By Erica James-King, Senior Staff ReporterWESTERN BUREAU:
THERE ARE more successful environmental projects being conducted by hoteliers and non-Government organisations in western Jamaica, than elsewhere in the island. The trend is reflected in this year's Environmental Awards staged by the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA) and Environmental Audits for Sustainable Tourism (EAST) project.
At the Third Annual Awards Luncheon hosted by the JHTA and the EAST project at the Conference Centre of the Half Moon Hotel recently, the West walked away with the majority of the accolades which went to Jamaican hoteliers.
Richard May, environmental director of Sandals Resorts International, who is based in Montego Bay, is the JHTA Environmental Champion for 2002/2003 and he received the coveted P.A. Consulting Group Trophy.
Beaming with pleasure as he spoke with The Gleaner, Mr. May said, "I didn't expect that I would be a winner; it really surprised me."
He is vowing to work harder in ensuring his resort stays on a sound environmental footing: "We (Sandals Resorts) have been working on several environment programmes. We have a documented environment action plan for the Sandals group and we'll be bringing many of those programmes forward for the next 15 or 16 months. So it's just a matter of maintaining the progress that we have started during the last 2-and-a-half years."
Sandals Negril got the prize for first runner-up in the Large Hotel Category for the Caribbean Hotel Association's (CHA)/ American Express (AMEX) Green Hotels Achievements Award, while Buccuti Beach in Aruba was the recipient of the Green Hotels Achievement Award in the Small Hotel Category.
In the area of Environmental Ambassadors in non-Govern-ment organisations, three of the six awardees were from the county of Cornwall.
The awardees were: Jean Brown of Negril Coral Reef Preservation Society; Jill Williams of the Montego Bay Marine Park; Jean Jackson of the Negril Chamber of Commerce; Kathy Byles of Friends of the Sea in St. Ann; Caryl Grant of the Portland Environmental Protection Association and Johnny McFarlane of the Walkerswood Farmers Project in St. Ann.
ENVIRONMENTAL AMBASSADORS
On the matter of Environmental Ambassadors in Attractions, the West once again shone brightly, winning one of the two awards. The winners were Black River Safari in St. Elizabeth and Hollywell Recreational Area in the Blue and John Crow Mountains.
Meanwhile, the Environmental Ambassadors in the Hotel Category hailed from Sandals Negril Beach Resort, Rondel Village in Negril and the Runaway Bay HEART Hotel.
In the area of Environmental Award for International Partners, Leroy Lewis of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Roystan Hopkins of the Caribbean Association for Sustainable Tourism and Mercedes Silva of the Caribbean Tourism Organisation were the cream of the crop. Meanwhile, when The Gleaner caught up with one of the western awardees, Jean Brown, who is a teacher at Negril All-Age, outlined some of her plans for the parish:
"Now that I am an Environmental Ambassador, it gives me more inspiration to increase my work on environmental awareness at the community level. I can be more effective in speaking to persons, not just on a one-on-one basis, but from a group perspective."
Ms. Brown is one of the co-ordinators of the Junior Rangers' Club at Negril All-Age where she guides youngsters in environmental principles. Her desire is to see more of those in her profession learn more about the value of protecting both the natural and built environment.
The awards function was one of the highlights of the two-day Green Hotels Conference staged at Half Moon Hotel, which saw the participation of 170 international delegates from 18 countries. EAST, which is a co-sponsor of the Environmental Awards, was launched in 1997 to prove the benefits of improved environmental management in the hotel and manufacturing sectors. The first phase of EAST saw 14 Negril hotels subjected to environmental audits, training in environmental management systems and the audit of 10 manufacturing facilities in Kingston/St Andrew.
As a result, in 1998 Negril Cabins became the first hotel in the world to be certified under the Green Globe Certification programme.
Those properties in the western end of the island now benefiting from the third phase of the EAST Project are: Round Hill Hotel, Pebbles FDR, Wexford Court Hotel, Sandals Inn, Gloucestershire Hotel and Doctor's Cave Beach.
