Hotels in Dominica and Dominican Republic honored for best practices in sustainable hotel management
3 Rivers Lodge in Dominica and Sunscape Casa del Mar in the Dominican Republic named the 2005 CHA/AMEX Caribbean Green Hotels of the Year
Miami, Florida (July 2005) - As the Caribbean hospitality industry continues to grow, so does its impact on the environment. To help preserve this tropical paradise, a critical first step involves sensitizing hotel operators to the problem and fostering ways to help them integrate better social and environmental practices into daily decisions. Working towards this goal, the Caribbean Hotel Association (CHA) and American Express annually recognize Caribbean hotels at the cutting edge of social and environmental responsibility. The winners of the 2005 CHA/AMEX Green Hotel of the Year Award are 3 Rivers Lodge in Dominica and Sunscape Casa del Mar in the Dominican Republic.
“Being environmentally conscious is not only important to the community, but it also makes good business sense,” says Dee Rodriguez, vice-president of Establishment Services for American Express Latin America and Caribbean Division. “We congratulate the award winners for their enlightened environmental practices, which are truly a model for the region.”
DOMINICA'S ENVIRONMENTAL GEM
In the small hotel category, 3 Rivers Lodge in Dominica excelled as the Green Hotel of the Year.
Set on 6.5 acres of reclaimed banana fields on the country’s east coast, 3 Rivers Lodge offers a truly green holiday. The simple features of the lodge’s facilities and accommodations - a secluded cabin in the rainforest, a bamboo tree house, quaint wooden cottages - blend into its lush surroundings and reflect management’s ideal: to live in harmony with and have as little harmful impact on the area’s unspoiled natural surroundings. Driven by a belief in their role to protect and enhance the environment for guests as well as local residents, the owners of 3 Rivers embrace sustainable living practices.
Ten solar panels provide the grounds with 800 watts of power daily, sufficient to run the hotel’s low-powered electrical appliances. Each cottage comes equipped with its own solar thermosyphon hot water system to ensure plenty of hot water for guests. Individual solar-powered lights sufficiently illuminate walkways without diminishing the view of the night sky. And a solar-powered slow pump silently draws crystal-clear river water for the lodge’s use without disturbing the tranquility of the natural surroundings.
3 Rivers minimizes water consumption by using dry toilets in the camping areas, providing showers instead of bathtubs, and treating and then re-using grey water in the gardens. Organic food is grown in the gardens, which are fertilized by the hotel’s composted kitchen and garden waste, thus avoiding the need for harmful chemicals.
By modifying a pick-up truck to run on used vegetable oil as well as diesel fuel, the owners were able to reduce their vehicle’s harmful emissions by about 93 per cent. Local restaurants supply the used vegetable oil, which was previously discarded into local rivers and ravines.
The lodge shops locally, recycles and uses biodegradable products, and tries to keep waste products to a minimum, such as avoiding packaged goods whenever possible. Staff monitor water, electricity, gas, solid waste, and paper use daily in a continuous effort to reduce consumption.
While 3 Rivers ensures the well-being of their guests and the environment, their philosophy also includes the well-being of the local community. They hire all employees from area villages and train them in sustainable living. To ensure area residents also benefit from the hotel’s existence, the lodge’s owners promote community-based tourism activities that generate income for residents while giving guests a true taste of life in Dominica. 3 Rivers also gives back to the community by hosting environmental education visits with school children, sponsoring village teams and bands, and fostering growth, for instance they have helped set up a new village library and enabled a woman to start her own business.
PRESERVING THE ENVIRONMENT IN THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
In the large hotel category, Sunscape Casa del Mar in the Dominican Republic shone through as the best green hotel.
Located on the country’s southeast coast, Sunscape Casa del Mar is proof that sound social and environmental practices are a wise business decision. The hotel uses an environmental management system to set targets, assess needs, and monitor their environmental impact, conservation of water and energy resources, and improvement of the property’s image within the community.
Conscientious recycling minimizes water consumption and revitalizes natural resources. The original development of the property disturbed many of its natural underground springs and waterways causing them to dry out. To facilitate the survival of the springs, Casa del Mar’s new management set out to reforest the area, excavate the ponds, and stock them with indigenous fish to keep the waterways clean. Staff use recycled grey water, which has been treated on site, to water the property’s lawns and gardens.
Public spaces are designed to maximize natural illumination and eliminate the need for air conditioning, thereby reducing energy consumption. Solar panels heat the hot tubs, photo cells power the pathway lights, and guest room key cards automatically turn the electricity on and off when guests enter or leave their room. Over three years Casa del Mar proudly shows a 23.5 per cent decrease in energy consumption.
Without local recycling facilities, the hotel returns all glass containers to their distributor. They also recycle fallen trees into benches and other hand-made indigenous crafts, which local vendors sell to guests.
Casa del Mar’s good neighbor policy has led them to connect the towns sewage to the hotel’s sewage treatment plant, ending the days when the community’s black water would drain out to sea. They also organize clean ups, and reforestation and beautification projects year round.
“Environmental issues concern not just the air we breathe and the water we drink, they also concern our obligation to each other and to future generations to protect our planet,” says CHA president, Berthia Parle. “In the Caribbean hospitality industry, businesses that utilize the most solid social and environmental practices benefit communities and save not only our environment, but our heritage as well.”
To learn more about the 3 Rivers Lodge and Sunscape Casa del Mar or for information on how to develop an environmental program, contact the Caribbean Alliance for Sustainable Tourism (CAST) at (787) 725-9139 or e-mail jdohrmann@caribbeanhotels.org.
Disclaimer: The information in this article/release was accurate at
press time; however, we suggest you confirm all details and prices
directly with vendors.
HOME | HOTELS | VILLAS | CRUISES | ACTIVITIES | SHOPPING | RESTAURANTS | MAPS | SPECIALS | YELLOW PAGES | NEWS
