10th September 2009
“Green” has become a fad amongst many hotel chains but learning about the ITC Mughal approach has been a refreshing change. Their journey began more than 10 years ago and they are now at a stage where they are innovating ways to cascade their impact not only across its workforce, but to their suppliers and vendors. Their initiative cuts across both environmental and social programmes and there is a strong management system in place that allows for engagement of staff, as well as, innovations from the “shop floor” to be adopted by the management. There is also a good deal of sharing and benchmarking within the ITC group (i.e., inter-hotels) and between ITC business units (e.g., food industry vs hotel industry).
There are a number of good environmental initiatives (e.g., energy conservation, waste management) and the team has brought them down to each unit of the hotel. Figures are tracked and units are empowered to find new innovations or work processes that can improve their targets. Such an approach has led to improvements in waste management in housekeeping (e.g., segregation at source) or seemingly complicated laundry procedures that maximize loads or the screening of all items to be washed and grading them for light to heavy washing. There are numerous other examples but the important point is that the team has reached a maturity that allows them to not only develop new methods of doing things (or where justified, new investments) and to continually improve.
One of the other features of ITC is the people and clearly they are doing the right thing in this dimension too, hence the numerous best employee awards. There is a genuine hospitality and care that comes across from all the staff and from the interviews it was clear that many of them see this more than just a job. Having an attrition rate of less than 1% annually with the average age of staff at 46, it is clear that they value working with the company.
Finally, whilst the location has complex social-political challenges which exasperate environmental concerns, the team has also been trying to find ways to work beyond their hotel. This has been in the form of engaging Government officials, training for tourism service providers (outside of their employment) or training and mentoring their many local suppliers to adopt some of their green practices (greening of their supply chain). Addressing this dimension will be a challenge and it will be interesting to see if the team begins to address them in the same zeal that has made their internal programmes a success.
Watch our video slide show or view the pictures here:
Site Report By: Reza Azmi, Leong Siok Hui and Emran.
Special note: ITC Mughal is one of the finalists for the 2009 Responsible Tourism Awards (Category: Large Tourism Operator). For more v-blogs on Responsible Tourism Awards 2009, please visit us on YouTube.
Saturday, September 12, 2009
5th Site Visit: Sunderbans Jungle Camp, India.
4th September 2009
The Sunderbans wetlands provide a hostile living environment with its vast tidal eco-system. The villagers have adapted a way of life that allows them to earn a livelihood from the sea and use the land to sustain crops that would otherwise succumb to the saline waters (through an elaborate system of embankments and ponds). Their simple, yet precarious lives are tested by annual monsoons or cyclones. They live among swamps and gather forest products under the vigilance of tigers, snakes and crocodiles. Despite the challenging environment, the people have settled here for at least half a century. Within this context, the Sunderbans Jungle Camp was born – a lodge for tourists to experience the region and to directly support initiatives that improve the village’s quality of life.
There are two “heroes” that help make this jungle camp stand out. The first, a Sunderban local named Anil Krisha Mistry, is a reformed poacher and founder of Bali Nature and Wildlife Conservation Society (BNWCS), who decided to do something to protect the Sunderbans environment. The second is Help Tourism (HT), which provides capacity building and commercial interest to sustain local Community-Based Tourism (CBT) projects. The Sunderban Camp is one of their 29 CBT projects. BNWCS and HT have found a working relationship that is built on trust over time. One of the most impressive aspects of the camp is the consultative approach the owners took to set up the camp through dialogues, workshops and consensus.
There is little distinction between the camp and the village due to the design of the lodge and the way the camp’s facilities are open to the community. You will be amazed by the “traffic” of men, women, children who use the camp’s tube wells or the informal kindergarten set up by HT for the local kids. No doors are locked and in the seven years since the lodge was opened, no theft has been reported because the camp is very much part of the community. The camp also supports other projects like setting up a small clinic, creating mangrove plantations and providing educational outreach to local schools. The camp supports a number of self-help groups: e.g., a group of village ladies who used to harvest baby prawns in a non-sustainable way and were afflicted to skin diseases due to day-long submersion in water. Today, they are working as cleaning ladies at the camp and earning a higher income. They enjoy more time with their families and also manage to have micro-savings which are used for their children’s education. On top of giving out bonuses and incentives to the employees, HT contributes a fixed amount of annual royalties to BNWCS. Ultimately, this HT model ensures that, regardless of profits, there is a long-term commitment to improving the education, health and environment of the locality and its people.
In the words of the society’s founder, “it’s not more money that we need, we need more opportunities for people to earn a good living here in the Sunderbans. What is the point of making more money to buy land in Kolkata and forget about where we came from?”
Watch our video slide show or view the pictures here:
Site Report By: Reza Azmi, Leong Siok Hui and Emran.
Special note: Sunderbans Jungle Camp is one of the finalists for the 2009 Responsible Tourism Awards (Category: Community Based Tourism). For more v-blogs on Responsible Tourism Awards 2009, please visit us on YouTube.
