Mr. Meade

Eco-Friendly Practices

Sustainable Tourism Initiatives: Four Examples of Leadership in the Caribbean

By Bill Meade, Director, Tetra Tech

The Caribbean tourism sector has long been recognized for its leadership in sustainability. The Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (formerly CHA) set up a non-profit subsidiary Caribbean Alliance for Sustainable Tourism (CAST) to promote environmental management and sustainability best practices among hotels and other tourism operators. The Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) organizes an annual Sustainable Tourism Conference and has works with member country tourism ministries in adopting a sustainable tourism policy framework. The Association of Caribbean States (ACS) has developed sustainable tourism indicators and promoting the entire Caribbean as a "sustainable tourism zone". Individual hoteliers have won global recognition for extending the benefits of tourism to visitors, local business, communities and even municipalities.

Doing More...Giving Back at Rockhouse Hotel

The Rockhouse Hotel (1), nestled the cliffs in the West End of Negril on 8 acres of tropical lush gardens, is a boutique hotel, offering an authentic Jamaican experience. The distinctive 34-room property is consistently ranked one of the top resorts in the Caribbean. The hotel is located in Negril's "west end", two and a half miles west of Negril town. In 1972, it was one of the first hotels on Negril's cliffs west of the famed 7-mile long beach. Because of its secluded nature, early guests included Bob Marley, Bob Dylan and the Rolling Stones.

In 1994, the property was purchased by a group of Australians who continue to reinvest in its evolution and expansion. The owners and management's state objective is "to responsibly and sustainably balance the interests of all the parties: giving the guests an amazing vacation, making our team partners in the success, taking care of the environment, while putting back into the community through the Rockhouse Foundation."

For over a decade, Rockhouse Hotel has adopted environmental management best practices in its operations, and is now building it into the design of new facilities in their expansion program. The Rockhouse Hotel Environmental Program is spearheaded by co-owner Paul Salmon and Financial Controller and Green Team leader Charlotte Wallace. PA Consulting Group is assisting Rockhouse, which was recently benchmarked, prepare for Green Globe(2) certification.

While the energy, water, solid waste and chemicals management practices have reduced the operating costs and improved the working environment at the hotel, it is what Rockhouse Hotel has done outside the property that is its greatest achievement. Hotel management are active in the Negril Recycling Center and one of the areas main environmental non-governmental organizations - Negril Coral Reef Protection Foundation.

Rockhouse Hotel implements its community outreach programs through the Rockhouse Foundation that was established in 2004. The Foundation has raised charitable contributions mainly among hotel visitors from the US primarily targeting the local community in Negril that has grown to services the vibrant tourism business in the area.

Most notably, the Rockhouse Foundation rebuilt the Negril All-Age School which was grossly undersized and in bad state of disrepair. Since 2004, the Rockhouse Foundation and Rockhouse Hotel have donated over $750,000 in fulfilling its mandate by efficiently delivering expertise, goods, services, and capital to those who are most in need. The Foundation is committed to treating not just the symptoms but also the causes of poverty.

Implementing a Destination EMS in Playa del Carmen, Cancun, Mexico

Tourism development has converted the small fishing village of Playa del Carmen on the Caribbean shores of Mexico's most south-eastern State Quintana Roo into a recognized worldwide travel destination with almost 25,000 hotel rooms, all in just a few years. More than 2 million tourists visit the Riviera Maya every year. The construction of more than 250 hotels in the municipality, along with the urban development to provide housing for those who work in the tourism sector, have taken a heavy toll on the local environment. In addition to its clear turquoise Caribbean Sea, the region features the world's three largest interconnected underground river and cave systems, with stunning cave entrances and pools "cenotes" throughout. However, the rapid development has manifested serious signs of contamination to its fresh water aquifer, caused by over-exploitation of potable water resources, insufficient waste water treatment, and inadequate solid waste disposal.

To spur the private sector to tackle its environmental impacts, the U.S. Agency for International Development hired PA Consulting Group to adopt an Environmental Management Systems (EMS) approach to the hotel sector. Environmental audits conducted at these facilities identified opportunities to reduce water consumption by 22% - 40%, thermal energy use by 20% - 34% and electricity consumption by 5% - 6%. The consulting team developed a wide range of recommendations to help the hotels to reduce the environmental impact of their day-to-day operation. Two of the audited hotels - Viva Azteca Hotel (234 rooms) and Wyndham Viva Maya (400 rooms) - were the first to certified by Green Globe. The analysis included detailed waste audits in selected local hotels and a tourist attraction, a review of institutions and agencies involved in waste management, outreach to community groups, and a survey of solid waste issues with the public at large.

The growth of tourism has resulted in significant increases in the generation of solid waste in the nearby municipality of Solidaridad, covering the state's key Riviera Maya tourist region. Working through the Rivera Maya Tourism Association, PA conducted an assessment of solid waste generation, handling and disposal in the municipality. Regular stakeholder group meetings begun during the study resulted in the creation of the Sub-commission of Waste Management of Solidaridad, adopted within the legal framework of the local government. In addition to helping promote information and guiding decision-making, the Sub-commission has implemented pilot projects based on several recommendations from the solid waste study. The new "General Law on Prevention and Integral Management of Solid Waste," enacted in January 2004, requires municipalities to develop a local Integrated Waste Management Program and ensure the participation and increased responsibility of the society at large. The Sub-commission has already helped Solidaridad comply with these new requirements. The legislation helps ensure that the Sub-commission is sustainable.

