This is
conference and meeting season! The
past six months have been very
hectic here at the CHA and CAST
offices in Puerto Rico, what with
the numbers of meetings and
conferences convened by CHA and
others from January to June this
year. This is typical for the first
half of any calendar year,
especially for the Caribbean Hotel
Association and its subsidiaries
including CAST. At CHA events, the
norm is that all of CHA’s Board of
Directors, Executive Committee and
sub-committee meetings are held, and
following this tradition, CAST
typically also convenes its
Governing Council and Executive
Committee meetings. CHA events
usually attract a wide cross-section
of its hotel and allied members and
for this reason the events provide
the perfect opportunity for members
to attend CAST meetings. There is
always lots of work to do as we
prepare for the several CHA meetings
and events and the organization of
our booth display at CHIC.
We
continue through to July with the
upcoming Green Tourism Conference
scheduled July 21-24 2004 at the
Half Moon Montego Bay Resort,
Jamaica. This Conference is
organized by the Environmental
Audits for Sustainable Tourism
(EAST) project and funded by USAID
with co-sponsorship from the Jamaica
Hotel and Tourism Association, PA
Consulting Group and CAST. The
conference website is located at:
www.greenhotelconferenceja.com.
Be sure to check out the
opportunities this Conference
provides for all hotel properties
and tourism businesses across the
region to assemble, exchange
information, speak about their
greening experiences and learn from
the various expert panels. This
Conference will take place once
every two years and this year both
CAST and Green Globe 21 officials
will be present. We look forward to
rekindling our friendships and to
meeting new faces. See you in
Jamaica!
Cheers,
Deirdre P. Shurland
Regional
Cooperation for the Sustainable
Management of Shared Marine Resources in
the Wider Caribbean Region
This feature
article focuses
on the SPAW protocol which paves the way
for greater protection of marine
biodiversity in the Wider Caribbean
region.
Your comments
are welcome and should be sent to
cast@caribbeanhotels.org
By: Alessandra
Vanzella-Khouri, UNEP Caribbean
Environment Programme
The Convention for the Protection and
Development of the Marine Environment of
the Wider Caribbean (Cartagena
Convention) defines the Wider Caribbean
Region as the insular and coastal States
and Territories bordering the Caribbean
Sea and the Gulf of Mexico, from the
U.S. Gulf Coast states to the Central
and South American countries bordering
the Caribbean Sea, up to the Department
of French Guiana in South America. There
are 28 (twenty-eight) States and 10
(ten) Territories that comprise the
Wider Caribbean Region.
In the 1970s, Wider Caribbean
governments grew concerned about the
future of social and socioeconomic
development and resource management
throughout the Caribbean. The
governments also realized that
addressing these issues could only be
accomplished through an integrated,
co-operative regional approach and in
1981 they adopted the Caribbean
Environment Programme (CEP) Action Plan.
The Action Plan led to the 1983 adoption
of the “Convention for the Protection
and Development of the Marine
Environment of the Wider Caribbean
Region” in Cartagena, Colombia, which
became legally binding in 1986. By
signing and ratifying the Convention,
states agree to:
The Convention has been supplemented by
three protocols or sub-agreements for
addressing specific environmental issues
in the region
CEP also works in close collaboration
with relevant initiatives such as the
Global Programme of Action (GPA) for the
Protection of the Marine Environment
from Land- based Activities, which is
designed to be a source of guidance,
conceptual and practical, to be drawn
upon by national and/or regional
authorities for devising and
implementing sustained action to
prevent, reduce, control and/or
eliminate marine degradation from
land-based activities. Regional
organizations such as the Caribbean
Tourism Organization (CTO), the
Caribbean Environmental Health Institute
(CEHI), the Caribbean Conservation
Association (CCA) and the Wider
Caribbean Sea Turtle Conservation
Network (WIDECAST) are partners of CEP.
The objective of the SPAW Protocol is to
protect rare and fragile ecosystems and
habitats, thereby protecting the
endangered and threatened species
residing therein. The Caribbean Regional
Coordinating Unit pursues this objective
by assisting with the establishment and
proper management of protected areas, by
promoting sustainable management (and
use) of species to prevent their
endangerment and by providing assistance
to the governments of the region in
conserving their coastal ecosystems.
SPAW contributes with the implementation
of global conventions such as the
Convention on Biological Diversity and
initiatives such as the International
Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI) and its
operational network, the International
Coral Reef Action Network (ICRAN).
