It's another
first for the 64-room luxury Spice Island Beach Resort in Grenada
that is owned and operated by well known hotelier, Sir Royston
Hopkin.
The hotel
has achieved the prestigious Green Globe Benchmarked Certificate
under the new Green Globe Certification program, which recognises
the resort's commitment to operating at the world's
highest environmental standard.
Achieving
this distinction means Spice Island Beach Resort can now proceed
to the next step - securing the coveted Green Globe Certification.
Spice was the first property on Grenada to be Green Globe Certified
in 2004.
The certification
expired during the time the resort was closed as a result of
Hurricane Ivan in September 2004. During the $12 million rebuilding
and renovation project that ensued, the resort made sure to
keep environmentally-conscious operating procedures in mind
because attaining Green Globe Certification upon completion
of the project was a definitive goal.
"It's
the responsibility of those in the hospitality and tourism sectors
to ensure that our operations integrate environmental and social
policy", said Sir Royston Hopkin, Chairman and owner of
Spice Island Beach Resort.
"Instituting
environmentally-conscious measures results in the reduction
of non-renewable resources as well as yields an extensive cost-savings,
and at Spice Island Beach Resort, we're extremely proud
to be doing our share to help sustain our island and its natural
treasures", he added.
Green Globe
is the global Benchmarking, Certification and improvement system
assisting the international travel and tourism industry to attain
sustainability.
Green Globe
provides a certification system that responds directly to the
major environmental problems facing the planet including the
greenhouse effect, over-use of freshwater resources, destruction
of biodiversity, production of solid and biological waste, and
social issues.
Benchmarking
is a means by which the operation can assess and improve its
environmental performance. This Benchmarking requires the submission
of information over a 12-month period about the operation's
environmental and social sustainability performance against
a number of indicators such as energy and water consumption.
Some of
the environmental practices instituted at Spice Island Beach
Resort that paved the way for the property achieving the Green
Globe Benchmarked Certificate include: switching the pools from
a chlorine base to a salt base, a bottle return program, composting
and the maintenance of a vegetable garden.
Obtaining
the Green Globe Benchmarked Certificate comes on the heels of
Spice receiving the AAA Four Diamond Award® for the third
year. Spice's AAA Four Diamond Award® rating will appear
in the AAA 2007 Caribbean TourBook guide.
Spice Island
Beach Resort completed a massive $12 million rebuilding and
refurbishment project in December 2005. The resort features
64 elegantly-appointed suites, as well as a full-service Spa
and fitness center, swimming pool and tennis court.
