The People, Planet, and Prosperity: Healthy Human, Preserved Nature, and Thriving Farmers

People, planet, and prosperity. These three Ps have always been the fundamental pillars of a sustainable business. We probably acknowledge them as the Triple Bottom Line (TBL) where businesses should not solely focus on generating profit. The TBL postulates businesses to see and measure how their practices affect the environmental and social aspects as well. Many corporations and organizations have adopted this concept to help them accelerate a more positive impact on their surroundings.

In Pratisara Bumi Foundation, TBL serves as a baseline for the INKURI program to build an ethical and sustainable business mindset. The 3Ps are embodied within every module of the INKURI program. It is rewarding to know that after roughly four months of incubation activities, INKURI participants have internalized the TBL principles in whatever they are doing. In fact, some participants have already learned about the TBL concept before joining INKURI and realized that it is their driving force to take part in the INKURI program. One of them is Ni Komang Ary Purnami (Ary) who shared that she is motivated to solve the existing social, economic, and environmental issues by building a sustainable business.

“I want to build a business that is ethical and sustainable. Because only by pursuing sustainable practices, not only can I increase my income, but I can also take part in solving the existing economic, social, and environmental issues around me.”

Ary joined INKURI with her two best friends since junior high school, Lala and Nadia. This trio has a very distinct background, but it does not stop them from brainstorming and collaborating. Ary earned her Bachelor's degree in Sustainable Enterprise from Griffith University Australia, Nadia holds a Bachelor’s degree in Law from Universitas Mahasaraswati Denpasar, while Lala is currently still pursuing her Bachelor's degree in English Education at Undiksa Singaraja. Well, as a matter of fact, this difference strengthens their team - it gives them a very huge advantage: perspectives. With multiple and varying perspectives, they can see the bigger picture of a problem to find the root causes and finally determine a viable and suitable solution to overcome the issues. In short, their ideas are well-flourished.

Ary and her team — Ary (left), Nadia (middle), and Lala (right) (doc/Ary)

Ary and her team found that there is an underlying problem with society and their consumption of vegetables. Though vegetables are very important for our nutrition, the trio recognizes that the consumption of vegetables is low. As we may also experience in our life, vegetables are quick to rot. Yes, there are some videos and DIYs that show us hacks, tips, and tricks to preserve the quality of vegetables for a longer time. But let’s get real, not all of us can spare the time to do these hacks. Also, it requires several tools that are not owned by everyone. Ary and her team see that many do not have the time to cook their vegetables, let alone preserve them, which then affects our vegetable consumption.

With this problem in hand, Ary and her team acknowledge that the root causes are the time unavailability and impracticality to eat sufficient vegetables. Therefore, they seek to discover a solution that is time-saving and practical for us humans to fulfill our nutritional needs from vegetables. After a chain of deliberation and extensive discussion, the team came up with a simple yet clever idea: powdered organic vegetables which can be directly mixed into our drinks or food. It is very practical, time-saving, and it has a way longer shelf life! Our nutritional needs are fulfilled, farmers are trained to create this added value of organic vegetables to expand their market, and more vegetables are planted. Oh and pssst, for you veggienemies, this is a truly great alternative right?!

I happen to have a friend who dislikes cooked vegetables but desperately wants to live healthier. So initially, she added vegetables to her smoothies. But over time, she got busier than ever and had no time to do grocery shopping. The supermarket is also pretty far away from her home, so it consumes a lot of gasoline to drive there. Not to forget that vegetables are fastly rotten. Hence, we are sure that these powdered vegetables can be a great substitution for fresh vegetables.

But… you must be wondering, what about the ratio of the nutrition? Will powdered vegetables have less nutrition than fresh vegetables? That’s our question, too! But before we even asked them, they have already addressed the nutrition ratio of powdered vegetables. Ary delivered that with the correct processing and method, the nutrition of both powdered and fresh vegetables would be much the same. Although the fresh ones would be more nutritious, both are almost indistinguishable.

INKURI participants discussion during Module 7 activity (22/1)

Ary stated that INKURI has helped them design and generate this business idea as something that not only excites them but also enables them to reclaim their local wisdom as an essential foundation to their idea. She especially mentioned the activities that revolve around empathy are the ones that have guided them to think of unorthodox ideas that she would never think of previously. She added that such activities are applicable in every aspect of life, which therefore increases the value of the activities. Ary hopes that the experience and network acquired from INKURI can assist her further to realize her team’s vision of a healthy lifestyle, empowered farmers, and preserved earth.