The
SPAW Protocol has been
internationally recognized as the most
comprehensive treaty of its kind,
preceding other international
environmental agreements in utilizing an
ecosystem approach to conservation.
The way forward?
We have reached a crossroad where we
need to decide how to proceed with the
protection of our environment. Although
progress is being made with ongoing
initiatives and efforts in the region,
governments need to play an active and
vital role, linking their environmental
agenda to their economic agenda.
Linkages need to be made between the
public and private sector so that in
tandem they can share the increased
responsibility for the degradation of
our natural resources and conservation
of the resources on which most of the
economic activity in the region is
dependent upon. It is only through
dialogue and cooperation across borders
and between stakeholders that we can
reverse the current degradation of our
Region and preserve it for future
generations.
Back To The Top
Green
Hotel's Corner
American
Express, the Caribbean Hotel Association
(CHA), and the Caribbean Alliance for
Sustainable Tourism (CAST) recognized
‘green’ management within Caribbean
hotel properties with the “2004
Caribbean Green Hotel of the Year”
Award, given in two categories, large
hotel (>75 rooms) and small hotel (< 75
rooms). The distinctions were presented
at the 2004 Caribbean Hotel Industry
Conference (CHIC 2004) at the Wyndham El
Conquistador in Fajardo, Puerto Rico.
In the
small hotel category, Sandals Inn was
named “The 2004 Green Hotel of the Year”
and Beaches Boscobel Resort & Golf Club
received the same honor in the large
hotel category. The decision was based
on 5 criteria: : environmental
management & stewardship, conservation
of natural resources, awareness &
community activities, infrastructure &
technology, and health & safety programs
implemented by the resorts.
Sandals Inn:
This hotel proves that you do not need
to be big to make a difference. The
hotel ensures that cooking and dining
areas are outside whenever possible,
that buildings make the most of natural
lighting and that the hotel’s energy
needs are met by solar panels which are
installed on the property’s roofs.
Almost everything is recycled -
including unused drinking water - which
is used to water the plants and gardens;
and unused soap from checked-out rooms
is melted and colored, then donated to
the Salvation Army. The resort also
prides itself on its involvement with
community organizations and projects -
such as tree planting, beach clean-ups
and opening its doors to underprivileged
community members with employment
opportunities, training and recognized
certification.
From Right to Left: Simon Suarez,
Patrick Drake, Jeff Mckitty, Doria
Camarazza
Beaches
Boscobel Resort and Golf Club:
The hotel staff’s involvement in
conservation of resources and
community outreach is truly
inspiring and serves as an extensive
source of best practices for
Caribbean hotels. A Green Team,
formed by volunteer staff, works
under their enhanced four R’s
commitment program:
Reduce-Reuse-Recycle and Rethink.
The hotel also recycles paper
in-house, taking the opportunity to
hold workshops and competitions with
the staff. Community Outreach
programs include the creation of
green clubs in schools and monthly
visits to local communities to
promote environmentally-sound
practices. A nearby beach, adopted
by the hotel which conducts frequent
clean-ups, now serves as a clean and
safe recreational area for the local
residents. In 2003, the hotel
launched a “Save-a-Boy” Mentorship
program where boys from a local
school are mentored through the 6th
grade by a member of the hotel
staff, who assist with homework, and
take them on educational field
trips, offering the child guidance
and a positive role model.
Back To The Top
Leading
Lights
Leading
Lights are Caribbean leaders who have
made significant achievements in the
environmental and social performance at
their properties. Each 'Leading Light'
was interviewed about their leadership
and philosophy and these are their words:
Tracy-Ann Hyman, Environmental Manager,
Beaches Boscobel Beach Resort: “The
factors that continue to motivate me are
when employees urge their co-workers to
comply with Environmental standards, not
because someone forced them to do this,
but by their own choice because it is
viewed as priority. It is also an
inspiration that my property not only
offers, sun, sand, sea and good food,
but a healthy and safe environment for
our Tourists to enjoy their vacation. I
keep my staff interested by finding
innovative ways to recycle and reuse
items on the property, by maintaining a
rewarding incentive programme where
Departments and employees with top
environmental performance are rewarded
and given special recognition and by
taking them on field trips, training
seminars and public environmental
debates; this has helped to make
employees more resourceful at the hotel.
Our short and long term goals are: to
influence and impact the next
generation. We intend to do this, by
getting more involved with schools, to
set up Environmental clubs for students
as well as host Environmental
competitions amongst these same schools.
