ARTOTEL Group once again presents its annual corporate social responsibility program – ARTOTEL Earth, previously known as ARTOTEL for Hope.
Started in 2016, ARTOTEL for Hope is a series of social responsibility activities initiated by ARTOTEL Group which takes place every end of the year. The program is carried out in different ways, namely conducting social awareness campaigns through art activities. Through this program, ARTOTEL Group conveys the message that art could be a very appealing form of communication channel to increase public awareness. In addition, ARTOTEL for Hope raises donations from guests who stay at ARTOTEL Group properties to be delivered to appointed communities or social organizations. Throughout the years, ARTOTEL for Hope has received a great response from guests and community / social organizations who are interested in working together with the aim of increasing social awareness through art.
In 2016, ARTOTEL for Hope raised social awareness for children with special needs who excel in art through the figure of Aqil Prabowo, a child artist who has dyslexic disorders. In 2017, the program raised social concerns for people with mental health disorders. The program has given the opportunity towards those with special needs to present their artworks at the art exhibitions held in all ARTOTEL properties; this process of preparing artworks for the exhibition and expressing themselves on the canvas has become one of their healing therapies.
In 2018, ARTOTEL for Hope began to explore the environmental issues in collaboration with The Nature Conservancy Indonesia – A Social Organization with a focus on forest rehabilitation in Kalimantan. ARTOTEL for Hope together with the The Nature Conservancy Indonesia invited two artists to visit and firsthand experience the forest conservation area. The artists then expressed their experience through art to be displayed at all properties with a purpose to raise social awareness about forest preservation.
In 2019, ARTOTEL Group positioned the social responsibility program to be more focused towards the environment. The program’s name changed to ARTOTEL Earth and collaborated with the WWF-Indonesia Foundation (WWF-Indonesia) as the official partner of the Signing Blue Program. The Signing Blue Program encourages tourism industry players to carry out responsible business practices in preserving the beauty of the
maritime. ARTOTEL Group has been registered as a hotel member of the Signing Blue program initiated by WWF-Indonesia. Registered hotels have been assessed as environmentally friendly hotels, ranging from reducing the use of plastics, regulating environmentally friendly waste, and contributing to the preservation of marine sustainability for now and in the future.
In December 2019, the first series of ARTOTEL Earth activation program in collaboration with WWF-Indonesia was carried out through the theme Reducing Plastic Waste, consisting of:
- Fundraising
During December 2019, ARTOTEL will set aside Rp.10,000 from every room sold to donate to WWF-Indonesia, which will be used for maritime life preservation and plastic waste management activities in Indonesia. In return, guests will receive a comic zine by Mulyakarya that tells a story about Labuan Bajo, a tourist destination facing environmental issues due to a lack of proper waste management system. The comic book is also available for non-staying guests at every ARTOTEL hotels for IDR 10,000, which will also be donated to WWF – Indonesia.
- Art Exhibition
Displaying art exhibitions by Mulyakarya, a group of artists from Yogyakarta, in the form of comics and paintings held simultaneously at all ARTSPACE of ARTOTEL Group properties from 1 December 2019 to 31 January 2020. Guests can also purchase the artwork, where a percentage of the profit will be donated to WWF-Indonesia.
The artwork displayed by two Mulyakarya artists, Danang Catur & Yudha Sandy, is a story reflecting their visit with WWF-Indonesia to Indonesia’s famous tourist destinations that are urgently in need for support from many parties to immediately implement a proper plastic waste management system. The result of this visit will also be displayed in a form of video to arouse social awareness about plastic waste.
- Making Souvenirs “Upcycling” with TRI Upcycle
Through a collaboration with TRI Upcycle, a social enterprise that manufactures recycled goods (Upcycle) to reduce environmental waste, ARTOTEL Earth collected used linens from all properties to be transformed into a form of a grocery bag that can be purchased by guests. All proceeds from the ARTOTEL Earth’s grocery bag sale will be donated to WWF-Indonesia and TRI Upcycle. Funds by TRI Upcycle will be allocated for tree planting in Central Kalimantan.
Erastus Radjimin, CEO of ARTOTEL Group adds, ”Through ARTOTEL Earth, we want to show ARTOTEL Group’s commitment to conserve the environment because as an hospitality company that carries the brand of today’s lifestyle, caring for the environment is also part of today’s lifestyle where we actively conserve our earth to stay green with good ecosystems so that it can be enjoyed by future generations. Through this commitment, all ARTOTEL Group properties will implement Eco-Friendly operational system gradually in cooperation from WWF-Indonesia. Through ARTOTEL Earth, we are also open to collaborate with other local institutions that share the same vision and mission for environment.”
