Greening’ Hotels for responsible tourism
Creating harmony between the built environment and the natural environment
By: Appekka Fernando
An initiative to ‘Green’ Sri Lankan hotels was launched on August 3 under the aegis of the Responsible Tourism Partnership (RTP) a five year project funded by the Travel Foundation, UK along with the cooperation of the Ministry of Tourism, the Tourist Hotels Association of Sri Lanka, and the Sri Lanka Sustainable Energy Authority (SLEA). According to the press release, 34 hotels around the country are due to go ‘Green’ and amongst them are those of the Aitken Spence, John Keells, Jetwing and Confifi group of hotels as well as The Siddhalepha Ayurveda Resort & Spa, Saman Villas and Mermard Hotel & Club.
Accusations of disproportionate energy consumption and environmentally damaging general practices have been dodging the hotel industry for years. As a result of trying to offer their customers the best possible experience while maximising profitability, the trend was to forget that they have a responsibility towards the protection of the environment. Instances such as the marine pollution that occurred when certain hotels along the coast were found to be dumping sewage and waste water to the seas, of overfilling cesspits and mismanagement of waste were common accusations levelled at the hotel industry. However some hotels have adjusted their practices since then to reflect a rising awareness on environmental issues.
Minister for the Environment and Natural Resources, Hon. Champika Ranawaka told the DM that energy conservation and creating harmony between the built environment and the natural environment are a main concern at the moment. The minister said steps like including more green architecture in the building of hotels and resorts should be prioritised because currently most hotels are large chunks of concrete that are at odds with their environment.
He also stated that hotels have been using more than their fair share of energy as a result of things like 24/7 air conditioning. Minister Ranawaka emphasised that “several large scale establishments in Colombo use the electricity equivalent of the usage of 30,000 households in the Moratuwa/Mt Lavinia area” The hotel industry has the ability and capacity to instigate positive changes necessary to make themselves more environmentally conscious and it is a positive step that they have made with this greening initiative. He said that the future constructions made to accommodate the tourism sector would benefit from having these concerns in their minds as “going green” is a fast growing global trend.
Countries that market themselves on the beauty of their natural environment such as Costa Rica have been initiating certification programmes that give hotels a rating percentage that helps travellers identify each hotel by their specific sustainability levels. Not only is this certification programme a tool for travellers, it is also a method to benchmark changes and make them a standard for the industry.
The CST (Certification for Sustainable Tourism) programme rates the hotels on several different sets of descriptors which include the relationship between the physical and biological environment, the facilities provided by the hotel, such as the policies with regard to water and energy consumption and waste management (what happens to the organic waste as well as where the inorganic waste ends up) and the socio – economic environment cultivated by the institution. Then based upon the score they are placed on a level between 0 and 5, with 5 being the optimum level for sustainability. Countries such as the UAE as well, and the Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce in particular have launched national initiatives to reduce carbon emissions drastically from their hospitality industry by 20% by 2011.
In addition, the UNEP (United Nations Environment Project) have several awareness projects running that help the industry as well as the consumer to become more aware and responsive to the changes that are taking place all over the world as a result of poor environmental practices. The UNEP have put together an international task force to deal with the development of sustainable tourism as a concept called the Marrakech Process. According to the information found on the UNEP website, the tourism industry as one, compared with all the countries in the world, would rank as the 5th largest polluter worldwide.
The UNEP is developing communication tools and training programmes to help counter the damage. Although the effects of these programmes may take years to show, it is most definitely a step in the right direction. There are websites offering the industry benchmarking tools, to help compare themselves to their peers worldwide such as the one offered in the Sustainable Hotel website (www.sustainablehotel.co.uk), but so far nothing specifically has been created for the local hotelier. However this may all change with the present RTP initiative.