Farm to Table - Enhancing Linkages Between Tourism and Agriculture in Tabago

Tobago, the smaller and less developed neighbor of Trinidad, was once a thriving agricultural economy, is no longer self-sufficient in food. Much of the produce needed by the tourism industry is supplied by producers and importers based in Trinidad, the wider Caribbean & the USA. The Travel Foundation(3), an independent UK charity that aims to help the outbound travel industry manage tourism more sustainably, identified a real opportunity to improve the local economy via agriculture. Helping local farmers supply fresh produce at the quantity, quality and price demanded by hotels. There is currently more demand for fresh produce than local farmers can supply. The Foundation began working with the hotels in Tobago and farmers on the 'Adopt a Farmer' Project. This aims to forge greater links between the Agricultural and Tourism sectors and to decrease the dependency on imported produce. To date, twenty farmers and their families have been involved in supplying the hotels with nearly $50,000 worth of local produce. Assisted by The Foundation to sell directly to the hotels, farmers earn 30%-100% more for their produce which has allowed them to increase the size of their farms and the range of crops grown.

In February 2006 the Travel Foundation Tobago took the Adopt a Farmer program to a higher level with the installation of two greenhouses on the farmer's holdings. Sponsored by BHP Billiton, the greenhouses are part of a project to evaluate the use of greenhouses in growing certain crops for sale to hotels. The evaluation has so far proven that the lettuce and tomato crops grown under greenhouse conditions are significantly larger and can be harvested earlier than the same crops grown in the open.

20 farmers are now supplying fresh produce to local hotels and earning a decent living for themselves and their families - earning up to 100% more.

At the beginning of 2006, The Travel Foundation introduced an interest-free micro-credit scheme to facilitate larger projects getting off the ground. Two new agriculture-based projects are in line for this type of funding: a chocolate making factory and a cassava-processing factory. Both projects are considered agro-tourism projects as tourists will be able to visit the respective factories to view the entire manufacturing process from the raw material to the finished item, which they may purchase.

Mitigating Climate Change in Hotels - A Pilot Program in Barbados

Recognizing the contribution of tourism both share of overall energy use and the largely fossil fuel dominated energy supply in the Caribbean, a number of national and international organizations are designing a program to reduce the sectors contribution to greenhouse gases (GHG). The Interamerican Development Bank (IDB) is spearheading the Caribbean Hotel Energy Efficiency Action Program (CHENACT) to explore the possibilities of obtaining carbon credits through the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), promote the compliance with the Montreal Protocol (phasing out of ozone depleting substances) and achieve eligibility for carbon financing(4).

The United Nations Framework for Climate Change (UNFCCC) has recently approved a new mechanism, the Programmatic Clean Development Mechanism (PCDM), which will allow regional programs to be eligible for carbon finance through the introduction of energy efficient appliances and micro generation with renewable energy sources, and additionally explore possibilities of obtaining carbon credits from the latter. In addition, the Climate Investment Fund (CIF) managed by the World Bank and regional banks such as the IDB for very soft loans (1% interest rate) for programs that can show transformation towards a low carbon foot print.

Barbados will serve as the pilot program. Approximately 30 percent of Barbados' power consumption comes from the tourism sector, according to the Barbados Hotel and Tourism Association (BHTA). The program will consist of hotel energy audits, feasibility of using solar and wind energy on hotel sites, assessment of the feasibility of consolidating carbon credits, and the willingness of energy service companies (ESCOs) to implement property wide projects. The Barbados Ministries of Finance, Economic Affairs and Energy; Tourism; and Family, Youth Affairs and Environment will be working with the Caribbean Hotel Association (CHA), the Caribbean Alliance for Sustainable Tourism (CAST) and the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) on implementing the CHENACT pilot program.

Conclusion

This article reviews three distinct, but related, examples of leadership initiatives in the Caribbean tourism sector. They are illustrative of the broader beneficiaries of sustainability initiatives. At the property level, Rockhouse Hotel in Negril, Jamaica demonstrates how a small hotel can make a difference in the lives of children in a local community. At the destination level, Playa del Carmen hotel association and the local municipality worked together to address issues related to solid waste management created largely by the growth of tourism. At the island level, a UK-based Tour Operator group is improving the linkages between the regions two most prominent sectors - tourism and agriculture - targeting local farmers as beneficiaries. At the regional level, the hotel industry, government, regional organizations and international donors are working together to combat climate change.

References

(1) www.rockhousehotel.com

(2) www.greenglobeint.com

(3) www.thetravelfoundation.org.uk

(4) Under various off-set programs and emissions trading schemes, entities that reduce their emissions of GHG gas can access direct payments and access to concessionary financing.

Bill Meade is a Director with Tetra Tech and is based in Arlington, Virginia. Mr. Mead heads Tetra Tech's Sustainable Tourism Service work and has worked continuously in the Caribbean for over a decade at the property, resort complex, hotel group, destination and national level. Mr. Mead has also assisted private hotel companies and chains to develop corporate and property-level environmental management programs, including achievement of Green Globe 21 certification. He is currently serving as Team Leader for the Caribbean Hotel Energy Efficiency Action (CHENACT) project for the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association and Caribbean Tourism Organization, with funding from the InterAmerican Development Bank. Mr. Meade can be contacted at 703-387-2134 or bill.meade@tetratech.com Extended Bio...

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