Creating a Vision of Sustainability

Begawan Foundation is the brainchild of Bradley and Debbie Gardner, who were also the creative forces behind the world-renowned Begawan Giri Estate on the Indonesian island of Bali. After discovering this magical spot while holidaying on the island in 1989, the couple formed a vision to create a private estate at Begawan that would be both economically viable and sustain the surrounding villages.

Their vision took shape over the next ten years and in 1999, with Begawan Giri Estate operating successfully, the Gardners decided to establish Begawan Foundation as a means to contribute to the local community in the areas of education, health and the environment. Its initiatives included a programme to reintroduce the near-extinct Bali Starling to the island, a kindergarten for the children of the surrounding villages, and a clinic to provide healthcare for the Estate’s staff and their families.

Although Begawan Giri Estate was flourishing commercially, the Gardners sold it in 2004 and have since devoted their considerable energies to developing the Foundation and its work.

Taking their vision of sustainability a step further, Bradley also founded The GreenAsia Group in 2007, to contribute to creating a cleaner, greener Asia while helping the region’s least developed and most deprived communities.