Transcript Greening Curaçao hospitality

How green is Curaçao
Hospitality?
Why go green?
It is rewarding because:
You are helping the environment
You will be competitive
You will earn recognition
Involving who?
Everyone from the
ground up
Make a green team with staff
coming from all sections of
the hotel
Get all personel in a meeting
Explain them why
Agree upon a green program
Encourage with incentives
Consult experts with knowledge of local
circumstances
Experts will tell the green
team
Start by looking at all your bills for
utilities, food supply, cleaning supplies
Discuss opportunities to go green in
each section of your hotel or other
hospitality service
Set yourself a plan + timeline
Going green is an ongoing
process
Educate staff
and other personel and have
monthly meetings
Guests
Educate guests
Half of US tourists consider themselves
as eco-friendly
Let them know about the benefits for
themselves and the planet
Once the team is on track, ask
for a benchmarking program
e.g. Green Globe
Then you are on the way
toward becoming a green
hotel or hospitality service
Competition, earning
recognition, branding, these
are not unfamiliar concepts,
but why should the sector go
green, giving the environment
a helping hand?
Things are going really bad
with world environment
forests
diminishing animals+fishstock
minerals+oil stocks
pollution
climate change
Forests and oceans
Deforestation means natural capital losses
between $2 - $5 trillion every year, to date
Wall Street lost $1.5 only
About 40% of mammals are compromised by
squeeze on habitat
All fish+seafood species will crash by 2048
Climate change
Burning fuels like gasoline, diesel
and coal amounts in more
greenhouse gases warming up the
atmosphere; this process results
in climate change
Worldwide impacts of CC
Temperatures rise
North+Southpole icecaps and glaciers
are melting down
Sealevel rises:impacts for coastal and
lowlying coastal areas
Stronger rainfall within shorter periods
flooding
Caribbean area specifics
Warmer ocean water energizes
hurricanes
Hurricanes take more southern routes
in the Caribbean area
Urgency to save the planet
and our islands
All environmental, social and economic
questions will be overtaken by Climate
Change
Global and local action needed involving
all citizens, government and business
Hospitality’s role in saving the
planet: how?
Introduce the idea of Corporate Social
Responsibility (CSR) to meet demands of
rapidly changing business environment
CSR’s slogan is People, Planet and Profit
This facilitates addressing climate and
environmental issues connecting them to PPP
Greening hospitality by PPP
People: involve all staff and workers;
think of rewarding their commitment
Planet: work on a green program
Profit: without profits no business, and
without planet no business and no
profits
A few recommendations
prevent environmental problems
Consult professional environmental
advisers
Without green program the use of loose
tips results in contradictions
Consult professionals on team work,
with knowledge of local culture
Greening is all about being real
This will cost me money
It proves to be more rewarding than
one imagines
investing in PPP means saving money in
the future (different timelines)
Reflect for a while what making profits
means while nature is dying
Recognition in society is a reward
So now you have sufficient
tools at your disposal to
answer the question
‘how green is Curacao
hospitality?’
Still interested in a few
practical tips?
Design climate and environmental
friendly buildings, gardens etc.
Avoid construction of artificial beaches
Avoid construction too close to the
coastline
Purchase only machines, equipment,
cars, aircosystems with low energy use
Always consult professionals on this
gardens
Local plants and trees
Avoid planting too close to coastline
Use only compost as fertilizer
Combat eventual pests only with
recommended green products
Plant strategically: cool lanes, buildings,
shadow, observe the sun’s route, wind
waste
Reduce waste volume progressively
Produce new garden green mould by
composting organic garden and kitchen
waste
Deliver glass bottles to recycling
companies
Sustain efforts to recycle plastic bottles
Waste 2
Introduce bins for separate waste
Take notice of ‘zero waste’ websites
Communicate with suppliers on
environmentally friendly products
Inside buildings
Save energy
More energy autonomy using solar
power etc.
Save water
Purchase the right soaps and
detergents
Teach workers to handle detergents the
right way
And we could mention
a 1001 more tips …
But the most important thing
is:
Management adopts a green program
Management involves all workers and
staff and telling them why
After working for a year or two,
management could decide to join a
certification program, e.g. Green Globe
Being aware of being part of wider
ecosystem
Being a good example
Provides a model for collegues and
other sectors
Also for government bodies
makes environmentalists’ fieldwork
easier as they can refer to this example
Upgrades the knowledge and
responsibility level of the citizens
Be part of the solution
Be serious about greening (greenwash)
Be aware that coastal management
should be integrated and sustainable
and not unsustainable and cut into bits
Take Carmabi’s advice from the heart
and support them
Join ‘Curacao Business Council for
Sustainable Development’
And keep it enjoyable for
everybody involved.
Thank you for saving the
planet and people !
Amigu di Tera / Friends of the
Earth Curaçao
Lloyd Narain