We would also like to have a state of
the art Recycling facility on the
property that would assist hotels and
schools with Recycling Projects.
Finally, we would like to incorporate
Environmental Requirements in job
descriptions and in the hiring process.”
Antonn
Brown, Hotel Manager, Sandals Inn,
Jamaica: “In my pursuit of
excellence, as it relates to the
environmental performance of Sandals
Inn, the three (3) major factors that
are sources of motivation include: (i)
the pursuit of the principle of
marketing; (ii) the goal of achieving
sustainable tourism practices; and (iii)
challenging pundits that criticize
Jamaica for unsustainable tourism
practices. The management and staff at
Sandals Inn are committed to
continuously improving the yearly
performance of the property. Sandals Inn
uses uses orientation and training to
expose team members to sustainable
tourism goals and initiatives, as well
as the benefits to the company and how
the same principles may enrich their
personal lives. The socialization
process of acculturating the team
members to holistic approaches to hotel
operations entails giving autonomy to
individuals to act in accordance to the
guiding principles. For example, there
is a system for acknowledging team
members who have made positive
contributions and environmentally
sustainable practices that are not part
of their official job description by
giving a “Green Card” Notice, while “Red
Card” Notices are given as a reprimand
for environmentally unsustainable or
detrimental acts and practices. The
cards are collected and used in the
process of recognizing and addressing
the practices of team members. The most
rewarding achievement for Sandals and
its staff is the focus on community
involvement and development. We adopted
Rohampton School in St. James, Jamaica,
where toys are donated to students
periodically throughout the year, as
well as training regarding environmental
issues through events such as tree
planting. Two additional rewarding
achievements for Sandals Inn were: an
award by the Social Development
Commission for outstanding community
service and commitment to social issues
and our achievement of Green Hotel of
the Year 2004 by the Caribbean Hotel
Association.”
Back To The Top
CAST News
-
CAST Recognizes its first
Chairman and Co-Founder:
“A true leader is one who
articulates a clear vision,
inspires by example and through
his wisdom, selects good
individuals to do the job and
has the assurance to see them do
it.”
So
read the citation presented to
the first Chairman and
Co-Founder of the Caribbean
Alliance for Sustainable Tourism
(CAST), Frank R. Rainieri,
Chairman of Grupo Punta Cana –
at the Caribbean Hotel Industry
Conference (CHIC) Awards
luncheon held June 15th 2004 at
the Wyndham El Conquistador
Hotel in Fajardo, Puerto Rico.
The recognition was presented by
the current CAST Chairman,
Royston O. Hopkin C.M.G. on
behalf of the CAST Governing
Council in recognition of
Rainieri’s life long commitment
to responsible environmental and
social development at the Punta
Cana Resort in the Dominican
Republic and his unwavering
contribution to CAST since its
inception.
-
Green Tourism Conference, July
21-24, 2004: CAST will be
participating and co-sponsoring
this event which will take place
at the Half Moon Golf and Beach
Club, Montego Bay, Jamaica. The
conference, with its theme of
Increasing Market Share for
Sustainable Development, has
been designed to bring together
Educators, Students, Hotel
Executives and Industry
Personnel to share and exchange
their knowledge of issues
pertaining to Sustainable
Tourism Development. For a
complete programme go to:
http://www.greenhotelconferenceja.com/Homepage.htm
CAST will for the first time
ever be holding a Silent Auction
at the conference to raise funds
to support regional programs.
For a list of some of the
available prizes see the
conference website:
http://www.greenhotelconferenceja.com/cast_auction.htm
We
look forward to seeing you at
the conference and hope you will
bid HIGH on our fabulous prizes!
-
CMEx
a Success!: The sixth staging of
the Caribbean Media Exchange on
Sustainable Tourism, which CAST
co-sponsors, was held on June 24-28
in Rodney Bay, St. Lucia and
attracted a cadre of local,
regional, and international media
representatives along with prominent
public and private sector leaders
and experts. During the exchange,
the media and industry
officials debated the various facets
of tourism, including its links with
other industries, impact on regional
economies and potential for poverty
alleviation, among other compelling
issues. Journalists got the
opportunity to interact and network
with an impressive line-up of
conference speakers, including the
Honorable Dr. Kenny Anthony, Prime
Minister of St Lucia; the Honorable
Philip J. Pierre, Minister of
Tourism of St Lucia; Geoffrey Lipman,
Special Advisor, World Tourism
Organization; Lelei LeLaulu,
President of Counterpart
International; and Richard Miller,
Executive Vice President of the
World Travel and Tourism Council,
among many others. For more
information on CMEx VI, and to
consult the agenda, presentations
and press releases, visit
www.mediaexchange.info.
