This year, I have become interested in how sustainability and social impact can work together to create change. That is what first drew me to Think Pacific’s Ultimate Bali programme, which combines cultural immersion with community-led sustainability projects across Bali. I expected to learn about environmental initiatives, but left with a different understanding of sustainability.
Before travelling to Bali, I saw sustainability primarily through an environmental lens. As someone interested in engineering and social enterprise, I thought about creating solutions that reduced waste or improved efficiency. However, living alongside local communities and experiencing Bali’s philosophy of Tri Hita Karana – the balance between people, nature and spirituality – which showed me just how sustainability is as much about people and culture as it is about protecting the environment.
Although international travel inevitably has an environmental impact, I wanted to ensure my placement created a lasting positive impact in return.
So throughout the programme, I reduced waste by carrying a reusable bottle, limiting single-use plastics and supporting local businesses. More importantly, I wanted to engage with communities and learn from the organisations we visited rather than observe them.
One organisation that stood out was Made Tea, a female-led social enterprise founded by Ni Made Roni. Hearing how her experience in the UK inspired ideas that she adapted to empower local women while promoting more sustainable production showed me sustainability extends beyond the environment. It can also create opportunities for communities, reflecting the UN Sustainable Development Goals for Gender Equality and Responsible Consumption and Production. Likewise, visiting organisations working in renewable energy, marine conservation and wildlife protection demonstrated how local initiatives contribute to Climate Action, Life Below Water and Life on Land, reinforcing that lasting environmental change is achieved by working alongside communities.
Those experiences made me reflect on my own journey. Through Enactus Southampton, I developed ReThread, a social enterprise that transforms unsellable clothing into blankets for people experiencing homelessness. Before Bali, I focused on reducing textile waste. Now, I recognise that sustainable innovation is not only about solving technical problems but also about understanding the people who will benefit. Every organisation approached sustainability differently because every community faced different challenges, yet they all shared one common approach: they listened before they acted.
This experience has also strengthened my enthusiasm for the 10 day India Experiential Learning Programme at the University of Southampton this September, where I look forward to exploring environmental sustainability and water conservation through another cultural perspective. Just as Ni Made Roni returned from the UK with ideas that strengthened her community, I hope to build on the lessons from Bali, learn from another culture, and bring those experiences back to future projects and my engineering career.
Ni Made Roni’s journey made me realise that the value of international experiences lies not in what we leave behind, but in what we bring home. To me, sustainable travel means carrying ideas across cultures, adapting them responsibly and using them to create positive change long after the journey has ended.