Despite the lack of any national certification service, some hotel chains have strived to meet several international standards. Mr Malin Hapugoda, Managing Director of the Aitken Spence group of hotels, said that since 1996 they have been progressively adjusting their practices to be aligned with the ISO 14001 standards (more information on the ISO 14000 Environment Management standards can be found at their website www.iso.org). Today 6 out of their 9 hotels in Sri Lanka have achieved this standard and have adopted environmentally friendlier practices. He also said that they are consistently “Greening the Chain”, referring to the chain of hotels. In addition to this they have also achieved the Green Globe 21 standard for all 9 of their hotels.
Mr. Ravi De Silva, a former engineer who worked with the Aitken Spence group in building the ecologically friendly Kandalama Hotel, and is now acting as an environment management consultant for the group, said that they have made innovative changes in some of their hotels that they are planning on rolling out for the rest of the chain. Among these the gasification plant created at the Tea Factory Hotel Kandapola, has helped the hotel save up to Rs. 350,000 annually on fuel bills, stands out as exemplary. The gasification plant uses Grilicidia, a fast growing hedgerow tree as fodder to heat water, for which they previously used Diesel. Mr. De Silva said along with the monetary savings the gasification plant has reduced the amount of CO2 emissions by almost 250 tonnes annually. He said that the gasification plant due to be opened in the Kandalama Hotel would save up to 350 tonnes of CO2 from being emitted in to the atmosphere. In addition the cultivation of Grilicidia is also beneficial to the de-pollution of the earth as it is a natural nitrogen rich ‘green’ fertliser, commonly substituted for Urea. He said that they are aiming to appeal to a larger group of green tourists, by being featured in green websites and travel sites and that they are already featured in the Green Globe website.
When taking into consideration the disparity in consumption, the larger hotels have lot more responsibility for the environment. Ms. Angie Samuel, brand manager for the Jetwing group said that over the years the Jetwing hotels have taken many steps to make themselves greener and more responsible. Amongst them the Jetwing Eternal Earth Programme (JEEP) initiated in January 2008, is one example. It uses the principles of analogue – forestation (quasi natural forests –adaptable to any eco system and climate) and forest gardens to make an impact on the environment through the plantation of trees in an area of 100 acres adjoining the Hunas Falls hotel. This initiative uses community partnership and education programmes to inform children on things like composting methods and to get the message of sustainability out in to the community.
One of the main emphasise of the programme is the cultivation of environmentally sound practices in children at a young age that will ensure the longevity of these initiatives. They also enable guests staying at Jetwing Hotels islandwide to participate in the programme by making it possible for them to make an investment in the minimum of one tree, and receiving JEEP Carbon Credit certificates accordingly. Also Ms. Samuel said that that once the trees bear fruit they will be sold to the community at a very low price and the revenue put back into the expansion of the project. Along with the RTP greening initiative they are also working with the ministry’s Earth Lung programme, tailored to make Sri Lanka a carbon neutral, premier green destination by 2018.
The Greening Sri Lankan Hotels initiative is therefore absolutely necessary step in preserving the balance of the environment while continuing positive economic growth. Mr. Srilal Miththapala, a non-executive board member of the Serendib Group as well as being the Chairman of the Tourist Hotel Association of Sri Lanka, said that going green has to be an economically viable option or the hoteliers would be reluctant to install those methods. He said as it is, in the Serendib Group, there have been savings of 3 to 4 million rupees through the installing of greener practices such as the using of solar heating panels for hot water, the change to CFL lighting and sound solid waste management.
When asked whether these changes will appeal to potential tourists he mentioned that prior to the global economic downturn, the demand for “Green” was very high, with tourists being very concerned about the consumption of resources. However he said, now in the middle of the recession tourists are more cost consious and are less likely to book holidays based entirely on eco friendly practices of hotels . He said that despite this downturn, hotels need to implement these changes because eventually the downward trend is will end and the demand for green holidays will recur, and the hotel industry in the country needs to be prepared to cater to that market.
