Ida Bagus Mandhara Brasika is the founder and CEO of Griya Luhu, the biggest digital waste bank in Indonesia. Griya Luhu is well-known as a leading eco-preneur in changing people’s behavior and awareness toward sustainable waste management by using digital technology. Apart from that, Mandhara is a prominent young scientist and university lecturer in the field of environment and climate change. He was appointed by Bali Governor to create Bali Plastic Ban Regulation, with other team members. He has been awarded and appreciated by many from local to International level.
Mandhara is now growing Griya Luhu very rapidly. It has 424 waste bank units which continuously serve more than 14.000 households on managing waste from the sources. The unique point of Griya Luhu, it focuses on the rural area, many have no proper waste management previously and are hardly reached due to limited access. There are more than 50 villages which collaborate with him currently. These provide new jobs for many people during COVID-19 pandemic, there are 15 daily workers and more than 500 cadres. Moreover, the customers also gain some income from selling their waste.
Mandhara observes that Imperial College London (ICL) provided him with broad knowledge, perspective and skill on dealing with environmental issues. His university experience has opened the eye to understanding circular and green economy as potential future solutions for world problems. As his major in MSc. Environmental Technology, he learnt how to utilize technology as a tool on achieving his goals, mainly related to the waste issue. His experience on interaction with the international community while living in the UK, makes him easier to spread his voice about its initiative.
"My UK degree is life changing in my career. It has opened plenty of opportunities. First, I can change my career completely from administrative staff in a rural area, into researcher/ lecturer in a prominent university. Moreover, it is much easier for me to explain my background as Imperial College London (ICL) is known as a top university. This supports me a lot mainly when I apply for international research grants".