Auctioning wallets – made out of rice bags!

I got a lift from Nyoman, my tailor, to Villa Gaia, a beautiful retreat centre just outside Ubud, where, courtesy of the Holistic Business Network, a group of us watched a documentary on sustainable living.

Auroville, in India, had been changed from sandy desert, that became flooded each monsoon, into a green landscape where nearly 2000 people live together from 35 different countries.

They’re using green technology from grass roots right up to their buildings and eco-systems.

After the film we were encouraged to spend a few minutes talking to someone in the room who we hadn’t met before and sharing with them: what we do, how we connect to the environment and each other and what makes us happy – nice topics eh!

Recycled rice bags

For me, the answer was mainly about wanting to share my poetry about Bali, running meditation sessions and building my house.  Behind these aspects is my desire to be a ‘link’ between the east and the west – a bridge.

Being encouraged to talk about such things with complete strangers, who also happen to be like-minded people, was an excellent networking opportunity – and then the evening got even better….

Glen, who owns Villa Gaia, was highlighting special bags that were available that can hold the large water containers that we use here in Bali.  If you bought one, you got another one free to give to a Balinese – great!

Then I couldn’t resist talking about something, very grass roots, that had occurred on my way to the Villa.

Rice bag wallets

I had just bought from Nyoman, who had driven me there, a wallet that his wife had made out of… a rice bag!

I took another one into the film night to see if I could sell it for Nyoman – a family man who hadn’t sold anything else, or had any other ‘transport’ customers for two days.

Now these wallets are really well made and designed.  They are decorative and colourful on the outside and have velcro clasps that open up the wallet with space for credit cards as well as notes – just like a normal wallet/purse – but inside you can clearly see that it is made from a rice bag.

Well Rick, who runs Namaste, where I get to watch spiritual films, obviously loved the idea of directly helping a Balinese to sell these rice bag wallets and he immediately suggested auctioning them to the group…

It was tense… the bidding started at 20,000 rupiah (about £1.35) and rapidly went up and up until it reached a whopping 150,000 rupiah (just over £10 which is a lot of money for Nyoman) for the two wallets!!!

The highest bidder, Colleen, met Nyoman the next day and gave him the money directly, she was so impressed she is going to try and take some to England to sell for him.

If you are in town and want to buy a rice bag wallet for the ‘normal’ price, as opposed to the price it reached at auction, please let me know and I will put you in touch with Nyoman (oh yeah, he has wonderful brightly coloured shopping bags too – also made of converted rice bags!).

Rice bags become eco-friendly shopping bags

Even better, if you have a retail outlet and can buy them from him in bulk that would be really cool (since writing these words Anthony at Alchemy and Johnny at Soma have already expressed interest).

Meanwhile, thanks also to Glen, Rick, Sandy etc., for the film night which sparked this whole thing off.

Don’t you just love seeing sustainability put into action 🙂

Posted by julieinbali on 17/06/2012

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