He also mentioned that the larger hotels that already had green methods implemented in order to participate in this programme to benchmark changes and to help gather true data so that in the future hoteliers would have a standard for comparison . He said that the gathering of data may take up to a year, upon which the analysis of it would make positive change in the future a realistic goal. He also hoped that many more hotels would participate in this programme because it is absolutely vital to make changes in the industry to meet global standards.
Its not just the bigger chains that have been making greener changes to their establishments, Mr. Daya Ratnayaka, chairman of Saman Villas, a boutique hotel in Bentota, said that they have been observing a green mantra almost from inception. The design for the hotel, which is built on a barren land, was inspired by a fact finding trip to Bali, Thailand, because back in 1993 green architecture wasn’t as advanced or widespread in Sri Lanka as it is now. In addition Mr. Ratnayaka also stated that since then they have made small changes to alter the efficiency of the hotel such as the changing of light bulbs and the recycling of waste water.
Another notable change was the replacement of all air conditioning units from the rooms in the hotel with more energy efficient Direct Current Inverter type units at the cost of Rs 7 mil in 2007. These units use are 15 -20% more efficient than the previous units. The Inverter AC units are able to do this by being able to continuously adjust its thermal outflow by altering the speed of the compressor. The engineers at Saman Villa have also added more tweaks to the units such as installing a cooling tower to make these units even more efficient. Mr. Ratnayaka said that with these methods they have been able to reduce up to 4600kg of CO2 per year from entering the atmosphere. Joining hands with the RTP was to act as an example for other hotels that may want to go the green way. He said that making themselves more efficient led to the reaping of economically beneficial rewards as well as reducing their imposition on the environment.
In the press release the CEO of the RTP Ms Charmarie Ma-alge states that the greening of the hotels are to be rolled out in 2 separate phases. In the first phase the hotels will be helped to assess the usage and gauge the methods by which consumption of water and energy could be made more efficient and on where they are at the moment with proper and responsible waste management. Ms Ma-alge also stated that within this phase, the RTP is planning on initiating an awards programme in which the best ecological methods implemented by hoteliers would be rewarded and recognised. Application forms for entry will be made available at RTP participating hotels.
In the second phase the RTP will work with the hotels, providing them with the tools and training to implement the necessary changes to make their hotels both green and profitable. Simple methods such as using lighting and electronic equipment more efficient, using energy saving light bulbs, introducing low-flow showers and restricting water output from taps help with the conservation of resources and cut down on costs. According to Ms Ma-alge most hotels would be able to go even further and perhaps be able to generate enough energy to power themselves and maybe even sell the excess back to the grid. Net Metering as this process is called, is commonly practiced amongst companies and work places that are able to generate their own power through various methods such as solar, wind and bio gas around the world.
These hotels then would be promoted as ‘Green’ hotels with the EU Travellife sustainability store and the Federation of Tour Operators of the UK both of which would be instrumental in diverting more eco conscious tourists in the country. President of the Eco Tourism Foundation of Sri Lanka, Mr. Palitha Gurusingha, said that the changes promised by this initiative are very positive, that the members of the Eco Tourism Foundation have been running their businesses on such values for a long time now. He says that the changes come right on time, as we ourselves can sense the differences brought on by global warming. He also mentioned that cutting the carbon foot print of these hotels as well as future establishments would greatly help to alleviate future issues that may have arisen if these issues went unchecked such as the lack of clean water and the pollution of both air and land.
The Eco revolution is indeed a fast growing trend with ever rising numbers of international travellers that are more concerned with the impact they have in their host country’s eco system. A large scale movement to educate and instruct travellers on the best and most ethical ways to travel is gaining popularity amongst tourists. The International Eco Tourism Organisation website (www.ecotourism.org) and other popular sites such as Lonely Planet and Expedia.com instruct travellers on how to choose hotels and travel agencies that are green with minimal impact on the environment. The proposed changes are small, but indicate a rising awareness of the state of the planet by the hoteliers and the people of Sri Lanka. The need to conserve what we have left is greater now than before since the threats to our eco system are immense.
