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One Man Attempts to Save the World One Water Filter at a Time

When Zack Parker, 26, first set foot in the dense rain forests of Papua New Guinea (PNG), he never expected to return three years later armed with, of all things, toilets. 

The Santa Cruz native visited the remote island nation in 2007 searching for great waves and good times to cap off a five-month surf trek through Southeast Asia with his best friend. Instead, he found himself immersed in a population that would dramatically alter his priorities as a surfer, traveler and humanitarian. 

Parker spent seven weeks with the people of Lido, a remote fishing village located on the northwestern tip of PNG, and was charmed by their inherent kindness and hospitality. “Sometimes it would take 20 minutes to walk 100 yards in the village because each house wanted to say, ‘Hello Wali,’ (which means “whites”) and chat with us. We were completely welcomed into their community, from Sunday soccer games to showing us ancient fishing techniques,” says Parker. 

But the longer he immersed himself, the more it became apparent that the community was laced with tragedies that were often preventable. The villagers’ unsanitary conditions were continuously causing illnesses like dysentery, cholera and rotavirus, which often proved fatal. They drank stagnant rainwater out of open containers and used the shoreline as their toilet — the same place children played and women fished. 

Diseases seemed most prevalent in children: 15 percent of PNG children die each year from diarrhea-related illnesses, and 88 percent of those deaths can be attributed to unsanitary conditions. Though Parker was able to bring tablets to eliminate the bacteria and viruses in his water, he found the community had no means to remedy the situation. 

Thus, Walu International was born in October as a nonprofit that provides sanitary systems, such as clean water and compostable toilets to coastal communities in Papua New Guinea. Starting this month, four compostable toilets and three water-purification systems (like 3-gallon Brita filters) will be set up at the elementary school in Lido. Here, Walu will introduce 100 students to the importance of using toilets and drinking clean water. “We thought the best place to begin awareness is with the kids, so they can take the message home to their parents and begin a generational shift in attitude,” says Parker. Next, Walu International will take its learnings from this pilot project and implement similar missions in villages around PNG. Each project will be documented by video, so donators can track the benefits of their contributions. 

As the local population increases and tourism rapidly grows, waste management and safe drinking water will become even more crucial for both the health of the Lido population and for visitors. Dr. Jess Ponting, who holds the first Ph.D. in sustainable surf tourism, sees Lido as the future hotspot for surfing. Its offshore winds, warm water and lush tropical rain forest sloping against coral reefs are sure to put Lido on the global radar for those wanting great waves and no crowds. “I’ve met older surfers in Lido that compare it to Sri Lanka in the early ’70s — simple, beautiful, friendly,” says Ponting. 

In villages like Lido where inhabitants lead largely traditional lives, a rapid and unrestricted influx of people can overwhelm the local community’s way of life — both culturally and environmentally. “Walu International’s mission is an important first step in changing the status quo to a more sustainable path,” says Ponting. “Introducing toilets that prevent human waste from entering the water that people drink and surf in is vital to the sustainability of Lido as a surf tourism destination.”

With plans to host the World Qualifying Series and World Longboard Titles in 2010, (the former being Webcast around the world) it seems that exposure by surf media ensures Lido’s days of anonymity are numbered. To minimize the disruption to Lido and its surrounding villages, the Surfing Association of Papua New Guinea is developing a sustainable model to manage the onset of a large surf tourism industry by limiting the number of visitors and ensuring the local economy is directly benefiting. “The SAPNG sees surfing as a tool for nation building and have a constitution which supports the rights and needs of local communities,” says Ponting. “This hands-on, bottom-up approach will ensure that lessons are learned from other less successful models of surf tourism seen in the Pacific, Asia and the Americas.”

Parker has been working hand in hand with Andy Abel, president of SAPNG, to make sure his nonprofit is best serving the people of Lido. “Walu is at the ground floor of the bottom-up approach,” says Parker. “Instead of going into PNG and building a surf camp like other third-world countries, we want to build a platform in which the locals will be able to sustain long-term success.”

Though Walu International hopes their work will provide a solid foundation for the future surf destination, the heart of the operation lies with keeping the villagers healthy. Parker considers it a way to give back to the community that accepted him with open arms. “We arrived there completely unannounced, and one local literally had his kids clean out their room so we had somewhere to stay,” says Parker. 

It’s a place that initially lured him with waves, but it’s the people that brought him back. As Ponting puts it, “Zack’s project is an inspiration to all surfers who ever visited somewhere so special that they felt honor bound to give something in return.” 
For more information and donations, please visit 

www.waluinternational.org