Women’s Empowerment: Providing Advocacy and Support for a Comprehensive and Sustainable Waste Management in Sembalun

One of the problems encountered by many nations worldwide including Indonesia is waste. Waste is a negative impact of human activities on various economic sectors, including the tourism and travel sectors. One of the famous tourism destinations is Sembalun Sub-district at the foot of Mount Rinjani, West Nusa Tenggara. The increasing tourism activity in Sembalun Sub-district has provided economic benefits as well as creating ecological problems by increasing the amount of waste in the Sembalun Sub-district. In this context, the Sembalun women's community, namely SembaluNina, emerged as a local initiative that focuses on women's empowerment and environmental issues. This study aims to describe the efforts made by SembaluNina in increasing the capacity and participation of women in solving environmental issues. SembaluNina has supported the local government through policy advocacy on establishing an integrated water management system PAMDesma Selojar and Sembalun DMO (Destination Management Office) as the first grass-root-based DMO in Lombok. The research method is a qualitative approach. We use literature studies, observations, documentation and in-depth interviews as data collection techniques. This research shows that SembaluNina plays a crucial role in the establishment of a comprehensive garbage disposal system.