Creating harmony between the built environment and the natural environment
By: Appekka Fernando
An initiative to ‘Green’ Sri Lankan hotels was launched on August 3 under the aegis of the Responsible Tourism Partnership (RTP) a five year project funded by the Travel Foundation, UK along with the cooperation of the Ministry of Tourism, the Tourist Hotels Association of Sri Lanka, and the Sri Lanka Sustainable Energy Authority (SLEA). According to the press release, 34 hotels around the country are due to go ‘Green’ and amongst them are those of the Aitken Spence, John Keells, Jetwing and Confifi group of hotels as well as The Siddhalepha Ayurveda Resort & Spa, Saman Villas and Mermard Hotel & Club.
Accusations of disproportionate energy consumption and environmentally damaging general practices have been dodging the hotel industry for years. As a result of trying to offer their customers the best possible experience while maximising profitability, the trend was to forget that they have a responsibility towards the protection of the environment. Instances such as the marine pollution that occurred when certain hotels along the coast were found to be dumping sewage and waste water to the seas, of overfilling cesspits and mismanagement of waste were common accusations levelled at the hotel industry. However some hotels have adjusted their practices since then to reflect a rising awareness on environmental issues.
Minister for the Environment and Natural Resources, Hon. Champika Ranawaka told the DM that energy conservation and creating harmony between the built environment and the natural environment are a main concern at the moment. The minister said steps like including more green architecture in the building of hotels and resorts should be prioritised because currently most hotels are large chunks of concrete that are at odds with their environment.
He also stated that hotels have been using more than their fair share of energy as a result of things like 24/7 air conditioning. Minister Ranawaka emphasised that “several large scale establishments in Colombo use the electricity equivalent of the usage of 30,000 households in the Moratuwa/Mt Lavinia area” The hotel industry has the ability and capacity to instigate positive changes necessary to make themselves more environmentally conscious and it is a positive step that they have made with this greening initiative. He said that the future constructions made to accommodate the tourism sector would benefit from having these concerns in their minds as “going green” is a fast growing global trend.
Countries that market themselves on the beauty of their natural environment such as Costa Rica have been initiating certification programmes that give hotels a rating percentage that helps travellers identify each hotel by their specific sustainability levels. Not only is this certification programme a tool for travellers, it is also a method to benchmark changes and make them a standard for the industry.
The CST (Certification for Sustainable Tourism) programme rates the hotels on several different sets of descriptors which include the relationship between the physical and biological environment, the facilities provided by the hotel, such as the policies with regard to water and energy consumption and waste management (what happens to the organic waste as well as where the inorganic waste ends up) and the socio – economic environment cultivated by the institution. Then based upon the score they are placed on a level between 0 and 5, with 5 being the optimum level for sustainability. Countries such as the UAE as well, and the Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce in particular have launched national initiatives to reduce carbon emissions drastically from their hospitality industry by 20% by 2011.
In addition, the UNEP (United Nations Environment Project) have several awareness projects running that help the industry as well as the consumer to become more aware and responsive to the changes that are taking place all over the world as a result of poor environmental practices. The UNEP have put together an international task force to deal with the development of sustainable tourism as a concept called the Marrakech Process. According to the information found on the UNEP website, the tourism industry as one, compared with all the countries in the world, would rank as the 5th largest polluter worldwide.
The UNEP is developing communication tools and training programmes to help counter the damage. Although the effects of these programmes may take years to show, it is most definitely a step in the right direction. There are websites offering the industry benchmarking tools, to help compare themselves to their peers worldwide such as the one offered in the Sustainable Hotel website (www.sustainablehotel.co.uk), but so far nothing specifically has been created for the local hotelier. However this may all change with the present RTP initiative.