The Sunderbans wetlands provide a hostile living environment with its vast tidal eco-system. The villagers have adapted a way of life that allows them to earn a livelihood from the sea and use the land to sustain crops that would otherwise succumb to the saline waters (through an elaborate system of embankments and ponds). Their simple, yet precarious lives are tested by annual monsoons or cyclones. They live among swamps and gather forest products under the vigilance of tigers, snakes and crocodiles. Despite the challenging environment, the people have settled here for at least half a century. Within this context, the Sunderbans Jungle Camp was born – a lodge for tourists to experience the region and to directly support initiatives that improve the village’s quality of life.
There are two “heroes” that help make this jungle camp stand out. The first, a Sunderban local named Anil Krisha Mistry, is a reformed poacher and founder of Bali Nature and Wildlife Conservation Society (BNWCS), who decided to do something to protect the Sunderbans environment. The second is Help Tourism (HT), which provides capacity building and commercial interest to sustain local Community-Based Tourism (CBT) projects. The Sunderban Camp is one of their 29 CBT projects. BNWCS and HT have found a working relationship that is built on trust over time. One of the most impressive aspects of the camp is the consultative approach the owners took to set up the camp through dialogues, workshops and consensus.
There is little distinction between the camp and the village due to the design of the lodge and the way the camp’s facilities are open to the community. You will be amazed by the “traffic” of men, women, children who use the camp’s tube wells or the informal kindergarten set up by HT for the local kids. No doors are locked and in the seven years since the lodge was opened, no theft has been reported because the camp is very much part of the community. The camp also supports other projects like setting up a small clinic, creating mangrove plantations and providing educational outreach to local schools. The camp supports a number of self-help groups: e.g., a group of village ladies who used to harvest baby prawns in a non-sustainable way and were afflicted to skin diseases due to day-long submersion in water. Today, they are working as cleaning ladies at the camp and earning a higher income. They enjoy more time with their families and also manage to have micro-savings which are used for their children’s education. On top of giving out bonuses and incentives to the employees, HT contributes a fixed amount of annual royalties to BNWCS. Ultimately, this HT model ensures that, regardless of profits, there is a long-term commitment to improving the education, health and environment of the locality and its people.
In the words of the society’s founder, “it’s not more money that we need, we need more opportunities for people to earn a good living here in the Sunderbans. What is the point of making more money to buy land in Kolkata and forget about where we came from?”
Watch our video slide show or view the pictures here:
Site Report By: Reza Azmi, Leong Siok Hui and Emran.
Special note: Sunderbans Jungle Camp is one of the finalists for the 2009 Responsible Tourism Awards (Category: Community Based Tourism). For more v-blogs on Responsible Tourism Awards 2009, please visit us on YouTube.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
4th Site Visit: Lamai Homestay, Thailand
A five hour drive away from busy Bangkok, Lamai Homestay offers its guests the simple yet authentic experience of living in the rice village of Kho Phet in North-eastern Thailand. Jimmy White and his wife Lamai Ormnock run the homestay. From dawn till dusk they accompany guests on tours within and outside the village – tirelessly explaining the Isan way of life, making sure guests are well fed with mouthwatering Thai cuisine and even changing bed linens to ensure a comfortable stay.
The homestay only allows 6 guests per visit usually spanning between 3-5 days to ensure personalized attention and minimize impact on the environment and daily routines of the villagers. The house was built on barren land mindful not to take up precious rice planting space. There is an eco-dwelling hut just few steps away from the main house made from mud and rice husk bricks and supported by bamboo structures. The homestay also encourages biodiversity by surrounding the land with native trees and plants to promote that habitation of various species of insects, birds, lizards, snakes, butterflies and frogs.
Energy and water conservation comes as second nature to the homestay as Jimmy and Lamai operate the homestay similar to any household who has savings in mind. Water is vital to the village as this season of drought posed critical to the paddy fields. The homestay goes the extra mile by channeling all grey water from the guest rooms into the flourishing garden.
With the inclusion of the homestay, surrounding villages have benefited economically through income generated from tourists – from buying locally hand-woven silk to contributing to the upgrading of the local school. The homestay plays a vital role in educating guests on the cultural diversity of the village folk. Guests are encouraged to participate in the daily routine of villagers to avoid disrupting their schedule. Choose to food forage with the villagers in hunt for scorpions, beetles and frogs with spades and shovels or watch the delicate process silk making from boiling silk worms, spinning, dyeing to weaving the silk – this is truly a genuine and unique Thai village experience!
By: Deborah Chan (Ban Kho Phet, Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand, 31 August-3 September 2009)
Special note: Lamai Homestay is one of the finalists for the 2009 Responsible Tourism Awards (Category: Small). For more v-blogs on Responsible Tourism Awards 2009, please visit our Youtube Channel.
The homestay only allows 6 guests per visit usually spanning between 3-5 days to ensure personalized attention and minimize impact on the environment and daily routines of the villagers. The house was built on barren land mindful not to take up precious rice planting space. There is an eco-dwelling hut just few steps away from the main house made from mud and rice husk bricks and supported by bamboo structures. The homestay also encourages biodiversity by surrounding the land with native trees and plants to promote that habitation of various species of insects, birds, lizards, snakes, butterflies and frogs.
