Our story
Charting a path
to sustainability
A six-villa sanctuary in Canggu, certified Green Tourism Silver in March 2026.
How the property is built and run is part of the stay here, not a footnote to it.
We source fresh ingredients locally for our kitchen, choose reusable and recyclable amenities for the villas, recycle through Eco Bali, compost through Urban Compost and treat our own wastewater on site. We carefully consider everything we do to provide our guests with a truly unique and luxurious experience that gives back to the island.
We are here to ensure all our activities support the community around us and contribute to the protection and conservation of the nature and wildlife of Bali.
ESG in focus
Built on a blueprint of ESG
We built Desa Hay on a blueprint of ESG and created a framework that allows us to give back and create real impact across environmental, social and governance measures.
Environmental. Our 105 solar panels generate about 4,500 kWh of electricity a month. We return water to the water table by sponsoring the building of recharge wells. Our food waste is minimised, and we largely use materials we can recycle and compost.
Social. We employ local staff and contractors, use local produce and materials, and support local children through the Desa Hay Scholarship Fund.
Governance. We pay it forward through workshops, events and training modules that give local operators and developers the insight and skills to build and operate more sustainably. Our environmental and social performance is evidenced to a Green Tourism assessor rather than scored by ourselves.
The framework
We look at sustainability in four areas
-
Energy & emissions
- Solar electricity (4,500 kWh per month)
- Solar hot water
- Carbon offsets bought for construction and ongoing operations — in addition to the reductions above, not a claim of neutrality
- Energy switches throughout the property
- LED lighting
-
Water
- Recharge wells returning water to the table
- 30–40% of the land intentionally left unbuilt
- All water treated so that it is drinkable, tested monthly
- Wastewater processing via an SBR (sequenced batch reactor) system
-
Waste
- Every amenity assessed for plastic content and how it can be minimised
- Slippers made of mendong and coconut husk
- Food waste redirection and a menu designed to minimise it
- Recycling with Eco Bali and composting with Urban Compost
- Locally sourced products and suppliers aligned with our values
-
Community & culture
- The Desa Hay Scholarship Fund
- Hiring Indonesian companies and people — architect, builder, staff
- Sustainability education for guests, employees and anyone who wants to listen
- Sponsorship of local organisations such as IDEP
- Participation in eco and sustainability groups
Certification
Green Tourism Silver
In March 2026 Desa Hay was awarded Green Tourism Silver.
Green Tourism is run from Perth, in Scotland, and is a member of the Global Sustainable Tourism Council. It measures a business against fifteen goals grouped under People, Places and Planet: energy and water use, waste and single-use plastics, biodiversity, local sourcing, support for the surrounding community, and how a team is looked after. Each one has to be evidenced, and the evidence is checked by an assessor.
Accountability
If it isn’t measured, nothing changes
We measure our progress against the fifteen Green Tourism goals, and the evidence behind each one is checked by an assessor rather than scored by ourselves. Ask us and we will send you our latest assessment.
We take our stewardship of this land very seriously, and the work is not finished: the next assessment is where the progress has to show.
Please contact us if you have any questions, or if you would like help on your own sustainability journey.