Despite the lack of any national certification service, some hotel chains have strived to meet several international standards. Mr Malin Hapugoda, Managing Director of the Aitken Spence group of hotels, said that since 1996 they have been progressively adjusting their practices to be aligned with the ISO 14001 standards (more information on the ISO 14000 Environment Management standards can be found at their website www.iso.org). Today 6 out of their 9 hotels in Sri Lanka have achieved this standard and have adopted environmentally friendlier practices. He also said that they are consistently “Greening the Chain”, referring to the chain of hotels. In addition to this they have also achieved the Green Globe 21 standard for all 9 of their hotels.
Mr. Ravi De Silva, a former engineer who worked with the Aitken Spence group in building the ecologically friendly Kandalama Hotel, and is now acting as an environment management consultant for the group, said that they have made innovative changes in some of their hotels that they are planning on rolling out for the rest of the chain. Among these the gasification plant created at the Tea Factory Hotel Kandapola, has helped the hotel save up to Rs. 350,000 annually on fuel bills, stands out as exemplary. The gasification plant uses Grilicidia, a fast growing hedgerow tree as fodder to heat water, for which they previously used Diesel. Mr. De Silva said along with the monetary savings the gasification plant has reduced the amount of CO2 emissions by almost 250 tonnes annually. He said that the gasification plant due to be opened in the Kandalama Hotel would save up to 350 tonnes of CO2 from being emitted in to the atmosphere. In addition the cultivation of Grilicidia is also beneficial to the de-pollution of the earth as it is a natural nitrogen rich ‘green’ fertliser, commonly substituted for Urea. He said that they are aiming to appeal to a larger group of green tourists, by being featured in green websites and travel sites and that they are already featured in the Green Globe website.
When taking into consideration the disparity in consumption, the larger hotels have lot more responsibility for the environment. Ms. Angie Samuel, brand manager for the Jetwing group said that over the years the Jetwing hotels have taken many steps to make themselves greener and more responsible. Amongst them the Jetwing Eternal Earth Programme (JEEP) initiated in January 2008, is one example. It uses the principles of analogue – forestation (quasi natural forests –adaptable to any eco system and climate) and forest gardens to make an impact on the environment through the plantation of trees in an area of 100 acres adjoining the Hunas Falls hotel. This initiative uses community partnership and education programmes to inform children on things like composting methods and to get the message of sustainability out in to the community.
One of the main emphasise of the programme is the cultivation of environmentally sound practices in children at a young age that will ensure the longevity of these initiatives. They also enable guests staying at Jetwing Hotels islandwide to participate in the programme by making it possible for them to make an investment in the minimum of one tree, and receiving JEEP Carbon Credit certificates accordingly. Also Ms. Samuel said that that once the trees bear fruit they will be sold to the community at a very low price and the revenue put back into the expansion of the project. Along with the RTP greening initiative they are also working with the ministry’s Earth Lung programme, tailored to make Sri Lanka a carbon neutral, premier green destination by 2018.
The Greening Sri Lankan Hotels initiative is therefore absolutely necessary step in preserving the balance of the environment while continuing positive economic growth. Mr. Srilal Miththapala, a non-executive board member of the Serendib Group as well as being the Chairman of the Tourist Hotel Association of Sri Lanka, said that going green has to be an economically viable option or the hoteliers would be reluctant to install those methods. He said as it is, in the Serendib Group, there have been savings of 3 to 4 million rupees through the installing of greener practices such as the using of solar heating panels for hot water, the change to CFL lighting and sound solid waste management.
When asked whether these changes will appeal to potential tourists he mentioned that prior to the global economic downturn, the demand for “Green” was very high, with tourists being very concerned about the consumption of resources. However he said, now in the middle of the recession tourists are more cost consious and are less likely to book holidays based entirely on eco friendly practices of hotels . He said that despite this downturn, hotels need to implement these changes because eventually the downward trend is will end and the demand for green holidays will recur, and the hotel industry in the country needs to be prepared to cater to that market.