-
CAST
Training the Region One Country at a
Time: CAST has been busy this
fiscal year conducting a myriad of
training workshops throughout the
region. From May - July CAST has
conducted Hurricane Preparedness and
Response training workshops in Turks
and Caicos Islands, Antigua, Jamaica
and Belize in collaboration with the
national hotel and tourism
associations. In addition, a 1-day
Environmental Management System
(EMS) training workshop was
conducted for the Bahamas Hotel
Association in July primarily for
its small hotel members.
-
Upcoming
courses available August - November
include: EMS - The Key to Achieving
Environmental and Social
Performance, Preparing EMS Teams for
Success, Developing and
Environmental Policy and EMS Action
Plan and Green Globe Benchmarking -
the First Step Towards
Certification. For information on
any and all of CAST's training
workshops, please see the cast
website:
www.cha-cast.com or
e-mail: cast@caribbeanhotels.org
-
Ewald Biemans and Bucuti Beach
Resort Sponsor CAST Intern: CAST
would like to thank Ewald Biemans
and
Bucuti
Beach Resort Aruba
for their continued support of CAST
and its sustainable tourism mandate.
Mr. Biemans has arranged a
comprehensive trip for CAST's summer
intern, Ga-Young Choi, to assist her
with her research project which will
have as an output, a best-practices
manual in regards to sea turtle
management on beachfront properties
throughout the Wider Caribbean
region. For questions about this
project please write to Ga-Young
Choi at:
castintern@caribbeanhotels.org
-
CAST
Launches "Green Marketplace":
CAST has launched a new page on its
website dedicated to the promotion
of companies that provide
environmentally friendly products or
services throughout the Caribbean
region. This is just one way CAST is
linking green suppliers to the
regional tourism sector. To view the
current list of green suppliers see
the CAST website:
www.cha-cast.com or for
more information on how your company
can become a part of the Green
Marketplace click
HERE.
-
CAST NEEDS YOUR SUPPORT!:
CAST is
currently conducting a fundraising
effort to garner support for its
promotion of sustainable tourism
practices throughout the region;
including, but not limited to, community
based initiatives and the improvement of
hotel operating standards. CAST is
continually evolving to serve you
better. It’s your paradise and our
Mission, so send in your contribution Today!
More info.
Back To The Top
On The
Wire
Congratulations to the Casuarina
Beach Club (the newest CAST Governing
Council Member) in Barbados for winning
the World Legacy Award in the Hotels and
Resorts category. The awards, which are
a joint effort by National Geographic
Traveler magazine and Conservation
International, aim to increase awareness
of sustainable tourism's benefits and to
recognize those who practice it
well. Casuarina has won several awards
for its environmental endeavors and is
only one of two hotels in the Caribbean
Hotel Association, Green Hall of Fame.