Energy and water conservation comes as second nature to the homestay as Jimmy and Lamai operate the homestay similar to any household who has savings in mind. Water is vital to the village as this season of drought posed critical to the paddy fields. The homestay goes the extra mile by channeling all grey water from the guest rooms into the flourishing garden.
With the inclusion of the homestay, surrounding villages have benefited economically through income generated from tourists – from buying locally hand-woven silk to contributing to the upgrading of the local school. The homestay plays a vital role in educating guests on the cultural diversity of the village folk. Guests are encouraged to participate in the daily routine of villagers to avoid disrupting their schedule. Choose to food forage with the villagers in hunt for scorpions, beetles and frogs with spades and shovels or watch the delicate process silk making from boiling silk worms, spinning, dyeing to weaving the silk – this is truly a genuine and unique Thai village experience!
By: Deborah Chan (Ban Kho Phet, Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand, 31 August-3 September 2009)
Special note: Lamai Homestay is one of the finalists for the 2009 Responsible Tourism Awards (Category: Small). For more v-blogs on Responsible Tourism Awards 2009, please visit our Youtube Channel.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
3rd Site Visit: El Nido, Palawan, Philippines
Surrounded by majestic limestone cliffs dating back 250 million years, El Nido Resorts (ENR) have been operating in El Nido, northwest Palawan, Philippines, since 1981. A Protected Area, El Nido's vibrant coral reefs in pristine waters are home to over 800 fish species and thick forests are sanctuary to 100 bird species, most of which are endemic to Palawan.
As such, ENR takes environmental protection seriously. Integrated sewage treatment plants ensure that no raw sewage and greywater are discharged into sea. Final treated effluent is used for gardening and toilet flushing, while neutralised biological solids are used as fertilisers. This directly reduces consumption of water, which otherwise have to produced through energy-intensive desalination processes.
While desalinating plants were established to minimise sourcing from mainland El Nido, the company proactively protects three of El Nido watershed areas totalling 333 hectares through tree-planting, where voluntary contributions from guests go to tree nurseries and other activities for the upkeep of the watersheds.
Additional to other energy-saving strategies being implemented, solar panels were installed on three islands. In further reducing carbon emissions, while at the same time providing alternative livelihood to the communities, ENR have urged local farmers to adopt organic agriculture and responsible livestock rearing to cater to the increased percentage of local purchases by ENR, which currently stands at 56% from 20% last year.
Working with the community and local government in areas of scientific research in marine protection and rehabilitation, responsible purchasing policies, and law enforcement monitoring efforts, ENR's supervisors have gone to the ground to pride various skills training aimed at expanding the local pool of manpower for the resort, at the same time, enable participants find employment. 73% of ENR's workforce comes from El Nido and neighbouring villages within 50km of its operations. Except for one, the rest are from other regions of the Philippines.
With no hospital and only one doctor for more than 30,000 inhabitants in El Nido, ENR's full-time doctors render free medical consultation to targeted local communities twice a week, moving between villages to reach out to those who are remotely located.
By: Shafinaz Suhaimi (Palawan Philippines, 26 - 30 August 2009)
Special Note: El Nido Resorts (ENR) is one of the finalists for the 2009 Responsible Tourism Awards (Category: Mid Size). For more v-blogs on Responsible Tourism Awards 2009, please visit our YouTube Channel.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
2nd Site Visit: Soneva Fushi, Maldives
Fringed by coral reefs that meet soft white sand, rings of blue hues from crystal clear waters surround the 1190 islands of the
Tucked away in lush tropical vegetation, 65 villas stay cool from the hot and humid Maldivian weather. The limited villas allow for exceptional service by attentive hosts, predominantly male, at a guest to host ratio of 1:4. Generously spaced out for privacy and nestled in nature, the villas and other buildings are constructed and crafted from renewable and certified-sustainable sources.
Fast moving towards its ‘Zero Carbon’ goal by 2010, Soneva Fushi had a carbon footprint audit carried out and a suite of carbon emission reduction strategies are being implemented. One ambitious experiment worth highlighting would be the Deep Water Cooling of villas and other buildings using nature’s renewable resources – i.e. cold deep seawater, resulting in 70% energy saving through more efficient air-conditioning.
Other carbon reduction (and waste reduction) measures include growing the resort’s own food in the organic gardens and sourcing produce from local farms and fishermen, thereby reducing air miles and non-biodegradable packaging, not to mention rewarding the human gastronomic sense with the freshest ingredients.
0.5% of Soneva Fushi’s annual revenue goes into their Social and Environmental Responsibility Fund (SERF), which supports national and international programmes on health, education, conservation and community development.
Whether you decide to go barefoot and stroll along the beach or jungle paths, star-gaze at the Observatory or dive into the depths of the sea, or even indulge in their award-winning spa treatments, one is bound to embrace Soneva Fushi’s “S.L.O.W.
By: Shafinaz Suhaimi (
Special note: Soneva Fushi is one of the finalists for the 2009 Responsible Tourism Awards (Category: Mid Size). For more v-blogs on Responsible Tourism Awards 2009, please visit our YouTube Channel.
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