He also mentioned that the larger hotels that already had green methods implemented in order to participate in this programme to benchmark changes and to help gather true data so that in the future hoteliers would have a standard for comparison . He said that the gathering of data may take up to a year, upon which the analysis of it would make positive change in the future a realistic goal. He also hoped that many more hotels would participate in this programme because it is absolutely vital to make changes in the industry to meet global standards.
Its not just the bigger chains that have been making greener changes to their establishments, Mr. Daya Ratnayaka, chairman of Saman Villas, a boutique hotel in Bentota, said that they have been observing a green mantra almost from inception. The design for the hotel, which is built on a barren land, was inspired by a fact finding trip to Bali, Thailand, because back in 1993 green architecture wasn’t as advanced or widespread in Sri Lanka as it is now. In addition Mr. Ratnayaka also stated that since then they have made small changes to alter the efficiency of the hotel such as the changing of light bulbs and the recycling of waste water.
Another notable change was the replacement of all air conditioning units from the rooms in the hotel with more energy efficient Direct Current Inverter type units at the cost of Rs 7 mil in 2007. These units use are 15 -20% more efficient than the previous units. The Inverter AC units are able to do this by being able to continuously adjust its thermal outflow by altering the speed of the compressor. The engineers at Saman Villa have also added more tweaks to the units such as installing a cooling tower to make these units even more efficient. Mr. Ratnayaka said that with these methods they have been able to reduce up to 4600kg of CO2 per year from entering the atmosphere. Joining hands with the RTP was to act as an example for other hotels that may want to go the green way. He said that making themselves more efficient led to the reaping of economically beneficial rewards as well as reducing their imposition on the environment.
In the press release the CEO of the RTP Ms Charmarie Ma-alge states that the greening of the hotels are to be rolled out in 2 separate phases. In the first phase the hotels will be helped to assess the usage and gauge the methods by which consumption of water and energy could be made more efficient and on where they are at the moment with proper and responsible waste management. Ms Ma-alge also stated that within this phase, the RTP is planning on initiating an awards programme in which the best ecological methods implemented by hoteliers would be rewarded and recognised. Application forms for entry will be made available at RTP participating hotels.
In the second phase the RTP will work with the hotels, providing them with the tools and training to implement the necessary changes to make their hotels both green and profitable. Simple methods such as using lighting and electronic equipment more efficient, using energy saving light bulbs, introducing low-flow showers and restricting water output from taps help with the conservation of resources and cut down on costs. According to Ms Ma-alge most hotels would be able to go even further and perhaps be able to generate enough energy to power themselves and maybe even sell the excess back to the grid. Net Metering as this process is called, is commonly practiced amongst companies and work places that are able to generate their own power through various methods such as solar, wind and bio gas around the world.
These hotels then would be promoted as ‘Green’ hotels with the EU Travellife sustainability store and the Federation of Tour Operators of the UK both of which would be instrumental in diverting more eco conscious tourists in the country. President of the Eco Tourism Foundation of Sri Lanka, Mr. Palitha Gurusingha, said that the changes promised by this initiative are very positive, that the members of the Eco Tourism Foundation have been running their businesses on such values for a long time now. He says that the changes come right on time, as we ourselves can sense the differences brought on by global warming. He also mentioned that cutting the carbon foot print of these hotels as well as future establishments would greatly help to alleviate future issues that may have arisen if these issues went unchecked such as the lack of clean water and the pollution of both air and land.
The Eco revolution is indeed a fast growing trend with ever rising numbers of international travellers that are more concerned with the impact they have in their host country’s eco system. A large scale movement to educate and instruct travellers on the best and most ethical ways to travel is gaining popularity amongst tourists. The International Eco Tourism Organisation website (www.ecotourism.org) and other popular sites such as Lonely Planet and Expedia.com instruct travellers on how to choose hotels and travel agencies that are green with minimal impact on the environment. The proposed changes are small, but indicate a rising awareness of the state of the planet by the hoteliers and the people of Sri Lanka. The need to conserve what we have left is greater now than before since the threats to our eco system are immense.
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