The Hotel also won the Caribbean Tourism
Organization “Sustainable Tourism Award”
in 2003. Casuarina was also awarded the
Minister of Tourism award for “The Most
Socially Responsible Tourism
Organization” in 2003, as well as the BHTA’s best “A” class hotel. For further
information please contact: Loreto
Duffy-Mayers, Environmental Manager,
Casuarina Beach Club. e-mail:
loreto@casuarina.com
24 Small Caribbean Hotels
Benchmarked!: CAST would like to
acknowledge the below listed small hotel
properties that were Benchmarked under
the Green Globe 21 Company Standard
through the kind assistance of the Caribbean Hotel
Environmental Management Initiative (CHEMI)
of CAST, funded by USAID and implemented
by PA Consulting Group:
3 Rivers
Eco-Resort, Dominica -
www.3riversdominica.com
Allamanda Beach Hotel, Barbados -
www.allamandabeach.com
Bay Gardens Hotel, Saint Lucia -
www.baygardenshotel.com
Blue Horizons, Grenada -
www.grenadabluehorizons.com
Calabash Hotel, Grenada -
www.calabashhotel.com
Cara Suites, Saint Lucia -
www.carahotels.com/st_lucia.htm
Dickenson Bay Cottages, Antigua and
Barbuda -
www.dickensonbaycottages.com
Flamboyant Hotel, Grenada -
http://www.flamboyant.com/
Fort Young Hotel, Dominica -
www.fortyounghotel.com
Garraway Hotel, Dominica -
www.garrawayhotel.com
Hotel PomMarine, Barbados -
www.pommarinebarbados.com
Long Bay Hotel, Antigua and Barbuda -
www.longbayhotel.com
New Montrose Hotel, Saint Vincent and
the Grenadines -
http://www.newmontrosehotel.com/
Nisbet Plantation Beach Club, Saint
Kitts and Nevis -
www.nisbetplantation.com
Ocean Terrace Inn, Saint Kitts and Nevis
-
www.oceanterraceinn.com
Oualie Beach Resort, Saint Kitts and
Nevis -
www.oualie.com
Rainbow Hotel, Saint Lucia -
http://www.rainbowstlucia.com
Rainbow Reef Hotel, Barbados -
www.rainbowreef.com
Tamarind Tree Hotel & Restaurant,
Dominica -
www.tamarindtreedominica.com
The Golden Lemon Inn & Villas, Saint
Kitts and Nevis -
www.goldenlemon.com
The Hummingbird Inn, Dominica -
www.thehummingbirdinn.com
The Inn at English Harbour, Antigua and
Barbuda -
www.theinn.ag
Trade Winds Hotel, Antigua and Barbuda -
www.antiguatradewindshotel.com
Young Island Resort, Saint Vincent and
the Grenadines -
www.youngisland.com
On
another note, Green Globe has released
the long awaited Travel and Tourism
Benchmarking Methodologies. The two
documents detail the methodologies
employed in the Benchmarking program and
how Baseline and Best Practice have been
determined for specific indicators
within sectors of the industry on a
country or regional basis. These
documents can be found under
'Publications' on the
Green Globe
website. Please note that both are large
files and it is necessary to save them
to your computer before opening.
St Lucia's Pitons Named World
Heritage Site: The Pitons Management
Area in Soufriere, St. Lucia, home to
the famous twin peaks known as the
Pitons, has been added to UNESCO's World
Heritage List of sites by an
international committee meeting this
week in Suzhou, China. The Pitons are
the fourth Natural World Heritage Site
declared in the Caribbean. The other
three sites are Dominica's Morne Trois
Pitons National Park and two national
parks in Cuba, the Desembarco del Granma
National Park and Alexander Von Humboldt
National Park.
Caribbean Destinations Rank in
National Geographic Study: National
Geographic Traveler Magazine and the
National Geographic Sustainable Tourism
Initiative has conducted a first-of-its
kind poll in which 200 specialists in
the field of sustainable tourism and
destination quality were surveyed. The
number one ranked sustainable tourism
destination is the Norwegian Fjords. By
comparison, the top ranked Caribbean
destination is Bonaire, Netherlands Antilles,
which was ranked joint 10th overall.
This is followed by St. John, U.S. Virgin
Islands (Rank: 11th), British Virgin
Islands (Rank: 15th), St. Lucia (Rank
19th) and Barbados (Rank: 25th). For more
information of see:
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/sustainable/.
Coral Discussion Board Launched:
The Coral Reef Alliance (CORAL) launched
the CORAL Discussion Board in early
April. The primary function of the CORAL
Discussion Board is information sharing
on a global scale among coral reef
conservationists with a wide variety of
backgrounds and interests. The
participation of interested persons who
wish to share lessons learned from
successful conservation and sustainable
tourism practices in the field, and to
make inquires regarding issues that need
to be addressed is highly encouraged.
Mark the following URL and check in
regularly for new topics and postings on
the CORAL Discussion Board.
http://www.coral.org/cdb
CARICOM-UNDP Sign Multi-million
Dollar Agreement for Renewable Energy
Project: In April, The United
Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
signed an agreement with the Caribbean
Community (CARICOM) for a project aimed
at removing the barriers to renewable
energy use in the Caribbean. The
Caribbean Renewable Project, which will
benefit 17 Caribbean states, is expected
to lower annual emissions of carbon
dioxide by an estimated 388,159 tonnes
by the year 2007. Antigua and Barbuda,
the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, British
Virgin Islands, Cuba, Dominica, Grenada,
Guyana, Jamaica, Montserrat, St. Kitts
and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and
the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and
Tobago and Turks and Caicos Islands will
benefit from the project.
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