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Casuarina Beach Club in Barbados, a Green Hotel
February 2003

By Julius Gittens, CERN correspondent, Barbados

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One industry that depends on the environment for its survival is the tourism industry. But sometimes, the very sun, sea, sand, fauna and flora, which attract visitors to the Caribbean, are threatened by tourism development. Mangroves, forests and beaches are often destroyed to make way for hotels.

But in Barbados, a hotel is trying to change this approach to tourism development. The Casuarina Beach Club (CBC) is green in almost every sense of the word, not only the way it is run, but the way it was built.

The CBC provides an alternative to the kind of tourism development that destroys the environment. A 9-acre property with different trees, palms and flowers, a lot of which are not native to Barbados, the CBC is literally in the middle of a mini tropical forest.

Unlike in other hotels, the greenery at the CBC is not confined to the outside. Everything blends into the natural surrounding. Guests can't but notice the amount of foliage in the foyer as they step into the hotel. There is a water fountain with lots of indigenous plants, including the shrimp plant which attracts the humming birds. There is an indoor garden where guests can relax. Guests are taken around and shown the different plants and are taught a little bit of their importance. The front desk has paintings depicting different kinds of sea creatures. All you hear are bird sounds and the sound of water.

Loretto Duffy-Mayers, spokesperson for the CBC, says it is not a problem that the forest takes up a lot of the hotel's space.

"That would take away from the very intentions for which the hotel is set out to be," says Duffy-Mayers. "We obviously try to encourage people to come here for relaxation and this is one of the reasons we have such a beautiful garden. This is the nearest thing to the Garden of Eden that you are going to find. We use it to promote the health and well-being of the guests and staff."

And the guests keep coming back. The hotel has 65 percent repeat rate all year long and there are guests who have visited over 50 times, says Duffy-Mayers.

She says the repeat rate is a direct response to the environmentally friendly atmosphere at the CBC. "You can only relax when you have such a beautiful surrounding. Your air quality is so good due to the fact that our chemical usage is at a minimum. The amount of foliage we have obviously helps to improve the quality of the air."

The CBC is in a league by itself. The only other hotel that is in the Green Hall of Fame is the Half Moon Beach Club in Jamaica which is 50 times the size of the CBC.

There is some sort of homeliness about the hotel that attracts everybody. Children have the opportunity to hide and play among the trees and flowers and still learn at the same, says Duffy-Mayers.

Another enjoyable feature at CBC is watching the coconut man climb very tall coconut trees. Visitors are fascinated by the way somebody can actually do this something like this, says Duffy-Mayers.

Before the CBC and other hotels moved in, the area was wetland and heavy forest. The CBC was built with an eye on preserving the original area, says Duffy-Mayers. One of the things the CBC considered in the planning process was what was there already.

"If we have plant species and tress in the area you have to look to try to build around them. It is only when you try to replant that you realise how long it takes a palm, coconut or mahogany tree to grow again," she says.

Duffy-Mayers says she would like to see more developers looking at the natural habitat and trying to build without disturbing it too much. "Remember that these creatures, the birds and the animals, lived there before us. So it is their homes that we going into and we must make whatever efforts we can to try and live in harmony because that obviously is what saving our environment is about, trying to keep it so that future generations will be able to enjoy it as much as we can."

The hotel's mission, says Duffy-Mayers, is to educate both staff and guests on sustainable practices while cutting costs in chemicals, water and energy. At the CBC everybody, no matter their position, is responsible for ensuring that the hotel's environmental policies are adhered to at all times. The CBC's chemical use is limited and wherever possible it goes for organic alternatives.

The hotel conducts environmental awareness training for staff, fellow hoteliers and learning institutes. It also assists other hotels in setting up green environment programmes. In March 2003, it received its fourth Green Globe Certification.

The tourism industry contributes a major waste management headache, but the CBC has its own homegrown solution, says Duffy-Mayers. It uses composting -- the breakdown of organic waste into soil. It is a low-cost, sustainable solution that can be practiced in any kitchen. The hotel has two large drums outside the kitchen where it puts its organic food scraps like vegetable and fruit peelings, tea bags and eggshells. They are airtight so they don't attract flies. The drums turn out a very strong sort of dark compost. The compost is used in a small garden that produces herbs like coriander and basil used by the hotel.

Apart from being an environmentally conscious hotel, the CBC also has one of the largest collection of artwork in Barbados. Almost every artist in the country is represented at hotel.

This article is based on a transcription of Island Beat Radio.

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