Sahwali Awards and THK Awards

Some people probably get confused about the differences between Sahwali Awards and Tri Hita Karana Awards (THK Awards). An operation that might win the Sahwali Award may not win the THK Award, even though both awards are related to the environment.
I have involved in both activities. After looking at the criteria and how the programmes run, following is a brief summary of the differences between the two awards.
Both THK and Sahwali Awards are related to the environment. The difference between the two is that the criteria of Sahwali awards are predominantly based on physical environmental aspects, while those of THK are based on the balance between parhyangan (cultural-spiritual aspects), pawongan (community, human linkages aspects) and “palemahan” (environmental aspects). For Bali, where the uniqueness of the culture plays a significant role in “providing the taste of Bali”, utilising THK criteria for awarding those who look after the environment in Bali seems to be more appropriate.
The Sahwali Awards seems to stress the evaluation on palemahan aspects. As a result, when I was asked for input about the Sahwali awards, I recommended that the Sahwali Awards be named as the awards for “palemahan” aspects of the environment (after a small revision on the criteria), rather than for all aspects of the environment. Otherwise, if Sahwali Awards are to be considered as the awards for the environment, the criteria of the Sahwali Awards competition needs to be redefined so it touches the three aspects of the Tri Hita Karana.
Hopefully this short explanation will provide a clear indication of the differences between THK Awards and Sahwali Awards.
(A. A. G. Raka Dalem, sustainablebali@yahoo.com)