it a strong economy to the small populace. However, all of this is jeopardised by ocean pollution - the marine eco-system and the quality of life for the community.


Our goal is to earn enough money to buy a plastic shredding machine so that we can shred and condense all of the plastic into small pellets, which will then be used for infrastructure and artwork. Another thing we realised is that Karimunjawa does not have a rubbish disposal system. We want to take the plastic and rubbish and make it into something useful, and even more so, start a conversation with people about the environment and change.

You may have never heard of these islands , but the environment and the people are second to none, and they need our help. It's so easy to feel hopeless in the fight for the environment, however everyone needs to start somewhere. If you and I can make a change on this small group of islands then maybe we can influence people into action, and that change might grow into something bigger. Lets help keep Karimunjawa beautiful together.


From the family <3