AMSTERDAM MANOR BEACH RESORT: FIRST ARUBAN RESORT TO ACHIEVE GREEN GLOBE CERTIFICATION

FYI from: msanabria@chahotels.com

Press Release For immediate Distribution

CONTACT : Mabel Sanabria 787-725-9139
                msanabria@chahotels.com

AMSTERDAM MANOR BEACH RESORT: FIRST ARUBAN RESORT TO ACHIEVE GREEN GLOBE
CERTIFICATION

(September 26, 2000, Aruba) Aruban 72-room Amsterdam Manor Beach Resort
became the first Green Globe 21-certified resort in Aruba, as well as in
the Dutch Caribbean and the Dutch Kingdom. This means that the hotel is
presently practicing sound environmental actions and meets the
internationally recognized Green Globe 21 criteria.
In order to achieve this, Amsterdam Manor Beach Resort was assisted
through a USAID funded project implemented by the Caribbean Alliance for
Sustainable Tourism (CAST). CAST, a wholly owned subsidiary of the
Caribbean Hotel Association (CHA) is a membership-based organization for
Caribbean hotels that provides services in the form of environmental
publications, training and technical support. CAST aims to assist
hoteliers in improving their environmental performance and marketing the
Caribbean as clean and healthy environment for all visitors.
Over the last three years, CAST has strongly supported the environmental
initiatives of Aruban Hoteliers and the Aruba Hotel and Tourism
Association. This has included the delivery of Solar Energy Workshops,
Greening Your Business Workshops, Energy Audits and the Environmental
Management Systems Workshop.
        Through the "Promoting Environmentally Sustainable Tourism in the
Caribbean" Project, Amsterdam Manor (among other hotels in the region)
received consulting services from CAST and Hagler Bailly. An
Environmental Management System (EMS) audit was conducted for the
property by CAST Evaluators, and a report outlining recommendations for
improving environmental performance was delivered. Technical assistance
was also provided and training courses were held to teach hotel managers
how to design and implement an EMS. Once this foundation work was done,
the Amsterdam Manor Beach Resort, like other businesses in Aruba,
continued environmental training and advances at its own expense.
        Jurgen van Schaijk, General Manager of Amsterdam Manor Beach Resort, is
as much a common sense businessman as an environmental advocate. "I
save a tremendous amount of money annually through reduced laundry,
labor, electrical, gas and water consumption and by cutting down on the
use of disposables. Our use of propane as a refrigerant instead of
freon, which is harmful to the ozone layer, seriously cuts down on
energy costs. Freon eats up 50% more energy and requires 4-5 times the
quantity of propane. The installer must be certified, and the resort
must supply additional cautionary signage."
Van Schaijk is hoping that others will see what Amsterdam Manor has
accomplished and will use that as a stimulus to proceed in a chain
reaction. "The secret is to get owners and general managers interested
in the economic issues in areas that impact most on dollars and cents.
Once finding those specific areas, this can be used as a tool to
convince them to proceed."
Green Globe 21 is an international environmental awareness and
management program originally established in 1994 by the World Travel &
Tourism Council as a direct response to the Río Earth Summit's Agenda
21. It is the world's largest testing, inspection and verification
organization. Certification is based on the well-respected ISO 14000
Management System, but the criteria are geared specifically towards the
Travel and Tourism industry. The certificate is offered to both Green
Globe members and non-members who sufficiently develop environmental
practices. The Certificate is renewed annually, upon successful
assessment by SGS of continued compliance with the standards. Green
Globe continually monitors best practice in the industry to ensure that
the standard of the Certificate remains proof of good practice in the
Travel and Tourism industry.
        Further information on Green Globe 21 may be obtained at
www.greenglobe21.com, or by contacting Green Globe at
ggamericas@chahotels.com.

MS
Received on Sat Oct 7 16:12:30 2000