Luxury With a Conscience

As we evolve in our awareness of the world around us, we become more sensitised to how interconnected our actions are with the future of the world at large. Not mere dots in the universe, we have the ability to influence, both positively and negatively, the environment around us. We see the cascading effects of this as changes in the environment, climate, decline of communities and ancient practices. Sustainability is a big word and one that is thrown around often nowadays. However, there are only a handful of programs, like Selo Footprints, which make sustainability the very core ethos around their concept of responsible tourism. A rising wave, responsible tourists seek sustainability in luxury travel wherever they roam. 

Selong Selo Resort and Residences is not only one of the most luxurious resorts in Asia. It is also built and run along the ethos of sustainability and responsible practices.

Sustainability in luxury travel

Selong Selo walks the talk by adhering to sustainability principles in both internal operations as well as engagement with local communities. Having adopted the cause of every local in Lombok as their own, Selong Selo’s commitment is reflected in every operational decision.

The road to sustainability is an ongoing one, and Selo believes in continually learning and adapting business practices. Using sustainable building materials and techniques for construction, they hope to demonstrate that sustainability programs not only make good social and environmental sense but also make good financial sense.

Zero-waste policy

At Selong Selo, running a high-quality estate with world-class facilities and service levels is as important as doing so with a conscience. Promising sustainability in luxury travel, the villa resort has a zero-waste protocol, built along the three pillars of reuse, reduce and recycle. You will not find plastic bottles on the estate. Instead, glass bottles are sterilised and reused in the villas.

Waste management is another key focus area. The management is constantly reviewing business practices to reduce avoidable waste production. By sorting and processing waste in the resort waste management facility, it is used to create green fuel. Other by-products are fertiliser for the estate’s organic farm, and repurposed material used in construction, amongst other things.

Community support

By connecting the local producer of traditional handicrafts with the global buyer, Selo Footprints helps sustain the community’s economy. Especially in the times of Covid-19 lockdowns, the lack of tourism hit these communities hard. Selo took it upon themselves to bring the products crafted in local Lombok villages to global consumers via an online shop.

Leading from the front, the resort itself uses these ethically sourced, organic and sustainable products. They also make great gifts and homeware to take back home. Every person can do their part to protect the planet and help local villagers earn a decent and sustainable living.

Regeneration

Constantly striving to adopt more green practices, Selo hopes to not only minimise the impact on the environment but regenerate it. This goes hand-in-hand with positive changes that follow involvement with the local community making its ecosystem independent and self-sustaining.

Selo footprints aims to take travellers on a cultural journey evoking an authentic and emotional experience. These include off-the-beaten-path local experiences, as well as adrenaline-filled moments for the adventurous. One of the key pillars is for travellers to honour a sense of place. It allows every traveller to be fully immersed in the history and culture of Lombok, finding a voice in mediums such as food, tours, and even design.

Local initiatives

While many of the above practices are focussed towards responsible travel, Selo also does local initiatives that help the villagers of Lombok. For example, Selo footprint foundation’s 1st Community Health Program held on July 31 2022 conducted free medical check-ups for the locals of Jabon.

Programs such as beach clean-ups and many others help remove the marks of tourist footprint from Lombok. This is a great way to let the economy gain by tourism without the communities suffering from its after-effects.

Unlike many sustainability programs that only exist on paper, Selo Footprints is the very foundation of how the management of Selong Selo thinks and operates. It is an all-encompassing approach. The underlying belief that everything is interconnected helps one take ownership and responsibility by thinking of whole systems and not just the self. Selong Selo paves the way for sustainable practices and responsible tourism that goes beyond lip service. It is about tourism that has a beating heart and a clear conscience. Perhaps, the best way forward as the whispers of sustainability gain momentum in today’s world.